Are luxury handbags really better quality than contemporary?

[Sa26]

Hey I have a big question to everyone who owns luxury and Contemporary bags, are luxury brands really superoír in quality ?

my guess is no, sure it’s something artistic and harder to find someone with that same bag as yours. I think designer bags are like art. Sure they have a certain x thing that draws people to them. But I don’t think it’s truly better quality.
I think a nice bag from a contemporary brand is as good as any from a luxury brand

 

[A bottle of Red]

I wonder this a lot as well & i think it probably depends on which company, the materials used etc.
But no unfortunately, i don't think luxury always equals quality.
Also, bear in mind sometimes luxury materials are more delicate & not as robust (ex a finer exotic vs a thick calfskin)

 

[880]

In my opinion, yes, some luxury brands can provide better quality than contemporary. one has to determine whether the incremental gains or aesthetics are worth the price.

But, the big brands, luxury or not, aren’t where you will find the best quality. Because so much of the budget is spend on developing and maintaining the brand. The best quality can be available from individual artisans.

ETA: functionally, they will all carry your stuff from point a to point b

 

[Sa26]

I wonder this a lot as well & i think it probably depends on which company, the materials used etc.
But no unfortunately, i don't think luxury always equals quality.
Also, bear in mind sometimes luxury materials are more delicate & not as robust (ex a finer exotic vs a thick calfskin)

You make a wonderful point here, how luxury is way too delicate like it’s unly wearable for special events.if I bought a luxury bag I’d go with LV even though is not that beautiful and striking it’s a practical bag. It really seems like a super functional brand when it comes to bags.

but when it comes to beautiful eye catching bags I prefer Contemporary. I have lambskin contemporary bag and it scares me to use it, I can’t see myself buying a classic flap.

 

[Love Of My Life]

Well, I am fortunate to own several luxury handbags .
However, I was looking for something kind of fresh, easy to wear, stylish & well
made & was open to various price points.
After reading several threads about newly launched or bags launched over let's say
the last few years, I came across various posts about a French brand called Polene
I read all the reviews on tPF & watched youtubers as well & decided to take the
plunge & ordered the Numero Neuf in Taupe.
It arrived quickly by DHL, was packed securely & well & there were no issues
as scuffs were of concern to me as well as customer service, which was a big
issue for several posters
The bag was not bought to be an investment bag for down the road auction or resale
but rather & everyday knockaround bag.
The leather is soft, the quality & workmanship & the stitching perfect. So there are many viable handbags in the
marketplace that don't have to be high price points, all someone has to do really is look
on tPF. The source for new & upcoming designers
Happy shopping to all!

 

[jellyv]

Yes, in many ways they are. Better materials that will last versus becoming landfill quickly, afterpurchase service that assures longevity of the product, appropriate pay and treatment for the workforce all beat the heck out of the practices turning out "cheap" goods.

Anecdotally, several times when I've dipped into more casual brands' bags I've been struck by just how shi'ty the "leather" turns out to be, with the dye floating only on the very outermost layer and quickly chipped or eroded. You learn that lesson once, twice, and it becomes clear what the differences are.

 

[Daisy22]

It depends on the brand and the particular bag. Certainly Hermes is better quality than Michael Kors or other contemporary brands as well as many luxury brands.

Hermes is obvious I guess, but I would say Dior or even a Ferragamo are significantly better quality than contemporary brands. Whereas LV, Gucci, Fendi would be a bag to bag situation.

If we are discussing wear - I have bags from the second or third tier luxury brands that have worn like iron - for example all my Givenchy bags look brand new - that along with their more affordable price points make choosing them a no brainer especially if you can find them on sale.

I own a lot of contemporary and luxury bags and SLGs, and would say design elements aside the question really is: Is the quality of a specific luxury bag equivalent to the price difference to say a well-made contemporary bag? And in many cases the answer would be no. That doesn't mean the best quality modern Coach bag or Marc Jacobs bag, etc. is ever going to be close in quality to an all leather Hermes, Ferragamo, Dior, YSL, etc. IMO

 

[A bottle of Red]

I guess maybe i got lucky but my cheapest coach outlet bags have been beat up & tossed & schlepped around for over a decade and are finally now starting to wear out.....
Go figure.
I have been very wary of what ppl have said about the lack of quality leather in the Chanel bags.
My Bvlgari bags/ slg- both leather & snakeskin have held up incredibly well , as have my Ralph lauren collection/ Ricky bags. The RL bags are hand made with Italian leather just fyi.

