2008 marked the 60th year of Longchamp's existence. This classic French brand has had its fair share of elegant marketing and products. Today it is well known for the beautiful Longchamp Handbags it designs, both in canvas and in leather. But that is not how the company began. In 1948, Jean Cassegrain inherited his family tobacco shop and with his great inventive mind, decided to cover the pipes in leather. The leather covered pipes began to take off and become a luxury item that no one could get anywhere but Cassegrain's store. He had to pick a name for his shop and so he settled on Longchamp. He would walk by a horse race track in Paris that was called Longchamp, translating to "long field" and he decided that would be a good name for his new leather company. Longchamp eventually expanded to purses, leather goods, and many other accessories.
In 2008, Philippe Cassegrain (Jean Cassegrain's son) is currently the head of the Longchamp Company. The accessories that Longchamp creates continue to expand. Styles from every collection are simply gorgeous with no sign of flashy overdone logos. Longchamp has continued the tradition of designing top quality pieces that are both stylish and classy.