Lancel (company)


Lancel is a French luxury leather goods company, founded in Paris in 1876 by Angèle and Alphonse Lancel and developed by their son Albert.
The company manufactured pipes before expanding into leather goods and handbags.
It remained in the hands of the couple's descendants until it was acquired in the late 1970s by the Zorbibe brothers, who then launched the popular bucket-shaped Elsa bag under Chief Executive Sidney Toledano, now CEO at Dior.
Lancel provides leather goods for men and women, such as handbags, wallets, purses, travel items, suitcases, accessories....
The brand has an over 140-year tradition creating luxury leather goods.
The company is still based in Paris, France.

History

From pipes to handbags

Lancel was founded by Angèle and her husband Alphonse Lancel in 1876, in Paris, France.
Angèle and Alphonse manufactured and sold pipes and accessories for smokers in a small shop in Paris.
At the end of the 1880s, cigarettes became popular in France, especially among women. As society evolved, the couple created specific items. Lancel developed a whole range of products for women smokers such as: cigarette cases, purses...
From 1883, the company produced leather goods. Lancel opened a leather workshop and began making handbags in line with demand. Angèle Lancel designed bags to keep smoking items organized. She replaced almoner's pouches with handbags.
In 1900, Angèle designed "le sac à malices", a bag which featured various hidden pockets. Lancel launched its first handbag collection in 1902. She saw bags as "secrets of feminine seduction".
The company rapidly expanded and produced gifts, jewelry, watches, decorative items... The couple either manufactured the products themselves or relied on their craftsmen.
A few years after its launch, Lancel developed a retail outlet network. In the 1900s, the brand registered around 10 boutiques named "Au Sphinx", "Au Phénix", "A l'indomptable", "A l'inénarrable"...

Development

Their son Albert took the company's reins in 1901 and transformed the modest company into a global brand. He immediately placed the handbag at the core of the company's strategy. He suggested using fine leathers including lizard, calfskin... Albert also suggested adding pockets and other features. In 1929, he designed the Parapluie, which contained a mirror, a makeup bag and a folding umbrella.
1927 was a turning point for the company. The brand launched a bucket bag with a flexible shape. This design became legendary, defined the brand and inspired the other handbag collections.
By the 1920s, the company also specialized in crafted grand tour luggage.
Albert Lancel then launched revolutionary products and filed a patent for the Bambino, the world's smallest portable radio, and the Aviona trunk. At the Paris Universal Exposition in 1937, the brand received an award for its range of automatic lighters.
The company became a major brand for luxury leather goods and accessories in Paris.
The brand also distinguished itself with its marketing strategy. In the 1920s, Lancel was the first luxury brand to send its clients a catalog.
In 1929, Lancel opened a flagship store selling handbags and accessories in the Opera district, where the brand is still present today.

After WW2

Lancel was one of the top three luxury leather goods brands in Europe from the 1930s to 1990s.
Lancel launched a luggage collection in the 1950s and used nylon canvas to manufacture supple luggage items. Lancel designed the Kangourou suitcase with Nélac, a specific nylon thread especially made for the brand. The Kangourou was the first suitcase made with a light and supple canvas. It met with significant success, thrusting Lancel into the spotlight.
When Albert Lancel died in 1960, his daughters took the reins. The Zorbibe brothers, who were subcontractors, joined forces and finally bought Lancel in 1976 to widen the business expansion.
In 1982, Lancel launched a sport collection using the nylon canvas reminiscent of the Kangourou suitcase designed 30 years previously.
To celebrate its 60th anniversary, Lancel relaunched the bucket bag in 1987 under the name "Elsa de Lancel". This bag became iconic. 6 million pieces were sold worldwide within 10 years.

Lancel and the artists

From the beginning, Lancel established links with Parisian artists: Arletty, Mistinguett, Edith Piaf, Maurice Chevalier, Bourvil, Josephine Baker...
Actresses wore Lancel handbags in movies. Then, famous artists collaborated with the brand and designed handbags.
In 1970, Salvador Dali sketched Le Dali handbag for his wife and muse Gala, with the help of Lancel's craftsmen. He created La Toile Daligram. Le Dali was embossed with the secret love code. The bag referenced his love alphabet, "Daligramme", made up of eight cryptograms. The bag had a bicycle chain strap as a symbol of attachment between two people going in the same direction and other symbols.
This canvas was reinterpreted in 2011 in the Daligramme collection, a 50-piece series of handbags, purses, wallets and other accessories that paid tribute to the Spanish artist.
In the 1980s, Lancel took a new direction by associating faces with its collections, including supermodels Carla Bruni and Renée Simonsen, captured through the lens of photographer Patrick Demarchelier.
In 2008, Isabelle Adjani, French actress and brand muse, joined forces to create a line of handbags.
In 2010, Lancel designed the BB bag, inspired by screen legend Brigitte Bardot. The actress actively participated in the drawing and making of the bag. It featured details that paid homage to her spirit and style. The twisted strap recalled her characteristic headband. Each interior pocket bore the name of one of her favorite locations, such as la Madrague, and the lining was in Vichy print. To reflect the cause of animal protection, it was designed respecting fauna and flora. The BB bag did not use animal skin. It was made of tweed and 100% organic alcantara, without any chemical dyeing or tanning processes.

