I think this is the REASON WHY we didnt get 30 in Watercolor speedy?? could it be??

[kcookejr]

I'm a 5' 7" Philippino/American (born in the USA) but I like the bigger bags. I guess you are right though... Smaller bags for smaller frames.

[skinny30]

yup yup yup!!!!!!! ITA

[luv my bags]

LV just figures that the 35 LE's that they are releasing in the US are selling, so why change it?? I would definitely prefer the 30 to the 35, but I refuse to pay more on Ebay, so I stick with what is available....the 35. I'm 5'2" and definitely on the petite side, I don't think the 35 is "way" too big....it's all what you feel comfortable with. I personally think "little" women ROCK bigger bags, JMHO. ;P

[habibty]

Some of these reasonings are really ignorant.. Like 'because america has fat people' ? Seriously? The 35 was released in ALL COUNTRIES except hawaii and japan who got the 30. And let me tell you what my SA said.. She said it's because LV wants to keep pushing the market in Japan and Hawaii so they offer them special items... There is the reason.

[swalk]

it's also a marketing technic.

Yes, they do loose some business for 30, but there are still numbers of people who would buy 35. Also, for those who really want 30, they go out of their ways to get a 30.
And for those who refused to get 35, you probably spend your money on some other items in LV as well.

I guess at the end of the day, LV isn't loosing that much money for only introducing 30 in limited countries.

[gacats]

I think it's a great way to market. The eastern part of the world gets first crack at it, and it sells like crazy. We're over in the west, wondering why we can't get it. Then if it makes it here, we're jumping all over it since we've been wanting it.
Brilliant!

[shopsinparis]

Originally Posted by ashley77

haha! it is possible!!! fat people in USA... skinny people in ASIA... it makes sense if its true... that they dont sell 30 here...

I agree with Habibty - this was an extremely bigoted comment. Maybe they released the 30 to only Asia and Hawaii because those areas fall for the idea of being 'exclusive'.

[paolochua]

The Philippines have the 35 only plus its sold out so no Watercolor for us.

[precious-gucci]

Originally Posted by paolochua

The Philippines have the 35 only plus its sold out so no Watercolor for us.

Okay, we Americans have been complaining, look at Philippines,. They dont even have the WC to buy. For us, at least it's available. I am so sorry paolochua.

[koalabear]

yeah it's not fair. and i don't think it's about the Asian size being small and that Americans love big bags, if it was, it would have been available throughout asia. as paolochua has said, here in the phils, we don't have the speedy 30 either. and i think it's only available in hawaii, japan, and china (i think i read it somewhere). my theory is that it's just a marketing ploy to make it hard to get so that everyone will want it more than what is available.

[NUrseluvsLOUIE]

~Hmm...interesting concept.~

[weightyle]

ok so its all about politics, marketing technics you name it... how do i start this.. iam biased at the same time. we will never see how LV's sales on their products forcasted publicly. its not that they want to just make it available to those countries and state. i see it as whos going to boost sales for LV and thats who i believe they will cater most their products too... statistically speaking, JAPAN for instance brings in almost 90% or more of annual revenue for LV those who live in japan and on TPF as we speak knows what i am talking about here. in japan, or even in the philippines as i was born there, know that if you own a designer brand say its LV or drive a ferrarri your looked at as higher and upper, even rich class person, in america? people mostly have all those on CREDIT!! with normal paying jobs!! good credit gets you alot farther in life in USA, right?? its different out there, japan their money is worth more, they have things in japan we dont even have here yet, technology is far more advanced and everyone in japan MUST carry and LV! so who is LV going to cater too more??Japan?? Hawaii?? Singapore?? Canada?? Hawaii...for that state is closest thing to being in the philippines as i stated on my post, filipinos loves their designer goods!! more than 90% lives in hawaii.. which to me could be the reason why hawaii gets catered more than most USA states..but maybe thats just me and thats how i see it, it has nothing to do with if americans are fat this and that and asians are skinny..its just the demands are different, we only see a really small percentage of asian americans and other races on TPF wanting and not minding larger bags, but the majority of asians DO want smaller, more exclusive bags! you just dont see it or read about it much...so LV caters to them 1st, then us maybe second or 3rd.. its always been about MONEY and POLITICS with everything you see now a days... i just wish LV would realize that there are those of us here that would love to enjoy things we dont have available to us until later on LOL and we would like it now, also they shouldnt say NO to us if we were to call the hawaii boutique to buy a 30 over the phone with a credit card and do not mind shipping outside hawaii to another state...my SA told me hawaii is much cheaper or something for their lv products too... havent been to their store so i dont know if theres any truth to this matter........... check this out...when was really the last time something like this happened in the USA??? i just read this article...im not sure so iam asking maybe im wrong maybe LV does little things like this for us here in the usa...

