A Gen Zer, Millennial, and Gen Xer walk into a room. They each wear an outfit distinct to their age demographic: the Zoomer wears a tiny top and big, baggy pants; the Millennial wears a French-style button-down tucked into her skinny jeans; and the Xer wears a sensible sweater and high-waisted denim like the Levi's she wore in the '80s. But they all have the same bag slung around their shoulders—a Longchamp Le Pliage.
You're likely well acquainted with the bag, but if not, Longchamp's Le Pliage is a tote made of recycled nylon with parallel leather handles, a snap-enclosure flap, and a reasonable $155 price tag. (Prices are lower for its medium, small, and mini sizes and higher for its leather or extra large iterations.) Inspired by Japanese origami and named after the French word for "folding," former Lonchamp president Philippe Cassegrain designed the bag to shrink to the size of a paperback with some slight maneuvering.
Since its 1993 launch, the French luxury brand has sold over 30 million units to buyers, including Princess Kate, Jennifer Lopez, Katie Holmes, and Kendall Jenner.
"The Longchamp Le Pliage has transcended generations in a way that almost no other bag has," Casey Lewis, the trend analyst behind the youth culture newsletter After School, says over email. "It's a bag that both Gen Zers think is cool, Millennials already have in their closet, and that Xers never stopped using because it's such a staple." Bloomingdale's fashion director, Marissa Galante Frank, has even "seen three generations of women shopping together in-store while wearing different sizes of Le Pliage, from the mini pouch to the large tote."
The humble tote has accomplished what countless other trends have failed to do: it's brokered peace among age groups who fight over fashion by waging war with "cheugy" adjectives and "I wore that before you were born" anecdotes. And it's been a consistent crowd-pleaser since its launch three decades ago; Frank shares that that Lonchamp's Le Pliage is one of Bloomingdale's best-sellers, especially "a favorite during back-to-school shopping for those heading into high school or college, and as a top holiday gift every year."
And not only has the bag withstood the test of time, but it continues to gain momentum. Morgane Speed, senior editor at the fashion search engine Lyst, reports a 10-percent increase in demands for Longchamp Le Pliage bags over the last three months, following a 56-percent spike the previous year that put the bag alongside Alaïa's ballet flats and Bella Hadid's Kill Bill-yellow Onitsuka Tiger sneakers in Lyst's Q2 Hottest Products ranking. Bloomingdale's Frank has also observed a spike in sales at the heritage department store: "Over the past few seasons, the Le Pliage mini pouch has become increasingly popular due to the East-West bag trend," she says of the elongated micro bag.
What really stands out is how Longchamp managed to engage Gen Z—a generation known for its ironic humor shaped by the internet and a fleeting trend cycle that fizzles out almost as quickly as you can say "core"—by getting them to accept a "vintage" (31-year-old) item from the past. Speed attributes its popularity amongst youngsters to its surge across social media.
Platforms like TikTok, in particular, are where you'll find videos counting Le Pliage bags in high school hallways, tutorials on "Jane Birkinfiying" the totes with bag charms, and impressive "What's in my Bag" videos with itty-bitty Le Pliage pouches stuffed to the brim. "It was shocking to see how much could actually fit in a bag that small," creator Rachel Spencer says over email. "I packed my iPhone, wallet, digital camera, lip combo, and much more in there easily!"
@rachspeed ♬ original sound - Rachel Spencer
Meanwhile, Le Pliage's greatest Zoomer push came from RushTok, a corner of the app dedicated to sorority rush weeks at Southern universities. To the PNM (potential new members), no It bag's better than the durable, water-wicking tote that fits their textbooks and 64-ounce Stanley cups. "The first time I mentioned the Longchamp Le Pliage in my [After School] newsletter was in August of 2021 in a piece about RushTok. I remember writing, in the words of one rushee, 'Longchamp bags are back.'" Lewis considers RushTok's recognition of the Le Pliage bag a complete circle, recalling her initial exposure to the tote back in 2006 at the University of Missouri, where her "very preppy roommates from Texas" would bring the bag to class.
