This business model is the new model for handbags as well. Does anyone else feel the hype?
What I heard is LV wants hype and exclusivity with some of their products. During a conversation with some managers, I was told LV makes limited bags, which usually sell out in pre-order at the fashion shows, but they still listed on their website with the caveat "call for availability". They also do limited bags available to the public, bags only available in specific countries (though available to view online in all countries) and bags with staggered releases (not one release date) and staggered color releases. So what we hear as a certain release date might be Europe only and the US or Canada release date is two weeks later.
LV has also decided to individualize boutiques (just like Chanel). Not every boutique will have all the colors and the new styles. Our
Nordstrom boutiques will be carrying bright colors and our free-standing boutique will be carrying black and more earthy tones. Any boutique can try to get any bag in as a request, but be prepared, your choice may not be (readily) available.
I don't like this business model. It's frustrating. I wish they wouldn't create for specific countries (especially Japan and China only). Everyone else might like the style. I wish they would pull items from the website that are sold-out and not in production, instead of leaving them up and creating customer false hope.
You can probably tell I've called customer service a few times.
I guess LV likes the hype it creates. It's so popular!