It’s not often you can date your family history back a couple of centuries, but for Sébastien Létrange he’s able to trace his family’s talents back seven generations in archival form.
Dating back to 1838, 21-year-old Auguste Lespiaut became an expert in leather crafts atop the roofs of the Palais du Louvre. Passing down his passion to his son-in-law Armand Létrange, the LÉTRANGE Paris workshop was opened in the mid-1800s.
Now, nearly 200 years on, the LÉTRANGE name has landed in Dubai under the tenure of Sébastien in its era of revival.
Back in the 19th century, LÉTRANGE had as many as 700 employees at the Paris workshop as well as the factory in Montargis where purses, and accessories for gentlemen, hunters, the military, as well as for cyclists and photographers were manufactured. Each accessory was crafted with the utmost attention to detail with its made-to-measure and special orders constantly being developed, the brand revelled under Armand’s stewardship.
Throughout the years, navigating consistent changes in trends and societal impacts, LÉTRANGE managed to power through with the same vigour it started off with, particularly under the leadership of Sébastien’s grandmother, Henriette Létrange, changing the face of the brand forever with her authoritarian and visionary beliefs, particularly during the years of 1975 and 2007. But it was in 2007, LÉTRANGE ceased all operations.
@grazia_me These designs though… 😍 One of the oldest French luxury houses arrives in Dubai📍LÉTRANGE Paris, Galeries Lafayette The Dubai Mall. #GraziaME #Dubai ♬ I KNOW X TRANCE Travis Scott – Liam
For Sébastien, taking over the family business was never on the cards. “I never planned to take over the company,” he admits in an interview GRAZIA. ” It was only when he had gone into advertising for Marithe Francois Girbaud that he became mesmerized by the idea of familial brand archives.
Driven with passion, Sébastien set himself on a course to revive his estranged family business. Along with Mathias Jaquemet, who is also the head designer for Louis Vuitton’s men’s bags, the brand was brought to life and gained an upward trajectory.
The avid globe-trotter describes the latest collection as “heritage with a twist” and dedicates a lot of the brand’s success to his great-grandmother Henriette, with whom he lived for 20 years, “I was living with her two days a week. She was an amazing woman – we’re here today because of her. Most of what I did in my life at some stage is linked to her.”
He credits his desire to travel the world to his late great-grandmother, which essentially developed his love for the Middle East.
After opening a store in Doha last year, the CEO set to expand into the UAE market, which was possible with Galeries Lafayette. He proudly shows off the latest collection with its contemporary designs and innovative constructions.
Each bag is crafted with diligence for the modern woman and tells a vibrant yet historic story through its stitches, LÉTRANGE comes to be a brand of innovation and new ideas.
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