Since the 1990s, British photographer Elaine Constantine has conjured joy from behind her camera lens. The BAFTA-nominated writer, director and photographer has spent decades capturing the hallmarks of jubilation, girlhood, and of British youth culture – making her an apt choice behind the lens of the Longchamp Spring Summer 2024 campaign.
Entitled 'Longchamp University', the campaign's short film and stills, both directed by Constantine, trace the exuberance and optimism of a group of students – including Korean singer and actress, and Longchamp ambassador, Kim Se-Jeong – as they traverse the hallowed grounds of the prestigious Lycee Henri IV in Paris.
Soundtracked by 90s English rock group Supergrass' song Alright, the energy in front of the camera is palpable. Longchamp's Spring Summer 2024 collection meshes collegiate hallmarks with Longchamp's expert tailoring and iconic leather accessories, in saturated hues, complimenting the collection's racehorse prints, sequinned dresses, bold knit sets, and Varsity-style tees and jerseys.
Heroed in the campaign is the French brand's signature Roseau bag – like the Roseau S Handbag and the Roseau XS Bucket Bag – which was first released in the 1990s and quickly became a staple for the brand thanks to its distinctive bamboo-style silver toggle and streamlined, functional silhouette.
Constantine's storied career as a photographer has already seen her work published extensively across a suite of notable publications around the world. Her photography work has been displayed at The Photographers' Gallery in London and the Victoria and Albert Museum, as well as having two of her portraits included in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery.
But it was two of Constantine's photographs included as part of the Museum of Impressionisms' Children of Impressionism 2023 exhibition in Giverny – just west of Paris – that caught the eye of Delafontaine and the Longchamp team.
"I totally fell in love with her light-filled photographs, which she envisions like paintings," said Longchamp's creative director, Sophie Delafontaine. "Elaine's images capture the energy of bursts of laughter."
"Everything she does is dynamic, and she gives her models the freedom to be totally natural, totally themselves. It's quite magical how she manages to bring vitality into a photograph, and of course it's even more obvious on film. Elaine really is a master of her art."
