Longchamp was founded by Jean Cassegrain in 1948, and the company employed individual craftsmen dispersed throughout the Loire countryside to create leather coverings for pipes and other products geared toward smokers. By 1955 it had expanded to include small leather goods, opening its first factory in Segré. By the 1970s, Longchamp opened its first boutiques in Hong Kong and Japan, and became known for its lightweight travel goods.