Does your relationship with a brand ever change?

HopelessBagGirl

HopelessBagGirl

Sofa King Banned
Jul 6, 2016
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#1
I find that my prejudices towards brands are dramatic and rarely change. Am I alone?
For example, certain brands that just rub me the wrong way in terms of what the brand represents to me will make me not want a bag with that label anywhere visible even if I love the bag. It will just be tarnished and ruined if the brand has negative baggage in my memory bank even if I can't remember why anymore. On the other hand, even a mediocre bag can be almost nice in my eyes if you slap a label on it that has positive juju, for me.
For example a big Guess label on a cute bag I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole even though a guess label was my idea of haute 25 years ago. Similarly, I've never in the last 25 years since I've given brands any thought soured to Fossil or Cole Haan, so I wouldn't mind if I loved a bag that had a (not too huge branding) label of one of those brands. But I cannot really figure out why I feel differently about Guess vs Fossil. I guess *maybe* Guess got a little gaudy, but why should I care if I otherwise love the bag? It doesn't make a ton of sense.

Have you ever soured on a brand of bags and then come back around to feeling okay about them? Or are your grudges forever? Do you find brands that excited you once leave you cold years later?
 
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#2
For me yes it absolutely changes. Not really those I don't like, Michael Kors is an example. I dislike his bags, always have and I believe always will. I often don't warm to brands I've had an instant dislike for.
But there definitely have been brands that have dominated my closet that I have gone off and sold the majority. Chloe is one, they were my first loves and I had heaps. Now I have 1. Mulberry another I had about 6 I now have 3, two of which I plan to sell. Mansur Gavriel is the latest. I've had up to 10 at one time and now have 6, two of which I plan to sell.
My taste changes, I get sick of things and want to shake up my collection. There's not many I have a significant attachment to that doesn't fade over time.

I keep my collection between 30-35 bags at any one time which for me is really too many, I do have some I never use but still like enough to keep.
 
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#3
Yes, my relationship has changed with some brands. I've upgraded from what I call "basic brands" Longchamp, Mulberry, Alexander Wang, Salvatore Ferragamo, Céline to luxury brands like LV, Chanel and Hermès. I've given away a lot of bags and recently got so disappointed with my Chanel SA that I haven't touched my C. bags for months. Today I got an email from her and I guess I'm moving on. I might go back to Chanel rtw but nowadays I only buy H bags. I will definitely start using my Chanel bags again when I feel the need.

Hermès has never disappointed me and there is so much more to the brand than just the Birkins and Kelly bags.

About brands that made me excited... I used to love LV but now I only use a couple of their bags that I consider iconic, classic and some rtw&shoes. LV has great customer service but I'm not interested in the brand anymore for many reasons.
 
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#4
Yes and I think it comes with age. Like Serva1 I have upgraded over time.

I feel like my taste has gone more "classic" as I aged. In my early 20s, all my bags were from Louis Vuitton, it was trendy and girls knew what bag I wore. I had a bag in each collection. I didn't really change my bag brand until after 6 years and switched to Fendi (MTO peekaboos only) and then a year later I upgraded to Hermes and now stuck with it. I fell in love with MTO Fendi Peekaboo as it was sold to me as "unique to me" and I love that its style is classic and chic. And then there's the Birkin...

I don't love LV as much as I did but I still use some of their smaller leather goods like cards holder. I don't think I will buy another LV bag as I now know the difference between the quality of a machine-made piece and hand-made piece. In fact, I got rid of most of my LV bags apart from Keepalls.

Chanel for example I find their bags to be beautiful but I just can't push myself to buy a Chanel bag. The quality for the price they seek is ridiculous. I once wanted to buy a wallet but after a closer look, I found it to be in Coach/Michale Kors brand bracket rather than Celine/Hermes bracket so I passed.

I just turned 30 so I expect my taste to still change or I expect to move on from Hermes. Maybe I will start collecting Moynat and Delvaux. At the moment, they are too "old" for my liking...
 
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#5
It has for me over the years!

Oroton - my first designer bag brand. I remember when bags were still made in Italy, and then when they were made in Australia from our excellent leathers. Now they're double the price, made in China, and have stopped the classic designs. Even if Oroton was to introduce a bag I liked I'd question whether I would want to continue supporting the brand.

Chanel - I have loved the brand before I could even afford a single thing from the place. But now that I can? The customer service in the boutique has never helped me find a bag after countless lists over the years which is frustrating (and makes you wonder why you're chasing to buy a 6K bag), and let me be specific, the Chanel section for perfume and makeup at David Jones in Sydney was so rude to me I cried, and now I refuse to purchase a single thing from the brand again.
 
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#6
as my taste(s) and age grow i find myself either more or less enamored by a brand for whatever reason. i've actually started buying less chanel and lv and buying brands like bal and coach, because i can see that some of their bags are actually just as classic, and very well made. value for money has become more important for me than just having the lastest trend(s) and colors
 
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#7
Oh yes! And I try to fight it but sometimes I can't.

We are of the same mind on Guess. LOL! :high five: I've owned Guess bags (shhh!) but won't buy now. The brand says tacky and poor quality to me. That's unfair because I haven't seen a Guess bag in person in a few years. But they've done a poor job managing their brand perception.

On the other end is Hermes. I don't like most Hermes bags but think the Kelly is beautiful. But the idea of having to work to get a brand / SA to take my money is offensive. I can afford the bag so swipe my AmEx and hand it over with a smile. Looking down your nose at me or not "offering" me a bag til I buy 20 other things??? Ha! Keep it. Exclusivity or limited supply is one thing. Snarky elitism is another. So I want the Kelly but don't want any part of the brand.

