Are There Any Handbags NOT Made In China?
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I have mixed feelings about this.
On one hand I don't just buy LV for the name but also for the service. If its broken, they repair it. And while they do it, I'm enjoying champaign. It's in a beautiful store and SAs are eager to help and assist.
I don't really see current bad quality of LV, never seen vintage item that would look better than mine.
But at the same time I don't want to think that my luggage is made by people who were not paid enough and didnt have good working conditions (and this is implied by those journalists).
But at the same time I jst HATE that Made in China or Made in India equals poor quality in people's minds... Those are encient civilizations who were booming in beauty, culture, architecture, poetry, mathematics, arts, when there was no such country as France and those Gauls were running around in their primitive villages. Why would I think Indians or Chinese workers wouldn't be able to put a freaking bag together or would do it worse than French workers? Oh nooooooo, theyre Chineeeeeese....
That's so stupid and racist to me!
On one hand I don't just buy LV for the name but also for the service. If its broken, they repair it. And while they do it, I'm enjoying champaign. It's in a beautiful store and SAs are eager to help and assist.
I don't really see current bad quality of LV, never seen vintage item that would look better than mine.
But at the same time I don't want to think that my luggage is made by people who were not paid enough and didnt have good working conditions (and this is implied by those journalists).
But at the same time I jst HATE that Made in China or Made in India equals poor quality in people's minds... Those are encient civilizations who were booming in beauty, culture, architecture, poetry, mathematics, arts, when there was no such country as France and those Gauls were running around in their primitive villages. Why would I think Indians or Chinese workers wouldn't be able to put a freaking bag together or would do it worse than French workers? Oh nooooooo, theyre Chineeeeeese....
That's so stupid and racist to me!
No one has anything against Chinese or Indian workers. Everybody knows that Serge Lesage ( for Dior) had his embroidery made in India because that's where he found the best workers in that field. CD's rich customers knew it too and it was not a problem at all, on the contrary they were aware they were buying the best...
If tomorrow I visit China and hear of a Chinese bag designer there, I will be proud to bring one of his bags back to France.
But.....I don't want to overpay for a French brand which is going to China to cut costs and continues to rise their prices....
Ask a Chinese lady if she is ready to buy a Made in China Longchamp.....
If tomorrow I visit China and hear of a Chinese bag designer there, I will be proud to bring one of his bags back to France.
But.....I don't want to overpay for a French brand which is going to China to cut costs and continues to rise their prices....
Ask a Chinese lady if she is ready to buy a Made in China Longchamp.....
Really? If the bag was made in Spain or Portugal, or Germany would you have any issues against it?
When I lived in the USA, I had a Mercedes Benz that was made in the USA. It wasn't any less of Mercedes for me because it was American. And didn't cost any less btw.
Italy, Portugal and Spain have nearly the same costs as France.
In China, a worker earns approximately 200 euros....
And that makes a serious difference. Well at least...it should.
If you look at Marc Jacobs for instance, his premier line is made in Italy , the bags are three times as expensive as the Marc by Marc Jacobs line
which is made in Asia.
Marc Jacobs is a very honest person.
My Made in China Mulberry does not equal poor quality just in my mind, it equals poor quality in a side by side comparison, as many photos of other's bags throughout the subforums on here can similarly attest to.
Expensive luxury handbags are being made in China due to the immense competitive advantage that Asian markets provide in manufacturing, thus translating to higher profit margins for the companies that own the handbag lines (actually cross subsidising loss-leading sectors of their businesses). That they are doing so whilst simultaneously exploiting their French/Italian/English-ness is what really p'ssd me off because I bought it not checking first, and would not have done so had I checked.
This is what consumers are getting sick of; feeling like they're being mislead.
I haven't seen a post where anyone has actually said a handbag can't be made in Asia EXACTLY the same way as it is in Europe or the US (even though the proof of the pudding does show significant compromises); the point is they were made in Asia because minimum working conditions and pay is relatively (and significantly) lower and it's unclear on the label. They were made in Asia to cut corners for dollars, when they are still charging increasingly inflated prices for said products which purportedly reflect European 'provenance'/manufacturing. It is not a criticism of a race, it is questioning the manipulation of the market by many big brands in the fashion business who trade on the goodwill of heritage brands but sell products which are sometimes bereft of this integrity.