[weightyle]

Louis Vuitton celebrates 30 years in Japan with Comme des Garçons



LOUIS VUITTON TO OPEN AN IMPERMANENT STORE AT COMME DES GARÇONS IN TOKYO

Speedy bag - Limited edition-- I guess this is called wearable art? I don't really understand what all the straps are supposed to be but then again, I am not very avant-garde. Press release from Louis Vuitton:
A beguiling and individual vision of luxury will take shape when Louis Vuitton opens an impermanent store inside Comme des Garçons in Tokyo on 4th September 2008.
The idea for the project emerged from the memories of Comme des Garçons founder Rei Kawakubo. In 1978, as a young designer, she saw the first Louis Vuitton store to open in Japan and was fascinated by the image of French craftsmanship and art de vivre it projected – a luxury that seemed to her, at the time, unattainable. Three decades on, Rei Kawakubo wanted to revisit her impressions, and so the association between Comme des Garçons and Louis Vuitton was born. Intriguingly, Louis Vuitton is celebrating this year its 30th anniversary in Japan.
Rei Kawakubo has dedicated and re-designed the entire Comme des Garçons store on Kottodori, Omotesando especially for Louis Vuitton for the duration of the project, from 4th September through mid-December, into a space that will be a celebration of the Louis Vuitton Monogram. The fruit of this unprecedented collaboration – an exclusive collection of six one-off bags – will be presented in a minimalist space, at the centre of which will be a display of historic Louis Vuitton trunks. Inspired by her memories, Rei Kawakubo chose the legendary Monogram canvas to create two Party bags, small evening purses with outsized natural leather handles. The designer also customized two classic Louis Vuitton bags, endowing the Papillon with kawaii animal charms and the Mini HL with multiple slender handles. Lastly, Louis Vuitton is reediting two iconic designs from the 1970s – the Petit Marceau and the Sac 2 Poches – which Rei Kawakubo is likely to have seen in the windows of that first Louis Vuitton store.
The bags will only be available upon order, which is only to be placed at the “Louis Vuitton at Comme des Garçons store”. No telephone or Internet orders will be taken. In return, customers will receive a certificate inside a special card holder in Louis Vuitton's traditional natural leather, embossed with the Louis Vuitton at Comme des Garçons signature. Only several months later will their bag be delivered to their chosen Louis Vuitton store. Other iconic Louis Vuitton Monogram bags, such as the Speedy and Alma chosen by Rei Kawakubo, will also be on display and available for immediate sale inside this special “Louis Vuitton at Comme des Garçons” store.
Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton Artistic Director, who has long been an admirer of Comme des Garçons, comments: "It is impossible to overstate Rei Kawakubo's influence on modern fashion. I find it wonderful to think that, thirty years ago, this immense talent, someone who has inspired so many others, was inspired by Louis Vuitton, and now that inspiration has now been realized."
Yves Carcelle, Chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton, says: "This project not only brings a new meaning to luxury, but also speaks volumes about how the know-how and heritage of Louis Vuitton have always been perceived in Japan, including by its foremost designers. We are very proud to have been able to help Rei Kawakubo relive her memories in such an original and creative way."
Rei Kawakubo, President of Comme des Garçons, says: "These are party bags to celebrate the 30 years of Louis Vuitton in Japan. In designing them, I have kept Louis Vuitton's traditional concept as it is, but sometimes two handles become one, sometimes two handles become eight... It has been a remarkably exciting opportunity for me to have been able to participate in Louis Vuitton's traditional design and heritage."
Photos courtesy of Louis Vuitton

[weightyle]

Who owns Japan?

The stage was set perfectly. A friend was visiting from out of town. Together we walk Omotesando and come up to a seriously long line, literally hundreds of people waiting for something. I tell her, "now I am going to show you who really owns Japan." For her it wasn’t inconceivable that I should know Japan’s real owner as I had spent a large part of the day dazzling her with my brilliant insights gained while living here.
We finally get to the front of the line and see this:

At the same time, Louis Vuitton knows who they owe everything to: the Japanese market. Every third woman you see in Tokyo carries an LV bag, even the punk chicks with dyed hair.
To capitalize on their complete obsession, Vuitton’s new collection was inspired by Japanese cartoonist, Takashi Murakami. Like, totally kawaii!
The most amazing thing is that people were actually buying them, at $500 plus a pop.
Like my new LV logo inspired wallpaper?





Posted on 04.03.03 @ 03:48 PM | Permalink

[weightyle]

by April | 04.05.03 @ 07:03 AM
Aloha Nadine,
First off wanted to thank you for the great blog party The Pink Cow. I recently moved to Tokyo from Hawaii and have started to blog. I use it mainly to sort through my thoughts and vent my frustrations.
On LVMH .. Waikiki's LV shop was the number one store in the world last year due to the Japanese tourists, beating their Paris shop. Ala Moana shopping center, which is the number one shopping mall in America for sales per square feet, had the third most profitable LV shop. Again, due to the Japanese. It's amazing how their buying power influenced the brands into Hawaii and Japan.

by chriskk | 04.07.03 @ 01:42 AM

With Japan's economy in the dumps (so they say) its amazing to see the level of conspicuous consumption, desu ne? I remember seeing 2 days lines at LV for the grand opening - and they weren't 'looky loos', almost everyone I saw exiting had the trademark bag stuffed with many thousands ￥　of goods. So you have to ponder - is there such a thing as 'trickle down economy' in Japan? I think not. The haves here will always have - the rest will suffer and starve.
Ciao!

by tristan | 04.08.03 @ 08:02 PM

I don't know about a trickle-down economy per se, but given the vast size and velocity of material throughput in this economy, Tokyo's homeless people have access to more name-brand, recently discarded gear than I've ever seen anywhere else. I've been doing research in the public parks lately, and down by the river, and one thing I've noticed is that it's not that uncommon for a homeless person to be wearing last-season-but-one's Burberry coat, etc. On one level, the sclae of waste this implies is an atrocity. On the other hand, there's a certain unintentional mercy in it as well - the only good side that I can see to Japan's obsession with the latest no-value-added, must-have commodity.

by Adam Greenfield | 04.24.03 @ 08:46 PM