No brand is more closely associated with Paris than Celine. Since it was first established in the French capital in 1946, the luxury fashion and leather house has intimately intertwined with the city it calls home, repeatedly drawing on it as a source of inspiration.

A look featuring the Folco in tan, from Celine’s spring/summer 2022 Cuir Triomphe collection.
In particular, throughout its history, the maison has been drawn to one of the most instantly recognisable sights of the City of Lights: the Arc de Triomphe, the majestic arch in the centre of the city that was built in the early 19th century to honour the nation’s casualties of war. It has done so in a series of playful jewellery items, from pendants to charm necklaces, that feature whimsical takes on the iconic structure, for example.Perhaps the most notable nod to the monument though comes in the form of the house’s logo, first created in 1973, which features interlocking “Cs” that allude to the arch’s elegant curving lines. That logo – which in the past has also formed the clasp of numerous much-loved Celine bags – is given even greater prominence in the maison’s new collection, Cuir Triomphe, where it is incorporated into the leather fabric of the bags themselves.

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The house’s small leather goods speciality is the source of the collection’s statement piece: the Oval bag that can be worn over the shoulder or cross-body, thanks to an adjustable strap with a metal buckle. It comes in calfskin and straw-effect textile, in a choice of black, white and tan, including a two-tone tan version.

The Oval Cuir Triomphe in smooth calfskin.
For lovers of the old-school and the seriously miniature, there’s a still smaller bag, one that draws charmingly on aesthetic codes of the past. The Oval Minaudière, with its stylish top handle and magnetic closure, comes in a choice of black, brown or pink.
The Small Bucket bag in tan smooth calfskin.

The Arc de Triomphe logo gets even more prominent play on the chic, rectangular Folco handbag, previously available in canvas and now reborn in black, tan or white calfskin. The logo packs an even greater punch still on a version that picks it out in metal studs.

There’s plenty more versatility in the collection’s Small Bucket bag, also in calfskin, thanks to an adjustable leather strap with a metal buckle that allows it to be carried over the shoulder or cross-body.

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Along similar lines, a Shoulder Bag in the collection features an adjustable strap with a metal buckle, along with a zip closure; it is available in black, olive, ivory and red.

Medium Celine Heart in red calfskin.

Outside the Cuir Triomphe collection, and very much aimed at the romantically inclined, the Celine Heart has an unmistakable silhouette, and features a removable, adjustable leather strap. It comes in three versions: in tan or red calfskin, but also in a cute, fluffy, shearling rendition with tan trimmings.

Finally, there’s also a supremely practical choice in the form of the Cabas 16 day bag. With a body embellished with two leather belts, and bottom corners shielded with metal studs, it also comes with a long strap that allows it to be carried over the shoulder.