Succession: How Longchamp’s Mother Daughter Duo Have Sustained The French Titan In Tandem
Longchamp’s Sophie Delafontaine and her daughter Juliette share why they’re so perfectly in sync both personally and professionally
There is a lot of debate about ‘nepo babies’ in the fashion industry ‒ from the catwalk to the boardroom. But no one seems to grasp the pressure and expectations put on young shoulders that join a family business. Plus there’s the fact that there’s now a delicate balance to be maintained, with personal relationships merging into workplace dynamics. This is a subject that Creative Director of Longchamp Sophie Delafontaine is intimately acquainted with, having herself joined the ranks of the famous French brand founded by her grandfather Jean Cassegrain in 1948. And now her daughter Juliette Poupard ‒ who already spent eight years at Chanel ‒ has joined the firm too, just over a year ago, in the label’s event sphere.
Sophie has driven change. Longchamp has evolved from a venerable leather-goods label to one that is a fourth-generation family-run lifestyle brand, with the introduction of ready-to-wear collections in 2006 proving to be a pivotal turning point.
When the dynamic duo visited Dubai to host an intimate dinner at Bar Des Près by Cyril Lignac ‒ attended by the likes of Karen Wazen, Jessica Kahawaty and Cynthia Samuel Bakri – we got a chance to chat with the mother-daughter team about legacy, leading by example, Le Pliage bags and learning from the past while looking to the future.
Juliette, was it always inevitable that you would return to the family fold?
I had it in my mind; I was just not sure when. I wanted to join at a good moment when they needed me and when I was ready. I wanted to have my own life and experience too; to feel strong enough bring something to the company. And then that good moment on both sides came about!
Sophie, you too followed a similar path as you worked at Bonpoint prior to joining Longchamp.
Yes, I’m lucky to now work with my brothers (Jean, CEO and Olivier who helms US operations), Juliette and also two of my nephews, but we all have been somewhere else before. We all had experience outside of the company. I think that’s super important. When you arrive in the company, it’s a real engagement, and it’s good for the company, for us, to learn something somewhere else before joining.
Do you think people judge you differently because you are family?
S: Yes, I think so. Because, of course, people are wondering if you’re the right person for the job. If there is nepotism involved. They expect a lot more from you. And I feel that’s the pressure. You need to be an example. We expect everyone to embody, really perfectly, all the values of the company. It’s going to be very challenging so you need to feel confident when coming on board, strong enough as the spotlight’s on you.
How do you make sure your bonds aren’t damaged by working together?
S: We are used to being in a family business, I have always seen my parents working together. We split the family part and the business part. So when we are at work, we are talking a lot about business, and sometimes we don’t really have time to speak about family things. But when we are outside of work, we really do pay attention to focus on the family aspect. I have a husband, my brother has a wife, some of our kids are not working in the company… We always enjoy holidays together, or spending weekends or having dinner, and we have many other subjects to talk about.
So has your dynamic changed since you started working together?
S: We still call each other every day ‒ we used to do it, we still do it ‒ as during the day we focus on business. Juliette is the mother of a very cute little girl, so I keep calling her in the evening to get news of Rose and we chat about other things. I am happy to see that the company has a future as a family business. I’m happy to help her to be stronger in her position. We are very confident in our relationship. We can be very honest with each other too.
Did you have any special words of wisdom for her when she joined?
S: Yes, I explained that the road is not going to be always seamless, that you need to keep your confidence. Do not hesitate to ask, don’t feel shy to say ‘I don’t know’, and stay true to yourself. Juliette really loves people; this is very important when you are in a family business, because we are like a big family.
J: When I joined, some people had been at Longchamp for a very long time, from when I was a little girl. So I felt very welcome, and I had familiar faces that I could rely on, that I could ask advice from.
Your first major event for the label was a very major one.
J: The huge one happened in September in nearly 20 countries over two weeks. It was quite intense. It was the first event that I created from scratch after my mum showed me the collection and her inspiration. I was a bit stressed.
How did you introduce more product lines to the core handbags that were such a part of your DNA?
S: Step by step. I started the ready-to-wear collection in 2006 so nearly 20 years ago. We were very confident. We were opening a new store in SoHo New York, and it was so big that we realised we couldn’t have only bags there. It would be boring. So we decided to introduce a few pieces of ready-to-wear to be able to bring life to the stock. The first collection was three or four pieces ‒ outerwear to dress a mannequin and give it life. And then we kept adding and it developed from there. It’s been very important for brand development, not only for sales, because it was the best way to embody who is the Longchamp woman. It’s a good exercise, to create a story behind the bags.
The market is a very different place from when you first started off.
S: As a family business, we have a great opportunity to be agile, to be very dynamic, because we can take decisions very quickly. We can build on a very strong and solid base, because we are thinking of our own future and our grandchildren’s future. So we take time to do things very well, to have a high level of execution. I think we can be very proud of what we have achieved, because from the beginning, we were thinking internationally.
You are from different generations but both embody the Longchamp woman.
S: Yes, you’re right. It’s a question of mindset, not of age, not of country. My mother, my grandmothers and my great-grandmother were all working women, very dynamic, very active. I think it’s this character that defines Longchamp women. She does things for herself. My job as a designer is to make products that make women more self-confident.
It’s easier, honestly, to do a product that is very eye catching, but if it’s not something you’re going to be happy to wear, you’re not going to buy it again. For me what makes Longchamp successful is how products are simple aesthetically. Nothing too much, but nothing missing. I learned this while working in kids’ ready-towear at Bonpoint. When you design something for a three-month old, everything is so small so every detail is important. The proportion is important. The quality is important. The finishing is important.
Juliette, have you had other mentors?
Yes. I grew up in a family where women are very strong and they have so many roles; I have been inspired by my mum, for sure, because I was following all her adventures since I was a little girl. But also my grandmother, because I spent a lot of time in her office. So I saw as a manager, as a boss lady too.
Everyone tells you it’s difficult being a mother and having a career but until you’re there, you have no idea. Every day I ask my mum; “How did she manage to be aware of everything happening in our lives?” Everything. I see her now every day at the office, and she knows exactly what’s happening there too. It is very inspiring. It’s also a lot of pressure to have a grandmother and a mum like mine.
What should we be investing in from the latest line?
We’ve brought out the Roseau in a new, smooth soft leather; it’s going to come with a pale gold bamboo handle, in three spicy colours. Very refined, very feminine, very elegant. Very Longchamp.
Images supplied.
From Harpers Bazaar Arabia 2025 March issue