There are brands that need no introduction. Lancel is one of them. 150 years of French history. A century and a half of exceptional leatherwork, Parisian elegance, and signature red. When such a house celebrates its anniversary, every detail matters. Every surface speaks. Every visual decision engages the identity of a legacy.
It is in this exceptional context that Au Pied de la Lettre was commissioned to design and manufacture the LANCEL giant letters — an XXL signature installed at the heart of a prestigious private event, in a Parisian garden, in front of a listed fountain.
Lancel, 150 years of a house that knows what it wants
Founded in 1876, Lancel is one of the most iconic French leather goods houses. Bags, luggage, small leather goods — the brand has established itself decade after decade as a symbol of high-end French craftsmanship. Its red, its logo, its lines: an immediately recognisable identity, consistently defended for 150 years.
To celebrate this exceptional anniversary, Lancel organised a private event in a sumptuous setting — a Parisian garden, a sculpted fountain, an end-of-day light that glides across the white of the letters before giving way to the red night of the spotlights.
A manufacturing process designed for high-end events
The brief was clear: a lightweight solution, fast to execute, capable of supporting a premium finish worthy of a luxury house. Polystyrene, usually associated with accessible event production, can — in the right hands — achieve a level of result that no eye can distinguish from aluminium or resin.
At Au Pied de la Lettre, we have known this for a long time.
For the LANCEL letters, the manufacturing chain mobilised precise technical expertise:
- Digital cutting of high-density polystyrene letters, to the millimetre
- Printed PVC cladding on all visible faces — a smooth, taut finish with no visible join
- White lacquered finish faithful to the brand’s visual identity
- Integrated base for perfect stability with no ground anchoring
- LED spot integration for nocturnal lighting in Lancel red
- Short lead time — adapted to the tight calendars of luxury event production
From order to on-site delivery: speed, precision, zero compromise on finish.
White by day, red by night
This is one of the strengths of a well-designed structure: it lives differently depending on the hour. In full daylight, the LANCEL letters are white, massive, elegant — a natural backdrop for guests and photographers. As night falls, the red spotlights envelop them, transform them, make them resonate with the house’s chromatic identity.
Two atmospheres. One structure. One manufacturing process.
That is the power of a well-conceived giant logo: it does not decorate an event, it embodies it.
Au Pied de la Lettre: the reference manufacturer for major luxury houses
Working for Lancel means working to a standard of excellence that very few manufacturers can honour. No visible weld. No rippled PVC. No white slightly off brand. These imperfections do not exist in our workshops — they are eliminated before they are even considered.
Since 2018, Au Pied de la Lettre has been manufacturing giant letters and XXL logos for the most demanding brands: Hublot, Airbnb, Décathlon, Garden Padel at Roland-Garros, Café Joyeux. And today, Lancel.
Every project is different. Every project shares the same obsession: delivering a piece that is worthy of the brand that commissions it.
Do you have a project for giant letters, an XXL logo or event signage for a major brand? Let’s talk.
