Longchamp launches Heatherwick-inspired line

Fashion brand Longchamp has introduced a new clothing collection directly inspired by the architecture of its New York flagship store. The line, named La Maison Unique, draws on British designer Thomas Heatherwick's recent renovation of the boutique in Downtown Manhattan.

Longchamp described the release as an "architectural collection." It comprises seven specific pieces: a wool winter coat, two skirts, a silk scarf, a headband, a top, and a bag.

Design Inspiration

Each item features geometric stripes in various shades of green. This palette and pattern are taken from Heatherwick Studio's update of the Longchamp New York store, which the studio first designed two decades ago. The brand calls the print a "swirling geometric pattern." It is intended to evoke the sculptural, swooping steel staircase inside the boutique.

"Drawing upon the artist's bold and daring bright green staircase, spiral carpets and striking sculptural touches, Longchamp brings New York's interior into some of its FW collection," the brand stated. For the store revamp last year, Heatherwick's studio recolored the stairs in the brand's signature Energy Green. This same color is used throughout the new clothing line.

The Architectural Philosophy

Heatherwick discussed the philosophy behind the store renovation in an interview with Dezeen. "It's the idea of not destroying another shop, but actually adjusting it and adapting it going forward," he said. He expressed a hope for a more adaptive approach to design. "My hope is that we can be a species of adjusters and adapters, but you have to start with making something wholehearted enough so that somebody would care enough to say, 'Let's not knock it down. Let's adapt it and adjust it and repair it.'"

As part of the boutique's renovation, the studio also added a textured green "three-dimensional" carpet fitted around columns in the upper showroom. On the garments, the staircase's undulating forms have been translated into a print with an art deco-like quality. Longchamp said the collection aims to bring "fashion, art and design into perfect harmony."

The collection's available items are listed below.

Heatherwick's recent projects also include creating a new rooftop terrace with a pleated shelter for London's Olympia and designing glasses for Japanese brand Jins inspired by the movement of liquid. The images of the Longchamp collection are courtesy of the brand.