Celine comparisons to Hermes

theilnana

theilnana

O.G.
Sep 5, 2007
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#1
I was on the phone today ordering another Celine from the boutique in Miami. The SA was very nice and took all my information and put me on the wait list for a Celine shoulder luggage in red palomino leather. After She took my credit card info she said, "well, you know you might not get one in the end". I was surprised and told her I am willing to wait, if I have to. She proceeded to tell me that Celine is cutting back production in a effort to make their bags more exclusive. Then, she said something I'm having a hard time buying. She said "Celine's quality is at par with Hermes so it should be as exclusive" She went on "Celine will continue to raise their prices and limit there numbers; so you should buy whatever you find at today's low prices".

I love Celine but IMHO its not Hermes, nor will it be. As well, I find the prices now fair but with further price increases I may not continue to buy. The palomino leather is pretty pricey but the quality is support to be far superior in terms of quality. But that doesn't make it a Birkin. I don't own a Birkin, though I would love to, I buy bags I can afford without stress. I stay in the 2-3k range but occasionally spurge on a Chanel in the 4-5k range. I really feel that the Celine luggage tote belongs in the 2-3k range. Raising prices and limiting production doesn't make it a Birkin. What do you think?
 
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#2
Doesn't surprise me in the least. Arnault is very envious of how hermes manages to somehow only be seen on "worthy" folks but still make money hand over fist.

For Celine, it's already too late. It's been seen on the Kardashians which in and of itself turns a lot of people off a bag, though encourages a lot of other people to buy it. Everybody's got a luggage it seems so its a bit of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted, no?
 
#3
From what I understand as the SA pointed out, I think she's just making a comparison with Hermes, but NOT Birkin, a B still cost a lot more than other bags Hermes makes. Of course, it's only a strategy with Celine, but we cannot assume the price you pay for a Birkin / any other bag solely reflects on quality of leather or craftsmanship, afterall, we all know this isn't the (only) reason we buy a Birkin. I feel somehow they just have to make it exclusive for people to think it's more "valuable".
Honestly, if you're not a fan of Hermes or superduper rich, would you pay for a $10,000 bag, regular people who are not into Hermes CANNOT justify buying a B or anything Hermes makes, of course with the difficulties of getting a B, it's even more $$$ someone has to pay for reseller but still it isn't reflecting the real value if the brand name is not in consideration. But it's all about how you perceived the value of the item you're purchasing and whether the brand itself is doing a good job to convince you if this is really worth that much.

But who knows, i cannot say Celine will never be like Hermes, I do think that at this moment, they are really not until they do more after-sale customer service, I don't think they're confident enough with their quality to offer repairs and stuff for their bags which is very disappointing, i DON'T think they should claim themselves to be like Hermes if they can't even offer any good service for their bags. I have huge issues with the color transfer on the bags, I really don't know what's wrong but I never see such problem with my other leather bags, somehow my 2 luggage is just too obvious(could be because it's bright color), and just after a few days of use, my bag is like 3 times darker on where it's rub against the most (still I'm triple careful), I consult Celine what's can I do, or if they ever take bags to spa, they still don't have such concept so unless they make themselves an exert, I would say they are not par with Hermes =\
 
#4
Maybe just an SA strategy to sell more Celine bags. But yes, Celine is not Hermes and will take years to be in the same level. Celine needs to work on their craftsmanship and stand by their product first.
 
#5
there is no comparison between hermes quality and celine quality, as much as I love/loved my celine bag/bags - but it sounds like a smart sales strategy on her part.
 
#6
pasdedeux1 said:
Doesn't surprise me in the least. Arnault is very envious of how hermes manages to somehow only be seen on "worthy" folks but still make money hand over fist.

For Celine, it's already too late. It's been seen on the Kardashians which in and of itself turns a lot of people off a bag, though encourages a lot of other people to buy it. Everybody's got a luggage it seems so its a bit of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted, no?
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Love the Kardashian comment. But those girls are sporting around a dozen Birkins, and it doesn't seem to be hurting Hermes' image at all. I do agree that it's a little too late, as you can see a luggage tote everywhere you look. But as a friend of mine pointed out maybe that's part of Pheobe Philo's strategy. Get them out there and then try to create more demand by limiting the number.

