LONGCHAMP & PIERRE RENART A LANDMARK CREATIVE VENTURE FOR MILAN DESIGN WEEK

Longchamp is delighted to announce a new crea­tive venture with the furniture designer Pierre Renart, which will be unveiled at Milan Design Week, the world’s largest design event, from 7 to 13 April 2025. The partnership represents a land­mark for Pierre Renart, since this is the first time he has worked with a combination of wood and leather, and his first participation in Milan Design Week.

Longchamp is delighted to announce a new crea­tive venture with the furniture designer Pierre Renart, which will be unveiled at Milan Design Week, the world’s largest design event, from 7 to 13 April 2025. The partnership represents a land­mark for Pierre Renart, since this is the first time he has worked with a combination of wood and leather, and his first participation in Milan Design Week.

This initiative extends Longchamp’s proud track record of supporting innovative creative talents, whether through its long-term involvement with the ANDAM Fashion Awards, or its regular colla-borations with artists. The work with Pierre Renart spotlights one of France’s brightest talents: a young furniture designer and cabinetmaker who, since he graduated from the prestigious École Boulle in Paris in 2011, has seen his elegant, sinuous pieces snapped up by international museums and private collectors alike.

“Longchamp has a long-standing commitment to promoting creative talent, supporting the arts, and preserving savoir-faire in all its forms,” says Longchamp Creative Director Sophie Delafontaine. “We are de-lighted to be accompanying Pierre in this project, which enables him to experiment with new techniques, to extend his savoir-faire, and to bring his work to the attention of a wider audience.”

The relationship between Pierre Renart and Long-champ dates back to 2021, when the House was renewing its global store network in the spirit of a Parisian apartment and commissioned him to create furniture – notably variations on his Wave coffee table – for its renovated boutiques. The new venture takes the partnership further, with Pierre Renart designing two original pieces, a « banquette Wave cuir » (Wave leather bench) and a set of eight « chaises Ruban » (Ruban chairs), which will be displayed in Longchamp’s Milan flagship during Milan Design Week.

Both designs, crafted from American walnut and upholstered in a supple cowhide leather, reprise the pure, fluid lines which Pierre Renart has made his signature. Drawing inspiration from the organic forms of nature, the designer painstakingly assembles extremely thin sheets of wood, which can be bent to his desired shape, to create pieces that appear to have been sculpted in one flowing movement. “My aim, when a piece is finished, is for it to be somehow definitive and timeless, for you not to want to add anything or take anything away. I try to do something original with wood, something that runs counter to its traditional, somewhat rigid image,” explains Pierre Renart.

Working with leather, another natural, living material, was, he says, the fulfilment of a long-held ambition – something he had experimented with, but never had the opportunity to bring to fruition until he presented his project to Longchamp. “Leather is a magnificent material to work with,” he says. “When I met Sophie Delafontaine, she took me through all the different types of leather and how Longchamp uses them. It’s exciting to be able to apply that expertise to my designs.” The bench will be upholstered in a rich mahogany shade, while the eight chairs will each be covered in a different color, including Longchamp’s signature heritage dark green and light green.