Deconstructing Dionysus

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#2
Yup same guy as I posted on a thread called tanner leatherstein.
Lately I'm pretty horrified how he slashes into some bags before opening them.
I wonder if they're even real tbh.
I also disagree about the value that he assigns for material and labor ( never mind cost of the design , designers , overhead , etc)
 
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#3
A bottle of Red said:
Yup same guy as I posted on a thread called tanner leatherstein.
Lately I'm pretty horrified how he slashes into some bags before opening them.
I wonder if they're even real tbh.
I also disagree about the value that he assigns for material and labor ( never mind cost of the design , designers , overhead , etc)
Click to expand...
I definitely cringed when he started slashing.
I have less doubt about the authenticity of the bag, his channel makes sure the bag pays for itself. Tanner Leatherstein......didn't try very hard with a pseudo alias there haha
 
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#4
Thank you for this @viciel. At least he gives it an "exceptional" good review. Great for Gucci owners who already have bags.

This is basically someone who equates materials + labour into CPI (cost per item). In fact, he didn't even include labour. he doesn't factor anything in beyond his specialism - the leather, he doesn't factor-in labour charges (he didn't in this video) and labour is the most expensive element. Nor do we get a breakdown of the clasp hw feature. His calculations are really just what the leather would cost him - unmade, not designed, no hw and not distributed.

His calculation of the leather value of this bag (only - and 1/10 of actual) makes me think Gucci is good value. We know how much he hasn't factored in.

What we don't get from the vid:
Cost analysis of hardware. That Dionysus clasp is like jewellery and very expensive to produce
Price of labour directly involved with making the bag
Price of labour at Gucci from design >>>>>>retail (directly and indirectly within the supply chain)
Price of overheads (fixed and variable) operational costs of online, factories and retail, property rental/rates
Marketing budgets that contextualise the product, line and brand within the fashion of 'now' (it isn't just about status and flexing logos)
Direct comparisons with other major competitors in the same vid (LV are Gucci's main rivals)
Direct comparisons with high-street brands that would sell for the price-point he's quoting

I like he stated that leather is a non-standardised product but acquiesces that big brands need to standardise. People are so obsessed with 'perfection' with their bags it actually means manufacturers have downgrade their leather products to keep most of the clients happy @TraceySH
 
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#5
papertiger said:
Thank you for this @viciel. At least he gives it an "exceptional" good review. Great for Gucci owners who already have bags.

This is basically someone who equates materials + labour into CPI (cost per item). In fact, he didn't even include labour. he doesn't factor anything in beyond his specialism - the leather, he doesn't factor-in labour charges (he didn't in this video) and labour is the most expensive element. Nor do we get a breakdown of the clasp hw feature. His calculations are really just what the leather would cost him - unmade, not designed, no hw and not distributed.

His calculation of the leather value of this bag (only - and 1/10 of actual) makes me think Gucci is good value. We know how much he hasn't factored in.

What we don't get from the vid:
Cost analysis of hardware. That Dionysus clasp is like jewellery and very expensive to produce
Price of labour directly involved with making the bag
Price of labour at Gucci from design >>>>>>retail (directly and indirectly within the supply chain)
Price of overheads (fixed and variable) operational costs of online, factories and retail, property rental/rates
Marketing budgets that contextualise the product, line and brand within the fashion of 'now' (it isn't just about status and flexing logos)
Direct comparisons with other major competitors in the same vid (LV are Gucci's main rivals)
Direct comparisons with high-street brands that would sell for the price-point he's quoting

I like he stated that leather is a non-standardised product but acquiesces that big brands need to standardise. People are so obsessed with 'perfection' with their bags it actually means manufacturers have downgrade their leather products to keep most of the clients happy @TraceySH
Click to expand...
I guess I am one in the minority then. I'd rather have much higher quality of leather and some irregular stitching :) The imperfections never bothered me ...but the cheap leather always did. Have an order out w/ Mila Jito...
 
