《LONGCHAMP X Mary Katrantzou》

For Spring 2012, Longchamp unveils a creative collaboration with Mary Katrantzou, the Greek-born, London-based designer, has been an insider icon ever since her dazzling digital prints opened the Central Saint Martins graduate show in 2008. This art of " When East Meets West" inspired by Ming vases and Fabergé eggs brings her unique creative vision to Longchamp with two special-edition tote bags and an exclusive print for the legendary Le Pliage® line.

For the two totes, Katrantzou created the drawing on an extraordinary array of references, from Asian temples and flower parades, through dragons and lanterns, to the architecture of Carnegie Hall. The larger tote places at its centre the sculptural staircase designed by Thomas Heatherwick for Longchamp's La Maison Unique store in New York, extending its sinuous steps into trompe-l'œil straps, which themselves are prolonged by the leather handles of the bag. The staircase, chosen by Mary Katrantzou as a symbol of modern, Westernized architecture, is imagined as if in an aquarium and surrounded by a profusion of Eastern images – brightly coloured orchids, serpentine dragons, corals and a fan like the sun's rays – to create the exuberant yet perfectly controlled print collage that is the designer's trademark.

 

 

For the second, smaller tote, Katrantzou took as her starting point a temple adorned with lanterns and flowers, creating a fresh, airy motif that miraculously merges with the monumental interior of New York's Carnegie Hall. Brown calfskin handles and brushed gold hardware complement the beauty of the prints and echo the bags' trompe-l'œil detailing. For Le Pliage®, Mary Katrantzou created a poetic print of orchids and lanterns floating like balloons against a backdrop of blue sky. "I love Le Pliage® as it is so simple and so practical, is that it provides the perfect canvas for a print designer."  Said Katrantzou.