Published in France in October, "My Two Lovers, a Bag and Paris" (J'ai deux amours, mon sac et Paris) is a graphic novel written by illustrator Fabienne Legrand in collaboration with French luxury brand LONGCHAMP. Fabienne visited Japan for the launch of the Japanese version, and a publication party was held on the evening of November 19th.
Fabienne, a 3D animation designer, made the switch to illustratorship two years ago. Fulfilling her longtime dream, she published her debut novel, "Summer at Cap Ferret" (Un ete au Cap Ferret) in 2012 with Cherche-Midi, a Paris-based publishing house.
"We felt that Fabienne's illustrations, which express the subtleties of Parisian fashion, were very similar to the worldview of Longchamp, a chic brand favored by Parisians. So we introduced her to Longchamp's International Communications Director, and that's how this book got started," says Pomme Besso, an editor at Schorsch-Midi who accompanied Fabienne.
When Pomme told Fabienne to start by creating a story of her own free will and then feature Longchamp bags in it, Fabienne was initially skeptical. Turns out there was no need to worry; if you get caught in the rain, you can use the bag as an umbrella, or slide down a slope with the bag under your backside. Now, her second work, "My Two Lovers, My Bag and Paris," is complete. It centers on the protagonist Prune and her family, and features a comical portrayal of the life of Prune, a Parisian woman whose new bag is more important to her than her husband and who celebrates her daughter's birthday and the anniversary of the bag she bought at the same time. "A woman chooses her favorite color and shape from the many bags available, and that's where her relationship with her bag begins. I believe a bag is a woman's very life. It's like a mirror that reflects herself," says Fabienne. Indeed, if a bag's appearance is a woman's appearance, then inside a bag, even the owner's lifestyle and hobbies are revealed—it truly contains their life and personality. And so, the bag is a space as private as the inside of a home. "Even Prune's husband can't peek inside her bag without permission. It's top secret," Fabienne cheerfully explains. This is a wonderful story that conveys both Fabienne's insight and deep love for bags. Incidentally, her favorite Longchamp bags are the "Kate Moss for Longchamp" bag, which appears many times in the book, and the "Legend" bag, which she was carrying on the day of the interview. She says that not only are they stylish, but the colors of the innerwear and their versatility are also appealing. "Because of my extremely tight schedule, I couldn't even visit the Ghibli Museum, where I can experience the world of my beloved animator, Hayao Miyazaki. I definitely want to go next time. It was my first time in Japan, and I was completely overwhelmed. Just buying a subway ticket this morning took me an hour!" Listening to her story, it was as if Prune was right there, talking to me. The Japanese version of "J'ai deux amours, mon sac et Paris" is now available at Longchamp stores and online. It costs 3,150 yen.