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#8
Great analysis @papertiger!
I don't really look for perfection in bags. I think I'm more persnickety with shoes even with the relatively inexpensive ones - don't know why since I don't have perfectly symmetrical feet :P. And I will be the first to admit sometimes I make an expensive purse purchase for pure vanity reasons and not necessarily because it's has the absolute best material/craftsmanship/design/function and I'm okay with that:P:biggrin:
 
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#10
I think Tanner Leatherstein is such a fun alias. Some people in the comments even think it’s real :lol: He did factor in labor, the cost he gave was of materials and labor, though I’m sure it’s too low. He said $115 materials and labor (look in the last minute or so). In his videos, too, the labor cost he seems to reference is the literal assembly. Not design, advertising and display, marketing, sales associates, or any of that labor. At least that’s what I think because once he referred to it as the cost to put the bag together. He has a leather goods store himself. I believe it’s this one:
www.pegai.com

Artisan Leather Bags, Wallets, Belts | PEGAI by Tanner Leatherstein

Experience the unforgettable feel of artisan leather with our personalized, full-grain Italian leather bags, wallets, purses & belts. Free shipping available! Leather crafts by Tanner Leatherstein
www.pegai.com www.pegai.com
And also sells on Etsy under the same Pegai name. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong. So he must have some idea of other costs of business, but I bet he underestimates costs in those big houses. Most leather goods makers like him have, in my extremely humble opinion, simple and boring design. At this point in my life, it’s hard for me to be interested in the products no matter how true to form the leather is.

In other videos, he said he does charge some multiple of material and labor, but I can’t remember where he said that. so he doesn’t believe material and labor cost is the whole bag, though he doesn’t make that as clear as he can in every video. Maybe I can find it again later, but seems like he thinks 3x the cost is not so bad but once you get past 4x the cost it’s getting up there? But I’m not sure he believes, or that I believe, that it scales linearly like that.

I really like the point he made and @papertiger referenced about standardization. Before coming to this forum, I didn’t realize there was an expectation for leather to be smooth without a single blemish or wrinkle; it’s skin. But people are very focused on “perfection”, and I think some of it comes out of these super high prices. Unreal prices lead to unreal expectations <—- just a pleb’s opinion.
 
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#12
I enjoy the content. I do think we could probably buy many designer bags for closer to $500 than $5000, if not for the name/brand. Probably most Coach bags have just as good leather/hardware/craftsmanship as most Gucci. Obviously this won’t apply across the board.
But? I like the name/brand/design and I’m ok paying for it. It’s still worth it to me.
 
#13
I enjoy watching his videos. My take away from him is he’s not saying the bags aren’t worth it in general. He’s just evaluating them strictly based on if you want a bag that retains its leather feel and form in the end. He says the luxury fashion houses use extremely high quality leather underneath the highly processed finish that ‘some’ have. And he’s assuming that’s done for standardization reasons due to how customers demand perfection. The analogy he made was taking a very expensive cut of beef, and making a hotdog out of it. Just saying they’re covering up the exquisite leather, and it’s not necessary. Also, that IF you’re in the market for a bag that feels and looks like leather then some of these may not be for you (Epi or saffiano come to mind). I don’t take it as he’s saying they’re bad quality or anything.

For cost it seems he’s stating the raw materials cost and how much it would take to put the bag together. He doesn’t add in any other factors involved with it, etc.

That’s just how I perceived his videos; others may view it differently of course and that’s ok too.
 
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#14
I found the Tanner Leatherstein channel a few days ago. I do agree with Papertiger and others on this thread about the channel author's crude estimation of the cost of the production of the item he's reviewing. But I enjoy his videos nonetheless. I'm curious to see how things are constructed, what materials are being used where, etc. I don't doubt the authenticity of the items, by the way. That would've kind of... negated the point of the videos.
 
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