However, my RL collection snakeskin wallet is so delicate it scuffs from the air lol.
I was not impressed with how thin, hard & cardboard like the new Fendi bags are tbh, & the Lady Dior i tried on in the boutique last year was supposed to be brand new but had a huge scuff/peeling leather on the handle. That was a huge turn off for me.

 

[nyeredzi]

When you guys say quality, what exactly do you mean? Materials? Construction? Does it have to be both? Because it’s possible to buy quite affordable things that can take a beating and still look the same but the materials will be more affordable. A cheap but well constructed canvas bag may in fact wear better than some fancy delicate animal skin. Does it mean it’s better quality?

 

[Swanky]

I’d have to compare brands directly.
Imo yes, overall, the quality and service and resale is better. That doesn’t mean to me, that ALL premiere designers are worth the price or better than ALL the others.
For example, do I think my Chanels are “better” than Kate Spade I had in the past, yes.

I’ve been buying premier for years, most Chanel and Goyard and I completely prefer lambskin. I’ve never once had a quality issue, and I do not baby my bags. My lamb WoC traveled the world, got caught in downpours in Italy, accompanied me to countless concerts and events… it looked new when it was stolen recently despite being truly used for more than a decade. My experiences with these bags have earned their worth to me.

 

[fettfleck]

Only regarding quality, I would say no. It depends on the brand. There are small artisanal brand which have great quality e.g. in leather which can compete e.g. with Hermes and there are also luxury brand whose quality in leather and how it is made are not on par to its price.
There certainly are more luxury brands, that have better quality, but not all. But I think in bags, that usually is not so bad. In clothing it often is superbad.

 

[880]

I’ve been one of the few, along with @Swanky , who have had no issues with chanel quality. I am fortunate not to have seen a slump in my bags from decades ago to today. (I’m also a lambskin fan, not caviar).

but, I’ve had some excellent contemporary brands. One that I loved was from liebherr or some such brand. Maybe I’m confusing the bag brand with a refrigerator brand. Loved the color and the leather was the kind that some TPFers describe with admiration as chewy. It was durable; withstood bad weather; and the hardware was durable. The styling wasn’t as refined as I now prefer, so I let it go. ( I have a category for bags called dive bar in Brooklyn; I buy these bags, but they never get used bc I havent been to a dive bar in decades. But, my contemporary bag aesthetic tends to fall there)

i try not to buy fast fashion any more; my RTW is pretty sturdy, both designer and contemporary. I do wear some Arc’teryx, American giant, vuori, and athleisure. But, if like me, you are older with some figure issues, select premier designer RTW tends to be more flattering and forgiving.

 

[880]

I wanted to add that there are some premier luxury brands that can be purchased for far less at resale. The resale prices may be in line or less than the retail price of contemporaries
delvaux
bottega Veneta
valextra
hermes (non BKC at Japanese resellers)

of course all of this requires research; authentication prior to purchase etc.

and excellent quality RTW brands that sometimes go on massive sale and does not hold resale value even NWT
Akris
Jil Sander

 

[Farkvam]

I think it also depends on whether you’re talking vintage or new, but perhaps that’s a whole other discussion. My only experiences are with new factory Coach, vintage Chanel and LV, and new Ferragamo as far as brand-name items.

The quality and craftsmanship of my vintage Chanel, vintage LV and new Ferragamo are outstanding.

The new factory Coach wallet was sadly terrible quality, the leather was only veneer over fabric it turns out, and it would flake off all over the place inside my bags. That put such a bad taste in my mouth with Coach. I didn’t know it was a lower quality Coach item when I bought it, it was purchased from a very well-known and reputable department store here in Canada.

Now I’m about to buy a vintage Coach bag, the kind with the thick glove-tanned leather to take another chance, because I have seen a few people on YouTube who own both new Hermes and vintage Coach saying that the leather quality and craftsmanship is shockingly comparable. Not my words by the way, but that certainly peaked my curiosity!

 

[A bottle of Red]

Ooh I am curious to hear what you think when you get a vintage coach bag!
Gotta agree btw about the new coach bags, even the non factory have awful leather