Am I the only one who feels quality does not scale with price? Like whatsoever?

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M

minminmin

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Feb 7, 2020
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#1
I own bags that have msrps from $300 to $6000 and many in between and honestly they all feel similar.

My Coach 1941 Rogue is just as nice as my Chanel Boy bag. The leather and hardware feels just as substantial and the craftsmanship really not far off at all.

One of my Tory Burch bags feels just as good as my YSL Lou Lou. It even wears better cause my Loulou is already showing signs of use.

Are we being duped here into thinking luxury brand = better quality and longevity? I am sure that on average the answer is yes, but with TONS of exceptions. There are so many luxury bags that are frankly cheaply and poorly made and a good number of contemporary bags that feel substantial and last a long time.

Honestly I am beginning to question why I buy luxury bags at all when they cost 10x as much or more.
 
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#3
I think you may be getting the wrong end of the stick regarding luxury bags. Luxury bags are largely not about quality but about design, marketing and lifestyle. Many wealthy people by luxury bags don't care about longevity or quality as they have no intention of using them for a long time. Some limited edition bags are like works of arts and they are very delicate, e.g. not hard-wearing at all. If you don't like the design/look and feel/etc. of those bags cost 100x more then I say stop buying them.
 
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#4
chicinthecity777 said:
I think you may be getting the wrong end of the stick regarding luxury bags. Luxury bags are largely not about quality but about design, marketing and lifestyle. Many wealthy people by luxury bags don't care about longevity or quality as they have no intention of using them for a long time. Some limited edition bags are like works of arts and they are very delicate, e.g. not hard-wearing at all. If you don't like the design/look and feel/etc. of those bags cost 100x more then I say stop buying them.
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I think OP was eluding to the fact that if you buy a functional piece (such as a standard bag from a high end brand), then it should be of a higher quality if you pay a higher price, which I agree with.

Obviously limited edition bags are an exception as they're more of a 'collector item' and hold that element of exclusivity, but permanent line bags that aren't LE are not collectors items, therefore people will be using them daily and seeing wear due to poor quality.
 
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#5
jasmynh1 said:
I think OP was eluding to the fact that if you buy a functional piece (such as a standard bag from a high end brand), then it should be of a higher quality if you pay a higher price, which I agree with.

Obviously limited edition bags are an exception as they're more of a 'collector item' and hold that element of exclusivity, but permanent line bags that aren't LE are not collectors items, therefore people will be using them daily and seeing wear due to poor quality.
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Standard bag from a high end brand is hardly luxury bags. That's what we differ in definitions. Like I said, high end brand is never all about quality. Better material doesn't equal durability. Luxury bags are about looks, design and the lifestyle they are associated with. If you are after pure functionality, you should look for that but don't expect "luxury brands" to be those.
 
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#8
minminmin said:
I own bags that have msrps from $300 to $6000 and many in between and honestly they all feel similar.

My Coach 1941 Rogue is just as nice as my Chanel Boy bag. The leather and hardware feels just as substantial and the craftsmanship really not far off at all.

One of my Tory Burch bags feels just as good as my YSL Lou Lou. It even wears better cause my Loulou is already showing signs of use.

Are we being duped here into thinking luxury brand = better quality and longevity? I am sure that on average the answer is yes, but with TONS of exceptions. There are so many luxury bags that are frankly cheaply and poorly made and a good number of contemporary bags that feel substantial and last a long time.

Honestly I am beginning to question why I buy luxury bags at all when they cost 10x as much or more.
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Yup exactly. :yes:
 
#9
I feel like the price goes up exponentially vs. the quality improvements because of the branding, but keep in mind quality and durability are not the same thing. Often times, high end materials are fragile: exotic skins, silk, lambskin, etc. There's also so many different factors that make a true (not necessarily premier designer) high-end piece, like properly soldered chain straps, hand stitching, and quality linings.

I think of bags like cars. A higher price doesn't mean I'm going to be able to forego maintenance and it will never need repair, but it does mean my commute will be a bit more comfortable. Often times, the most durable is not the highest price. Everyone has different needs and wants and should purchase accordingly.
 
