These days the celebrated French leathergoods company Longchamp is best known for its super-stylish handbags as seen in ad campaigns starring Kate Moss (above). Most people are unaware however that the company, which dates back to 1948, started off selling luxurious leather-covered pipes to Paris' bon ton. The rich heritage of the firm is celebrated in Longchamp, a gorgeous new illustrated history from Abrams by Marie-Claire Aucouturier with photographs by Philippe Carcia, published in celebration of the company's 60th anniversary.

Beginning with the deluxe pipes, which became a favorite of Elvis Presley (pictured smoking one in the book), the company built a brand as a bridge between the very social equestrian world and the world of luxury travel. Named after Paris' famed Longchamp racecourse where Napoleon III presided over the Royal Enclosure, the company adopted a horse and rider as its logo. The pipes were soon followed by cigarette cases and other leather accessories for smokers, then expansion into small leather goods in the 1950s, followed by the opening of the first Longchamp boutiques in the 1970s and '80s.

The first in a line of luxurious luggage soon followed. Longchamp thrived where many firms failed by catching on early to the importance of the Asian market. In the early 1970s, Philippe Cassegrain, Longchamp's founder, designed a line of bags called "LM," destined for the Japanese market, recently re-released for the anniversary. Its success gave Longchamp a solid reputation as a creator of women's handbags and enabled the company to expand further. In 1993 Cassegrain introduced the Le Pliage collection of foldable travel bags made of colorful vinyl with luxurious leather trim, an instant smash; two billion of them have been sold since.

Last summer we told you about Kate Moss' cinematic ads for French fashion luxury leathergoods house Longchamp. Now the supermodel is starring in Longchamp's newest campaign, alongside a sexy Russian lookalike named Sasha Pivovarova. That's Kate, above, on the left, and Sasha on the right, sporting matching hairdos and outfits from Longchamp's spring ready-to-wear line. The new ads were shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot in Los Angeles. In January, Longchamp will debut a video about the making of the ads on its website.

This is certainly turning out to be a banner season for Kate Moss; it seems every time we turn around she pops up in another fall ad campaign. And we might add that despite all Kate's been through, she's looking more gorgeous than ever. We already told you about her Just Cavalli and David Yurman campaigns, and she re-upped with Donna Karan as well; the latest is for French fashion house Longchamp, for whom she has modeled several seasons running. The cinematic black-and-white ads were shot by photo duo Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott at the famed Café de Flore in Paris. Kate's co-star is French actor Gaspard Ulliel, who appeared in the last Hannibal Lecter film. Kate's been busy elsewhere as well. She recently posed topless in W magazine and is launching a new fragrance.