This fall quarter, you may have spotted Stanford students trading in their backpacks and drawstrings for a trendier — and pricier — school bag option: the luxurious Longchamp tote bag.
Avery Nemo ’29 told The Daily that the Longchamp has “become a classic college tote.” Her statement seems to ring true: Students have been flaunting the bag from CoHo to CoDa.
“My mom bought it [for me] because she thought it would be cute and functional,” said Nemo. Even if she hadn’t been gifted it, Nemo said she would have still wanted one, likely for her birthday or another special occasion.
At $180, Le Pliage Original L Tote Bag remains a French staple, with its price sitting much higher than other streamline bag brands like Vera Bradley, whose totes are easily bought for less than $100. Compared to a classic backpack, such as a Jansport, the Longchamp is triple the price.
From Instagram and TikTok to fancy Parisian storefronts, the Longchamp Le Pliage Tote’s nylon coating and Russian leather fabric give it a polished, sophisticated appearance, while its gold-colored snap reminds others of its prestige. The bag’s rich facade entice students and shoppers alike, especially when eyeing its smooth brown handles and subtle trapezoidal shape.
Longchamp boutiques and outlets are not far from Stanford, including in San Jose and throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. But they’re also sold through registered Longchamp resellers, including Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s, both of which are conveniently located in the Stanford Shopping Center. If students do not want to leave campus, though, Longchamp will ship the tote to them for free in less than a week, allowing quick access to the popular accessory.
At Stanford, the Longchamp has already taken over many female students’ outfits and shoulders.
Like Nemo, Olivia Jean Kao ’29, a writer for The Daily, said that her Longchamp was a gift. She uses her Longchamp “every day,” she added.
“I think it’s a smart investment,” Kao said. She noted the Longchamp was “very spacious, water resistant and can be used in both casual and formal settings. I think as long as you make good use of the bag, it’s worth the price.”
Many other female students, however, are resisting the Longchamp trend.
Natalie Mukhongo ’28 does not own the tote, nor does she plan on buying one.
“They’re too expensive,” she said.
Even some of the bag’s proponents, such as Kao, agree that students should not be “spending a large amount of money on a tote bag if [they] already have one.”
Mukhongo also said that the Longchamp is not necessarily her style, with the bags in her shopping cart looking “a lot different” than the well known tote.
According to Mukhongo, staying true to one’s personal taste is a shrinking phenomenon on campus. Throughout her time at Stanford, she has seen how students have become more involved in fashion fads, replacing their style with the latest trends and pieces. “You see people wearing the same thing every single day,” she said.
Stanford students’ desire to follow the style pack could also represent a larger pattern of conformity.
This development, Mukhongo said, is not just limited to Longchamps, but seems to extend to articles such as clothes and shoes.
For some students, Longchamps may be a stylish and trendy way for them to hold their laptop and books. Yet this campus-wide assimilation may also detract from the point of fashion: to express oneself through your own, unique appearance.