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Design your own My Pliage bag at Longchamp’s pop-up at Raffles City
Pick the shape, colours, prints and finishing touches for a personalised version of the signature bag.
A familiar silhouette equally at home in the grocery aisle or at the airport, Longchamp’s Le Pliage has become one of those bags that needs little introduction. Created by Philippe Cassegrain in 1993 and inspired by the Japanese art of origami, the bag has since been released in many colours, sizes and formats.
So when Longchamp looked for a new way to present the bag, it put a question to its fans: What would you change about its signature bag?
The answer came in the form of Longchamp’s My Pliage service, an online portal for customising the bag. Users can tailor different aspects of their own My Pliage bag virtually before the design is sent off and made to order.
Now, Longchamp is bringing the service offline through global pop-ups in cities including Melbourne, Seoul, Hong Kong, New York and Singapore. Here, the pop-up will be held at Raffles City Shopping Centre from Oct 21 to Nov 18.
ENTER THE MY PLIAGE PLAYGROUND
Conceived as a creative playground, each My Pliage pop-up lets visitors explore the customisation options in person through a series of interactive kiosks.
The pop-ups are hard to miss. Each location is wrapped in a graphic backdrop of Vert-Lumiere – one of the maison’s emblematic colours. Visitors can design their bag at self-service kiosks that guide them through each step, from picking a canvas colour to selecting a hardware tone.
After trying out combinations and settling on a final design, visitors will see their customised My Pliage bag rendered in 3D. The experience gives both long-time fans and newcomers a chance to see what their version of the My Pliage could look like.
FROM SHAPE TO FINISHING TOUCHES
Each step of the My Pliage experience is guided, so the focus is simply on choosing what works for you.
It begins with the shape. While the Le Pliage is best known for its tote and travel bag formats, My Pliage offers up to seven different styles, including a laptop case and the latest addition, a coin purse.
After choosing the shape, pick the colour and print for the canvas. Options range from electric fuchsia to a softer buttery yellow, while khaki, black and navy provide more neutral tones. For prints, the staple heart and stripes motifs are joined this season by a new leopard print.
Two more elements complete the bag: the leather trim and hardware. Five colours, including baby pink, are available for the handles, straps and fold-over closure, allowing the trim to contrast with or match the canvas. The hardware comes in three metal tones: gold, black and nickel.
The bag can also carry its owner’s initials, either printed in graphic fonts across the canvas or hot-stamped on the flap. For a more private touch, a message can be added to the inner pocket – a name, meaningful quote or even an inside joke only the recipient will understand.
The design is transferred onto the canvas using sublimation printing – a technique designed to preserve the colours and definition of the chosen design while making the print more durable. Longchamp also says the process allows the personalisation to be applied with less waste.
A PERSONALISED GIFT
The same choices used to personalise a My Pliage can also be made with someone else in mind. With the pop-up arriving ahead of the holiday season, visitors can create a bag as a gift.
From production to delivery, the finished bag takes about six to eight weeks to complete, which means bags ordered early in the pop-up’s run may arrive just in time for the new year holidays.
Whether it is a favourite colour, carefully chosen accents or a private message tucked inside the pocket, the details can turn a familiar Le Pliage into a gift that feels distinctly theirs.
The Longchamp My Pliage Pop-up runs from Oct 21 to Nov 18 at Raffles City Shopping Centre, Level 1 Stamford Square.