Global collab starts with LA

Before Balenciaga and Longchamp took over the campus, most of the cool kids toted LeSportsac — those nylon satchels that came in dizzying prints — when I was in college. They were cute and cool and could take a beating. Oversized duffles carried PE uniforms and post-PE, pre-party ensembles, while messenger bags toted Xeroxed handouts that probably never saw the light of day.

I remember dumping my bag unceremoniously on the floor after rushing to class or tossing it on the bacteria-ridden cafeteria table during a quick lunch break. These days, I see kids gingerly placing their Mulberry totes on the seat next to them like a baby and I wonder, where’s the fun in that?

Looking back at LeSportsac

The brand is back and this time bigger and better than ever.

Joyrich to the world: LeSportsac’s latest collaboration is all hearts and animal print.

To present their latest collection, LeSportsac tapped the college market to model their latest goods, a mix of nautical, graphic comic book-inspired prints and their latest collaboration.

After Gwen Stefani, Lilly Pulitzer, Stella McCartney, LeSportsac’s latest collaborative partner is LA design house Joyrich, the king of cool labels. The brand’s spring-summer 2011 collection, comprised of military references with a distinctly retro bent such as stars and stripes, patched details and frayed denim, pay heavy homage to the ’60s and ’70s. Tipping their hat to the rebellious youths of decades past, Joyrich’s lookbook is chockfull of rockabilly boys pouting in tight trousers and girls preening through heavily-shadowed eyes.

For their LeSportsac collection, the label turned to another particularly rebellious era — the ’90s.

Dressed to the ’90s

LeSportsac Erika large weekender bag

Channeling the hip-hop heavies of the decade, there are gold elements heavily influenced by the ’80s and ’90s, like an oversized gold chain print. There’s Numbered, Joyrich’s playful take on the Chanel No 5 logo, reinterpreted in a cheeky faux classic monogram style, as well as a leopard print in pink and black that is a best-selling classic of the label.

Sixteen styles will soon be available in LeSportsac stores, including LeSportsac’s iconic weekenders, classic hobo, Erika tote, bookbag and cosmetics cases. Small purses like the Pixie have been given a gold chain strap twinned with LeSportsac’s iconic grosgrain while the heart pouch was given a removable crossbody chain mirroring the Pixie’s. All styles, according to the brand, will include Joyrich’s signature gold triangle with hardware and zipper pulls also in gold.

Three new prints were created just for the collection: the Union Jack, done in a large scale in rip-stop nylon; Wonder Rose, a splash of oversized florals on cotton canvas; and Jungle Cat, a patchwork of various animal prints.

There’s a kind of modern, cool aesthetic at work here. LeSportsac’s tapped that youth zeitgeist that turns its nose up at “it” bags and precious articles of clothing but would rather listen to music in clothes that wouldn’t look bad after a night of drinks and pit stops at the gas station for a Slurpee. Some people call it “low maintenance.” I prefer the term cool.