2000's

In the 2000s, Lancel continued its expansion. The brand launched various collections of suitcases, handbags, vanity cases, accessories, ready-to-wear collections, leather goods...
In 2006, Lancel reissued the Elsa bucket bag in celebration of its 20th anniversary. In the same year, the company designed Premier Flirt, which became another hit.
Lancel launched various signature handbags which included the Premier Flirt, the Adjani, the Daligramme, L'Amante, and the Brigitte Bardot.
Early on, Lancel branched out to cater to a masculine clientele. In 2015, the French national tricolor flag was printed on the weekender and travel bag collection.
In 2011, Lancel celebrated its 135th anniversary. Lancel launched the Angèle handbag for the occasion, which featured hidden mirrors.
Lancel has many legendary creations within its archives, including the handbag designed by Dali, the umbrella handbag that won Lancel many awards and patents... In 2013, Lancel created the L bag, inspired by a 1970s bag found in the company archives. A year later, the brand produced the Charlie, referencing a bag sold in the 1960s. In the 2015 men's collection, briefcases typified high-class businessmen of the 1930s and 1940s.
In 2015, Lancel launched a new line of travel bags called Pop. Made in France, this collection was light and pliable, thanks to its soft leather.
Lancel relaunched its range of luggage in 2016 with its "Explorer" products and with Aviona in 2017.
In 2016, Lancel organized various events to celebrate its 140-year history: a travelling exhibition and a book with Flammarion in which several artists were invited to a carte blanche. Marjane Satrapi, Martin Parr, Omar Victor Diopp were few of them.
A new boutique concept was also rolled out globally. The new concept forges a link between the Lancel styles of the 1930s with those of today: a graphic setting that pays homage to the designs in the house's collections. White plaster of Paris, a reference to the mineral timelessness of the French capital, is combined with decor elements of black lacquer and blond wood. The central display units take the form of the sculpted stone tiers of and ancient amphitheater, while the black lacquer and blond wood fixtures are evocative of deconstructed pianos, reminiscent of the Salle Pleyel, the legendary Paris concert hall. The terrazzo floor was designed in-house. Large LED-lit surfaces and curved glass act as a counterpoint between the contemporary and the classic.
Over the past 140 years, Lancel has built a fashion empire. The house has grown over time and increased its offering of luxury goods.
Today, Lancel is one of the biggest names in luxury and fine leather craftsmanship, or "haute maroquinerie", in the world. The brand markets handbags, small leather goods, suitcases, travel bags and accessories.

Economy

In 1997, Swiss company Richemont, the world's second biggest luxury group which owns Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Piaget, and Montblanc, acquired Lancel for 270 million euros.
This acquisition by Richemont increased Lancel's expansion and opened new perspectives for the brand. The French company developed its retail outlet network worldwide, and focused on its haut de gamme positioning. This strategic orientation was visible in the finishing stages. Best leathers were chosen. The brand added finishes touches to stitching...
Lancel also changed its customer base. Rich clients took an interest in Lancel while the brand managed to keep its historical clients.

Corporate governance

In 1983, Sydney Toledano took the reins of the company for 10 years. He decided to associate the brand with top models.
In 2010, Leonello Borghi became the new artistic director. The Italian stylist rejuvenated the collections and the design of the boutiques.
In 2013, Lancel was run part-time by Fabrizio Cardinali, CEO of Dunhill, another Richemont brand.
In 2014, Marianne Romestain took control of the company. In September, Nicole Stulman, who had previously worked for Reed Krakoff, Hermès and Céline, became artistic director. She refined the style, selected better leather and paid attention to finishing.

Production

The brand focuses on the prototype's ideal proportions, choice of material, hand assembly of a hundred different components, the jewelry-inspired engraving on the clasps, meticulous finishing...
Sketches and prototypes are designed in Lancel's Paris headquarters, in its workshop. Four skilled workers create prototypes designed by artistic director Nicole Stulman. Shapes, colors, stitching are decided in Paris. Each prototype requires 2 or 3 days to make. Lancel also prepares its own pigments.
The leather categories are made in Europe.
Each bag is handmade: between 20 and 100 pieces are necessary for a woman bag. It takes 3 months to develop a model in the Atelier Lancel in Paris. 1 to 2 square meters are necessary to make a woman bag.

Distribution

The French boutique located on the Place de l'Opéra in Paris is the brand's major point of sale. This boutique was designed in 1927 in Art-Deco style.
In November 2005, Lancel opened a store on Champs-Elysées in Paris.
In December 2016, after 6 months of renovation work, Lancel re-opened its historical flagship, place de l'Opéra, totally renewed and re-thought with 3 floors dedicated to women, men, travel and art of gift.

Communication

When Richemont bought Lancel, the brand repositionned on haut de gamme and luxury. A new logo was designed and new concept stores were launched.
In 2006, the brand conceived a baseline around the idea of "French Légèreté", a chic, carefree and a slightly irreverent spirit. The brand launched its website during the same year and then developed it a year later.
In 2009, Lancel was the most visible brand in the media in France. Lancel also edited an 84-page magazine "Le magazine de la French légèreté by Lancel", distributed throughout its retail outlet network in France and abroad.
In 2015, Lancel took a new direction and positioned as a lifestyle brand. The French house teamed up with Wallpaper magazine for a collection of travel items: a set of city guides, a passport holder and a key ring. Lancel redesigned its logo and used a new, more modern typography.
In 2016, Lancel celebrated its 140-year anniversary with a travelling exhibition in France and Belgium "L'Escapade Lancel", and a book by Laurence Benaim, published with Flammarion "Lancel, Maison parisienne depuis 1876".
In 2016 and 2017, Toni Garrn is the face of Lancel. The new icon of the bags: Charlie, le Huit, and Max is showcased in the ad. In September 2017, Lancel will launch a new line "PIA", also shot on Toni Garrn.