Since I was down in SoHo on Sunday I was finally able to ask at the Longchamps store (132 Spring Street) about the production. (see my previous post about this) The salesperson I spoke to said that due to increased demand some production had been moved to China (and Malaysia I think she said?), mostly of Le Pliage bags. She said that the people are brought to France for thorough training and the employees receive the same working conditions and fair pay as those in France. I don't know, I guess that's all well and good but I still think it's sad to see a "French" brand moving production elsewhere.
In any case, I still like the brand, and oops, I even bought something while I was there. With my Pliage bag, it bugs me that there is no decent pocket built into the side (there is one, but it doesn't fit much), so I got the cutest little mathcing pouch so I can put small things it in and not have to search for them at the bottom of the large bag.
Zippered Coin Purse, $42
Isn't that the cutest!
The SoHo store is very cool. The store is upstairs, accessed by an interesting steel staircase.
Photos: Dexingner.com
The store was designed by Thomas Heatherwick, a London artist/designer. It's been open since May 2006.
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