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#10
Bags are really not that dissimilar from any other luxury purchase. All cars run, whether it's a Kia or a Ferrari. Much of the cost is in the look and cache of what you're purchasing, and walking around looking like you belong to a particular group. The reason to purchase luxury - imo - is the back end support and the residual value. A Coach bag can last as long as a Chanel, but also much of the longevity of an item is the wearer and not the maker. Luxury bags used to last for generations because women used them very rarely, but now people want to use their luxury bags as day bags and diaper bags and travel bags and whatever, and they stuff them to full capacity - turning 3K and 5K bags into workhorses. I think some consumer expectations are out of line tbh. Your luxury YSL or Chanel or Hermes is for sure going to last when you treat it like the luxury purchase it is and not your everyday bag.
 
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#11
Attention to quality isn't the main selling point for higher end luxury items. Perhaps it SHOULD be, and even once WAS, but as people's lifestyles became more and more casual (gym clothes 24/7), excessive rotation of handbags became a better way for women to express themselves (vs. clothing perhaps). I know for myself, I am in gym clothes all the time, or jeans and a t-shirt, and I pull out a great bag to express my style since I really don't dress up otherwise. I think women are buying MORE bags to rotate vs the days when you bought a single bag to last a whole season.

That said, designers have to keep up with our ever evolving and fickle tastes. They have to hire the best, keep the best, have stock available, have stores that are accessible, have large customer service staff, new collections every 2 months, etc which all cost huge $$. For those companies to operate with that level of saturation and sophistication, their goods are going to be marked up about 80-90% over cost to produce. It's the same for cosmetics, perfumes, anything mass marketed.

The boom in resale has also allowed us to make our collections revolving doors. We aren't forced to stick with maybe a single choice or 2 anymore when we can have 50. And resell those when we are tired of them (next month haha). I think consumer demand is for change, choice, status, novelty and style, maybe less driven by QUALITY per se, although I don't think that's necessarily a great thing. We have positively allowed designers to cut corners and increase prices because quality isn't the primary focus of the consumer now.

There are very few bags that are even handmade anymore of the more reputable houses - to note I think just Delvaux, Moynat and only the B and K from Hermes? (rest are machine made). I think it's up to us consumers to really research our brands, look at their ethical (or unethical) practices, how they source materials and manufacture, how they treat their employees, how they address defects and customer service issues, and how we feel about ourselves buying such expensive products from those companies. For me personally, I have loads of Chanel but it's a HORRIBLE COMPANY all around, which causes me internal conflict. When you look behind the curtain at Hermes, they are not all that better (history is less conflicting tho). I actually love LV (how the company operates) but not as much their designs. Dior, Delvaux, Givenchy I am always impressed with. Anyway, you get the gist.
 
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#12
Similar to what was posted above, I think the appeal for designer bags is the design and materials (and cache). Generally, they are prettier bags.

Durability and longevity? Not so much.
 
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#13
I feel the same way, so I just buy what I love. So far my Louis Vuitton (I have several bags that are a decade old now and they still look great) and Coach pieces seem to be holding up the best. Chanel I'm pretty much over...
 
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#14
I think the “automobile” analogy best sums it up.
A Rolls Royce will be terribly more expensive than a Honda.
The service costs will also be much higher.
Will they both get you where you want to go...Yes.
Will you have the status with the Honda...No.
Which one will last longer...probably the Honda.
Which one will hold its value longer...the Rolls.
I’m the end, you probably get what you pay for.
Luxury always costs more and the people who can afford luxury are not worried about longevity.
 
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#15
I think the “automobile” analogy best sums it up.
A Rolls Royce will be terribly more expensive than a Honda.
The service costs will also be much higher.
Will they both get you where you want to go...Yes.
Will you have the status with the Honda...No.
Which one will last longer...probably the Honda.
Which one will hold its value longer...the Rolls.
In the end, you probably get what you pay for.
Luxury always costs more and the people who can afford luxury are not worried about longevity.
 
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