To make a purchasing decision with this understanding is not racism, it is economics; Veblen's upward sloping demand curve comes to mind. Generalising people's choices as racist, because they choose not to support the purchase of handbags made by big brands in cheaper cost-base countries, especially those that are camoflaged in dubious labels, is IMHO, not right either.
Expensive luxury handbags are being made in China due to the immense competitive advantage that Asian markets provide in manufacturing, thus translating to higher profit margins for the companies that own the handbag lines (actually cross subsidising loss-leading sectors of their businesses). That they are doing so whilst simultaneously exploiting their French/Italian/English-ness is what really p'ssd me off because I bought it not checking first, and would not have done so had I checked.
This is what consumers are getting sick of; feeling like they're being mislead.
I haven't seen a post where anyone has actually said a handbag can't be made in Asia EXACTLY the same way as it is in Europe or the US (even though the proof of the pudding does show significant compromises); the point is they were made in Asia because minimum working conditions and pay is relatively (and significantly) lower and it's unclear on the label. They were made in Asia to cut corners for dollars, when they are still charging increasingly inflated prices for said products which purportedly reflect European 'provenance'/manufacturing. It is not a criticism of a race, it is questioning the manipulation of the market by many big brands in the fashion business who trade on the goodwill of heritage brands but sell products which are sometimes bereft of this integrity.
To make a purchasing decision with this understanding is not racism, it is economics; Veblen's upward sloping demand curve comes to mind. Generalising people's choices as racist, because they choose not to support the purchase of handbags made by big brands in cheaper cost-base countries, especially those that are camoflaged in dubious labels, is IMHO, not right either.
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Being an IR/IPE student/grad made me want to hug you tightly. This is an excellent post.
I don't think anyone needs them to be charity companies, I think people just want them to be honest...
Come on.
It's not about Marc Jacobs being honest, it's about expanding the lines and targeting different demographics
I understand the cost efficiency of outsourcing manufacture. I'm a business owner and I have outsourced some of my production and services, and yes, it saves me some money but requires constant quality control. I'm no LVMH but no doubt they have strict policies on quality of the process.
Did you actually compare the same model of the Mulbury bags made in Italy and China to see the difference? I have no experience with Mulburry but I see people constantly complaining about Chanel bags. Haven't purchased any Chanel bags lately but my 2006-2011 bags are exactly the same quality as my mom's bags of 30 years old.
I feel that people tend to have higher expectations from luxury brands and disappointed when a certain bag doesn't bring happiness and joy. Thats my first thought when I see topics about being unhappy about made in USA samp on LV and if they should take it back to a store and waiting for the perfect made in France LV. Or when someone finds stitching on a Chanel bag being 1mm longer and complains about bad quality of Chanel...
^^
But of course people have higher expectations from luxury brands. That's why they're called "luxury brands." They are supposed to deliver a higher quality/performance. Supposedly, that's the entire reason we're paying the astronomical prices for that product. So I can't blame someone for measuring every stitch or comparing it to the bag that they bought 5 or 10 years ago for half the price and being disappointed that the quality isn't the same or that it hasn't actually even improved in any way to warrant the huge price increases. Regardless of where it might be made.
The only bags I've heard of that outsourced to China, but have managed to keep up with their current quality is the Longchamp le Pliage but most wouldn't consider Longchamp a luxury brand.
But of course people have higher expectations from luxury brands. That's why they're called "luxury brands." They are supposed to deliver a higher quality/performance. Supposedly, that's the entire reason we're paying the astronomical prices for that product. So I can't blame someone for measuring every stitch or comparing it to the bag that they bought 5 or 10 years ago for half the price and being disappointed that the quality isn't the same or that it hasn't actually even improved in any way to warrant the huge price increases. Regardless of where it might be made.
The only bags I've heard of that outsourced to China, but have managed to keep up with their current quality is the Longchamp le Pliage but most wouldn't consider Longchamp a luxury brand.