By Ingrid Chua-Go
Daily Philippine Daily Inquirer
It’s not often one is given access to things of great historical value to a fashion house. So when I was invited to view the bag archives of one of the most prestigious French luxury maisons in Paris, I had to restrain myself from jumping with glee.
During Paris Fashion Week, I visited the Lancel headquarters on the 14th arrondissement—an imposing all-glass building that also houses the Fondation Cartier.
As I was greeted by Xavier Le Borgne, head of branded retail for Asia-Pacific, and Guy Tarricone, the “gatekeeper” of the Lancel archives, I saw the historical bags lined up, waiting to be talked about.
From there, I was transported back to 1876, the time of Angèle Lancel. When women’s roles were confined to being wives, mothers or anything related to running a household, Angèle boldly carved out a different role by putting up a leather goods company with her husband, Alphonse. She successfully defied traditional women’s roles and redefined what it meant to be a woman during that time.