BE leather is used to make bags by Claudia Firenze

#16
They have them here at Winner too (the Canadian equivalent to TJMaxx) - their bags are usually around $130-$200 with a lot of various styles

but wow - i can now pay more attention to these so I can decide if I really want a BE bag - or it will help me with my decision! nice to know!
 
#17
fierce said:
The website, which doesn't really show any bags, is

http://www.claudiafirenze.com/prima.htm

I have seen many bags by this manufacturer at Filene's Basement , as well as TJ Maxx and Loehmann's. There is not a unified look to them - they seem like quality knockoffs of other popular styles.
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Thanks for finding the website. I'll look it over. The only thing I found via Goggle was one that was in Itailan.
 
#19
The leather on the bags on Ebay don't seem familiar to BE leather to me. i agree with valkyrie360, that the price discrepancy is very disturbing if they are the exact same leather.
 
#20
I think that the OPs header could be seen as a wee bit inflammatory - I mean, where is the actual evidence other than the OPs keen sense of smell and subjective opinion on the quality of the leather - good though it may be?
I mean it "might" be true or it "might not", but to state it as actual fact in the header is a bit much imo - and I think does a disservice to both designers. :nogood:
 
#21
I don't have have any BE bags, I just admire from afar. So they might have the same leather. As I'm sure that happens more frequently then we know, but the craftsmenship and attention to detail is probably where the difference lies.... also taking into consideration how many are made..BE are probably not as mass marketed as Claudia Firenze? It looks like CF bags are probably very popular in Italy and or Europe. :shrugs:

That said, I too will take a closer look at them when I head into The Maxx next time!
 
#22
posk51 said:
I don't have have any BE bags, I just admire from afar. So they might have the same leather. As I'm sure that happens more frequently then we know, but the craftsmenship and attention to detail is probably where the difference lies.... also taking into consideration how many are made..BE are probably not as mass marketed as Claudia Firenze? It looks like CF bags are probably very popular in Italy and or Europe. :shrugs:

That said, I too will take a closer look at them when I head into The Maxx next time!
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Agreed. Probably the only thing that's the same is the leather. After all, there are alot of other designers made at the atillery in Italy (or whatever it's called! lol) I'm going to find some up close just because I'm curious now! The designs on ebay don't knock me out but would be interesting if the leather was indeed the same.
 
#23
I'm sure that leather factories, like fabric makers, sell to many different designers. The markup on the product has much to do with the exclusivity of the product, the designer's reputation, etc.
 
#25
Cornflower Blue said:
I think that the OPs header could be seen as a wee bit inflammatory - I mean, where is the actual evidence other than the OPs keen sense of smell and subjective opinion on the quality of the leather - good though it may be?
I mean it "might" be true or it "might not", but to state it as actual fact in the header is a bit much imo - and I think does a disservice to both designers. :nogood:
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i agree. when i saw the title of this thread i was under the impression that the OP had discovered this as a fact somehow (e.g. by finding out the name of the source of leather and confirming with the CF company that it was indeed the same leather used). But this isn't true..it is just based on the OP's personal opinion of ONE bag she saw in a store. again, not to discredit the OP's opinion, but i we shouldn't start jumping to conclusions based on what one person's subjective observations are.

many people have compared the type of leather BE uses to Balenciaga and other types of designers. Doesn't mean the leather is from the same source. LV's patent leather (vernis) line initially seemed very unique to me (it's got a nice shimmer to it), until I found out that Chanel also makes accessories in the same type of patent leather. Even cheaper lesser known brands like Lovcat make wallets using patent leather that appears very similar!

And plus, even if it IS the same type of leather, i don't think it's that big of a deal if there is a such a huge price discrepancy between the cost of a BE bag vs the cost of a Claude Firenze (sp?) bag. When you pay for a handbag, the material is only a fraction of the cost. A lot of is in the handicraft of making the bag, especially attaching the hardware, zippers, etc..this also determines the general quality of the bag. I don't think very many bags that end up at TJMaxx for under $200 were handmade by European craftsmen. :nogood:
 
#27
I have heard (here on tPF as a matter of fact) thhat Bannana Republic and Chloe have the same leather source, so I wouldn't be suprised if the same is true for these two designs.

I have seen many of those bags at TJMaxx as well as other designers all made from Italy. I often like the styles and the prices are reasonable. I really would not even be surprised if they shared some other characteristics including craftspeople. It's like the Jiff and Store brand peanut butter. Same manufacturer, different label. (this is an example, not sure if it's Jiff or Skippy or Peter Pan, but some major label also makes the store brand for Wal-mart.

I'm for the most part okay with this, because I do realize that part of why I buy something is for the name and response the name recognition causes. Of course at the same time, I end up with a LV epi noe as opposed to a mono noe, which is far less recognizable to most non LV folks.
 
#28
Make sure you post pics if you find some up close! I am indeed curious!! I love the design of BE bags but the price tags are still a little too high for me! :yes:




paintednightsky said:
Agreed. Probably the only thing that's the same is the leather. After all, there are alot of other designers made at the atillery in Italy (or whatever it's called! lol) I'm going to find some up close just because I'm curious now! The designs on ebay don't knock me out but would be interesting if the leather was indeed the same.
Click to expand...
 
#29
I've seen a lot of CF bags at tjmaxx and I never once thought to compare them to BE. I own 4 BE bags with a 5th on the way. I've never sniffed them before, however. They are pretty good prices for Italian made bags. But I really do like BE better.
 
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