LV suffers in my head because of the many fakes and the type of people in my home city who I know carry LV's. Logically, I know this has zero to with the brand. LV is the largest luxury brand so there's no "type" of LV buyer. But I struggle. I bought my first LV and am telling myself to get over myself. :lol:

Chanel used to seem dated, stuffy, snobby, ladies who lunch. Soooo not an image I want to be associated with. But, I found the bags really work for my fashion esthetic and lifestyle. I've been surprised how I can wear them for casual to dressy. And my wealth level has grown so they are comfortable for me to buy. Yes, the brand has worked to shift its image a bit with the intro of the Boy, more trend conscious marketing and a wonderful range of brand advocates but it's my personal experience that has done the most to change my view of the brand from out of touch / aspirational to my favorite handbag (not clothing) brand.

So brands influence me. A brand can't ever convince me to buy. I investigate EVERY bag no matter what the label. I have to love the design, materials and construction. But, I do trust certain brands to deliver quality and style I love while avoiding other brands that have disappointed me or that have bad reputations.
 
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#8
Yes, I have pretty much gone off everything. Used to absolutely adore Chanel, now I don't. Will carry what I have but I don't lust anymore. Was never into LV or Hermes. Used to love mulberry but moved on from that too. Have bought no bags for over 18 months. Will prob take quite a bit for me to fall in love again. Only just got back into the PF to wean myself off other websites :smile:.
 
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#9
I read most of the posts yesterday and I really started evaluating my relationship with handbags and luxury houses.
I think, not only has my taste in style/design changed, but my patience with brands has worn thin.

I dreamed of LV and Ferragamo in my twenties. I bought Ferragamo first, then LV in my late 30's and forties, after a stint with Coach. I went from LV to Hermes, then toggled between the two, throwing in a Chanel here and there.
I went from bags screaming logos to subtle designs. Trendy, to classic because I had a high turnover (selling). I went from owning many bags, to having just a few that I actually use.

I find I am losing my patience because luxury houses are concentrating on the dollar, not the quality or the consumer. I almost stopped buying Hermes when I said to myself, "What am I doing? I'm spending thousands or dollars and this company is going to tell me what styles I can buy and I should be happy to take whatever color they offer me?" I purchased one bag and was looking for a second when this revelation hit me. I asked if they had the bag I wanted in the color I wanted and was given alternate choices. I stood my ground and said my money was good at other brands, and suddenly an SA found what I wanted on his iPad. I've given him all my business since that day.

My purchases have definitely slowed down, given price increases of hundreds of dollars. Hermes, Chanel and higher end LV is becoming outrageously expensive to me. And now, LV is following Chanel's sales tactics, making very few of each seasonal bag to hype demands. I don't shop well when I feel pressured to purchase "NOW" and buy whatever they offer me. I think that's another reason why I've leaned more towards the classics- the price may go up, but I can all but guarantee the style will be available for several years.

I'd like to thank the people who have posted. Your input is interesting and I don't feel as alone in my burnout.

"Happy New Year!"
 
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#10
I used to be crazy for YSL under Pilati but then so disappointed with Slimane that I refuse to buy any SLP.

Other than that I am quite constant, I still love good quality bags like tods and bottega veneta. now I am frazy also about Ferragamo Sofia, after loving their shoes for YEARS
 
#11
Sourisbrune said:
I read most of the posts yesterday and I really started evaluating my relationship with handbags and luxury houses.
I think, not only has my taste in style/design changed, but my patience with brands has worn thin.

I dreamed of LV and Ferragamo in my twenties. I bought Ferragamo first, then LV in my late 30's and forties, after a stint with Coach. I went from LV to Hermes, then toggled between the two, throwing in a Chanel here and there.
I went from bags screaming logos to subtle designs. Trendy, to classic because I had a high turnover (selling). I went from owning many bags, to having just a few that I actually use.

I find I am losing my patience because luxury houses are concentrating on the dollar, not the quality or the consumer. I almost stopped buying Hermes when I said to myself, "What am I doing? I'm spending thousands or dollars and this company is going to tell me what styles I can buy and I should be happy to take whatever color they offer me?" I purchased one bag and was looking for a second when this revelation hit me. I asked if they had the bag I wanted in the color I wanted and was given alternate choices. I stood my ground and said my money was good at other brands, and suddenly an SA found what I wanted on his iPad. I've given him all my business since that day.

My purchases have definitely slowed down, given price increases of hundreds of dollars. Hermes, Chanel and higher end LV is becoming outrageously expensive to me. And now, LV is following Chanel's sales tactics, making very few of each seasonal bag to hype demands. I don't shop well when I feel pressured to purchase "NOW" and buy whatever they offer me. I think that's another reason why I've leaned more towards the classics- the price may go up, but I can all but guarantee the style will be available for several years.

I'd like to thank the people who have posted. Your input is interesting and I don't feel as alone in my burnout.

"Happy New Year!"
Click to expand...
Happy New Year to you, Sourisbrune!:heart::heart:
 
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#14
I find it funny that so many of us assign different tiers to the same brand! I think the only brands everyone sees as premier is Chanel and Hermes. I then see other brands ranked as 'basic' or 'mid' range in totally backwards ways by various members. I think that kind of proves the point of this thread that brand perception is a very subjective thing and very personal! Individual results may vary. One person's Balenciaga is another person's Coach is another person's Mulberry or Tod's! Ce la vie!
 
#15
Yes this happens to me all the time. For example, Cole Haan used to represent quality, that is, until a private equity shop bought it, then sold it to Nike. Since then, even the shoes are getting worse. I have a pair of Cole Haan pumps with leather soles. Nowadays, the soles are rubber.
 
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