KUANGTU HANDBAGS editorial team
At a glance
Longchamp began in Paris in 1948, and its official Le Pliage introduction dates the line to 1993. The family is associated with a folding design, a flap and press stud, but it now spans different materials and carrying formats. Choose the exact model, handle arrangement and material before comparing size labels: Le Pliage is a collection name, not one universal bag specification.
From a Paris leather-goods business to Le Pliage
Longchamp's official history records Jean Cassegrain founding the house in 1948 after taking over his family's Paris tobacco shop. A leather-covered pipe was an early product; small leather goods followed. That origin helps explain why leather remains part of the brand's identity even when a bag's main body is textile.
The house describes the development of Le Pliage around the challenge of combining lightness and durability. Its separate collection introduction gives 1993 as the creation year and describes a bag that folds like origami. This is design history, rather than evidence that every current version has the same weight, construction or folding method.
Sources: Longchamp — The Story of Longchamp: Paris origins and Le Pliage development · Longchamp — Le Pliage by category: 1993 origin, materials and formats
Why the collection name does not tell you the material
Longchamp's Le Pliage category description explicitly discusses both nylon canvas and leather. The page also lists leather Le Pliage Xtra examples. A nylon-bodied bag with leather details and a leather-bodied bag therefore should not be treated as interchangeable simply because both carry the Le Pliage name.
For a useful comparison, record the main body, flap, handles and lining separately. Canvas describes a fabric construction; a supplier's bare canvas label does not establish its fibre composition. Likewise, a store-provided genuine-leather description does not identify a particular hide, finish or the material of every component. Request those details for the exact item instead of borrowing them from another version.
Sources: Longchamp — Le Pliage by category: 1993 origin, materials and formats
Choose how you want to carry it first
The official collection covers shoulder bags, handbags, small cases and travel bags. That breadth matters more than choosing a letter size in isolation. If the bag is for a commute, decide whether it needs to sit over a coat; for an additional travel bag, decide whether the handles need to clear another piece of luggage.
A top-handle reference should prompt a handle-drop check. A crossbody reference should prompt a strap-length and strap-drop check. For a backpack, ask about strap adjustment and how the opening is reached. Those are different tasks, and exterior width alone cannot answer them. The catalogue links below let you compare a top-handle group, a nylon crossbody reference and a backpack without assuming their parts or carrying options match.
Sources: Longchamp — Le Pliage by category: 1993 origin, materials and formats
Read the width labels carefully on a flared bag
The pictured top-handle group shows a body wider near its opening than at its base. That creates two useful width measurements: the top opening and the base. A single width figure can be ambiguous unless the seller explains where it was taken. Ask for both, along with height and depth, if a folder, organiser or laptop sleeve must fit.
Our pictured supplier record lists Large 44 × 28, Medium 38 × 23 and Small 32 × 20, with no units supplied. We retain that limitation rather than turning the figures into centimetres or mapping them to official Longchamp sizes. The crossbody example lists 28 cm but omits the other dimensions; the backpack lists 29 × 24 cm but leaves depth unresolved. Each needs a different follow-up measurement.
Build a shortlist around one carrying task
For everyday errands, compare the opening and the location of the items you reach for most often. For travel, compare packed and folded dimensions only when the exact model is confirmed as foldable. For work, measure the device inside its sleeve and ask for usable interior dimensions; a nominal bag width is not a fit guarantee.
Save the catalogue SKU and size option with those measurements. Ask for current item photographs, included straps and material-specific care instructions. The official history supplies context, while the supplier-listed record defines the item under discussion. KUANGTU is independent of Longchamp, and these catalogue references have not been independently authenticated.
Catalogue references to compare
These photographs and records are separate from the official brand sources. Supplier-listed specifications do not authenticate an item or confirm an exact match to a retail model.
Longchamp Le Pliage Nylon Flap Top-Handle BagSKU KU-A2C7379A · Supplier-listed: Large — 44 × 28 (unit not listed) / Medium — 38 × 23 (unit not listed) / Small — 32 × 20 (unit not listed)Brand identity not independently authenticatedView photographs & item details →
Longchamp Le Pliage Nylon Crossbody Bag — 28 cmSKU KU-7CE27E7C · Supplier-listed: 28 cmBrand identity not independently authenticatedView photographs & item details →
Longchamp Le Pliage Canvas Backpack — 29 × 24 cmSKU KU-B173AD7D · Supplier-listed: 29 × 24 cmBrand identity not independently authenticatedView photographs & item details →Questions & answers
When was Le Pliage created?
Longchamp's official collection introduction dates Le Pliage to 1993. The Longchamp house itself dates to 1948. These are different milestones.
Are all Le Pliage bags nylon?
No. Longchamp's collection description includes both nylon canvas and leather, and the cited category page shows leather Le Pliage Xtra items. Check the material of the named version and each component.
Can every Le Pliage-named bag be folded the same way?
Do not assume that. The folding idea is part of the collection's history, but material and construction vary. Confirm the exact model's folding instructions before compressing it.
Does a Large label prove that a laptop will fit?
No. Confirm the units, top and base widths, usable opening and interior dimensions. Measure the laptop with its sleeve and leave room to close the bag without pressure.
Continue exploring
- Tote Bag Buying Guide: Size, Handles & Compartments
- How to Measure a Handbag for Wholesale Orders
- Longchamp catalogue: compare supplier-listed formats
Prepare a wholesale enquiry
Use the catalogue SKU, selected option and quantity in your brief, then add your delivery country and the details you need confirmed. Wholesale orders start from 5 pieces; the permitted mix, samples and shipping are confirmed in the quote.
Wholesale ordering: minimum quantity, samples and quote stepsSources & scope
An evergreen collection introduction based on Longchamp's official history and category page, read on 22 September 2026. Historical statements are separate from current product specifications. Catalogue photographs and dimensions remain supplier-listed, with missing units retained. No physical testing, authentication or affiliation with Longchamp is implied.