This will be may last luggage tote for a while, but I'm still craving a large Box. Just can't justify $5000 with taxes. I've only spent that on Chanel. Don't know if even the Celine box will keep its value in the long run. Bet no one is debating weather or not the value of their birkin will hold.
 
#8
I def would not compare Celine to Hermes. Although Celine has created quite a stir in the fashion world lately. I love Celine and will continue to buy as long as the prices don't become outrageous. I agree with everyone above that Celine will have to offer bag spa service as well as increased quality of customer service before they will be considered to be on par with Hermes. Also, isn't everything Hermes creates hand stitched? I don't think thats the case with Celine is it?
 
#9
Interesting comments from a SA and I agree it must be part of a sales strategy someone in their marketing department came up with. I have a micro luggage and a black trapeze and those two are enough for Celine. I find Celine refreshing and a nice change but to me it doesn't create the "longing and lusting" feeling you might find for a Chanel bag. And for me, Hermes is strictly out of my comfort zone!
 
#11
theilnana said:
I was on the phone today ordering another Celine from the boutique in Miami. not Hermes, nor will it be. What do you think?
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I actually believe that Celine bags are becoming the new Birkins and Kellys. 100%. I've been saying that since last year. The quality is amazing! I mean, really good for the price. The hunger, the popularity, the wait lists, the covet operations to secure a bag. They are cutting down on production in a bid to preserve it's exclusivity. Let's be real, who wants another Chloe Paddington/Silverado on their hands.
It is a status bag in the sense that the mini luggage, phantom are secondly the most popular bag right now and has been for 2 years now. The momentum is rapidly growing. It doesn't have the expense but it has the stature. Every rich woman, average girl worldwide is clamouring for a Celine bag. In 6 months, I've taken 6 friends to introduce them to the Celine manager so they can get theirs as they've had no luck so far.

Will I still be saying the same thing in 2 years? Who knows but I think the Trapeze and Box bags will long reign.

At Christmas my husband bought me the Rose Tyrien Birkin, the day we arrived back home, jet lagged and all after a 10 hour flight, I went to my Celine concession store to pick up my Fluoro pink mini luggage. He couldn't believe it. :shrugs:
 
#12
I don't believe they are on the same
Level as Hermes but it does seem they are emulating Hermes. The box remind me of the Constance and the luggage reminds me of the Birkin.

When I got my micro luggage yesterday I incidentally placed it next to my 30cm Birkin and they were very similar on size, shape and look.

I think only time will tell if Celine will be like Hermes. Let's not forget Hermes is the brand it is because of the quality of its bags. Handmade, hand stitched.
 
#13
as I don't have a hermes i can't compare the quality. but i guess the SA only wanted to compare the "exclusiveness" of hermes to celine-cutting down the production to create more demand. i think that prada or lv have destroyed the "luxury status" by being available everywhere. here in europe you see so many women with lv monogram bags-that's why i sold all my LV except the leather ones where it is not obvious that they are LV
 
#14
Celine luggage is not comparable to birkin or Kelly just yet. And I think is long way to go. But I will pick Celine luggage or trapeze or even nano at anytime vs Hermes picotin or herbags. Certain styles of Hermes just don't appeal to me . However if we talk about quality, I think Celine is super nice specially on that 2-3k price range. It does not have Hermes quality yet but I am pleased with their craftsmanship.
 
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#15
Celine's quality does not compare to Hermes. Period. Celine bags are not handcrafted from start to finish. It is also relatively easy to find minor imperfections on Celine pieces (the most common one that comes to mind right now is messy glazing.) The brand history also does not compare to that of H. Don't get me wrong; I'm a Celine fan just like most everyone else on this subforum. The brand has some fabulous designs, which is why it has done so well in the past few years. But in terms of comparing Celine to the quality of H, let's not get ahead of ourselves IMO.
 
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