Wellllllll for everyone here. I called Chanel's 800 customer service line and asked if they had some documentation they could provide that stated their bags are 100% leather, including the 19 and the 22. The person I spoke with said they don't and they cannot provide any more specifics about the materials used other than what is listed on the site.
So. Everyone can take that one of 2 ways. I know how I take it, but some will insist on defending the lack of transparency. SO, "straight from the horse's mouth", so to speak. You guys decide.
I don’t understand why you keep deciding to take digs by saying “some will insist on defending the lack of transparency.” There’s not a single person on this thread who hasn’t voiced quality concerns with Chanel. No one is blind to it.
It’s obvious you’re referring to me with your jab. I made it clear I didn’t want to continue dialogue with you, and felt I addressed my previous post in a diplomatic fashion. I shared information on acrylic being used on lambskin to possibly give others an idea of what the coating on the 19 bag could be.
Just because some of us have Chanel bags that are well made in our collection doesn’t mean we don’t understand that there are and have been quality issues. I hope at some point Chanel addresses all of them. But I am still a fan and a client and if I have issues I would go about addressing it in a much more constructive manner without openly bashing a brand.
You talk about wanting transparency from a fashion house like Chanel and you’re not going to get it, especially not in the manner you’re going about. You basically want a breakdown of “ingredients” and it’s not going to happen. The EU has strict rules in place with fashion houses (they’re one of the largest exports) so if they were doing something illegal, like saying a leather bag is made of leather when it’s made of something else, I’d imagine they’d face serious consequences.
Chanel is one of the number one, if not THE number one, replicated brand and you think they’re going to break down the exact science of their bag process so the Chinese can start making even better fakes? I’m not defending this lack of transparency you keep referring to, I just understand how luxury fashion houses work. I interned for one of the biggest fashion magazines, have a fashion background, worked in luxury and around some of the biggest luxury brands. I know how they operate more often than not. I’ve gone into purchasing luxury goods with this frame of mind. Not saying things can’t or shouldn’t change, but you also have to understand how long many of these brands have been operating for. They have heritage and deep history and aren’t necessarily just going to flip a switch to how they’ve operated.
Chanel has always been very private and tight lipped, nothing has changed. I accept that. I’ve been following fashion and Chanel since before I was a teenager and they had the same mysterious stance then and they’re highly unlikely to change now.
Maybe one day I’ll stop purchasing items because I can’t justify the prices, or my experience has made me unhappy, or for whatever reason, but I’m happy with my collection. If you’re not happy with them, stop purchasing. If you want to prove a point, stop purchasing. If you don’t think they’re luxury, etc, then stop purchasing. If you don’t believe in the authenticity of the material you’re buying, stop purchasing. That’s a much more powerful statement.
If you absolutely, unequivocally want answers, then hire multiple luxury leather artisans who’ve worked with luxury brands to give you an independent analysis of the bags in question.
An example to something similar to this “lack of transparency” is LV clients complaining that the newer canvas is cheap and cracking and nothing close to being durable and withstanding like their vintage canvas. Well, the vintage canvas had to be reformulated because the compounds they were using had toxic ingredients and they had to halt production. Those compounds are the reason vintage LV canvas is so much harder than current canvas. Unbeknownst to most clients vintage canvas actually had more issues with cracking because of the harder materials. But do you think LV is issuing this statement in every bag they’re selling? No. Of course not. And they never will. That’s not luxury and luxury is what they’re selling.
There have been people on here that echoed your sentiments in a powerful and insightful way, like the high tier client from Palm Beach. Someone like her gains my attention.