But Lewis finds it most intriguing how Le Pliage has burst out of its SEC school bubble. "The bag has been a Southern staple for decades, but this year, it seems like it's hit a fever pitch and is suddenly everywhere now."
Tiffani Singleton, a 26-year-old Gen Zer and founder of Poise Public Relations grew up in South Florida, where she saw Lonchamp's Le Pliage as a status symbol. "I didn't grow up wealthy, but my peers were of the Palm Beach and Boca social sets, so I was raised in communities where wealth was inadvertently on display, even among children. By the time I reached high school, Le Pliage had become an integral part of the South Florida It-girl uniform," she writes over email.
Singleton recently traveled to Paris (where the Longchamp brand was established) and saw a slew of Le Pliage bags in the airport and on the streets. As the algorithm Gods would have it, [she] now sees Le Pliages all over Instagram and will definitely be purchasing one in the next few weeks." Now, as an adult with the means to invest, Singleton is pleased to finally satisfy her younger self who "begged" her mom for one back in 2010.
For Gen Z especially, Le Pliage's prestige is a core aspect of its appeal for those who see it as a familiar and wise investment as an entry-level big girl bag. "Of course, it's not a Louis Vuitton bag, but Le Pliage has some quiet luxury cachet," says Lewis. "It's much more affordable than any other luxury designer bag, but it still signals to others you know. And it's not so accessible where literally everyone has it, which also helps its success." It's simultaneously both aspirational and attainable. And as its fellow middle-class fashion brands collapse, Longchamp holds steady as luxury adjacent because of its iconic tote with a palatable price point.
Of course, it's not a Louis Vuitton bag, but Le Pliage has some quiet luxury cachet.
Casey Lewis
As Lewis points out, many Zoomers are also now hitting the workforce. "Young people who graduated are now going to their first professional jobs and don't want to take the Jansport or Lululemon backpacks to work. They need something new." Cloe See, a fashion content creator known as @zillennialgirl on TikTok and a 26-year-old growth and performance marketer, bought a large Le Pliage classic in 2018 for college and now carries it to her corporate gig, proving it's also a great bag to rediscover. "This bag has been with me through it all—career fairs, networking events, interviews, conferences, industry trips, you name it. Now, years into the workforce, it's my go-to work bag and is still going strong," she says.
@less.dw ♬ ESPRESSO - ✈️🪩
Its reliability is the other key ingredient to Longchamp's Le Pliage's longstanding success. A sturdy nylon and leather fabrication makes it damn near indestructible. "The quality is shockingly good. For the six years I've had it, and considering how much I pack into it, the bag has shown no signs of breaking," See notes.
Sophie Delafontaine, Longchamp's Artistic Director and the daughter of Cassegrain, the original creator of Le Pliage, explains that the bags have become transgenerational. We see them being handed down from mother to daughter, and we hope that for Gen Z shoppers, this is just the beginning of our relationship. We hope that the Le Pliage tote is an introduction to Longchamp's craftsmanship [and] that they look forward to keeping it in their family."
But like any trend that hits its peak, there's almost always a valley. "The 'stylish and cool' people will [eventually] move on to whatever's next because that's just how the [trend cycle] works," says Lewis. "But the interesting thing about this bag is that it's genuinely functional. You'll be able to use it forever, so even if you're not reaching for it every day or carrying it all the time, you'll hold onto your Le Pliage because of that."
And the pendulum will eventually swing back around. "The trend cycle is so condensed at this point that when it inevitably comes back in five years, you're going to pull your Le Pliage back out again," says Lewis. It's only a matter of time.
Generational Alpha, born from 2010 to 2024, is already on board. "I just bought a Longchamp Le Pliage for my 14-year-old daughter Frida because she asked for one," says New York City-based fashion publicist Giovanna Noe. "I would have never expected it [so] I was really surprised when she told me she wanted one." And that's the magic of a complete trend cycle. If you wait long enough, you can pass down your Le Pliage to the next generation.
