This is the second time such a thing has happened at Hermes. The last time Hermes craftsmen were arrested was in 2012. The bags they were making are the ones @golconda is talking about. Some are quite good copies, and there are many widely circulating still, including exotic skin bags. Al these bags have small flaws that differ from the authentic product. I have reviewed very many of these.
Hermes In House Counterfeit Ring
- Thread starter KellyObsessed
- Start date
https://wwd.com/business-news/legal/hermes-counterfeit-birkin-trial-paris-1203661825/
This Article says there were 148 bags in total, mostly sold to Hong Kong.
Also,
“In addition to these, the ring resold bags created under the “bon au personnel” provision, which allows Hermès employees to acquire the elements and make their own bags, identified by a shooting star stamp, strictly for personal use.
Over the three-day trial, prosecutors explained three men, including two Hermès workers, had hatched the plot. One, an expert leather cutter, left his position at Hermès with, among other confidential documents, a Birkin pattern in his possession. Another, in charge of acquiring the exotic skins, is a former executive of an Italian subsidiary of the company previously ensnared in another counterfeiting scandal.
Among the eight others facing charges of forgery as an organized band, abuse of confidence, and possession and sales of counterfeit goods were skilled leather workers who had been with the company for decades, many of whom expressed deep remorse at having “betrayed the trust” of an employer they were proud to work for.”
So made by Hermes artisans with actual Hermes elements, a legitimate Birkin pattern and actual skins used by Hermes?
There was probably only a few items they couldn’t obtain hence leading to the “subtle” differences noted?
This Article says there were 148 bags in total, mostly sold to Hong Kong.
Also,
“In addition to these, the ring resold bags created under the “bon au personnel” provision, which allows Hermès employees to acquire the elements and make their own bags, identified by a shooting star stamp, strictly for personal use.
Over the three-day trial, prosecutors explained three men, including two Hermès workers, had hatched the plot. One, an expert leather cutter, left his position at Hermès with, among other confidential documents, a Birkin pattern in his possession. Another, in charge of acquiring the exotic skins, is a former executive of an Italian subsidiary of the company previously ensnared in another counterfeiting scandal.
Among the eight others facing charges of forgery as an organized band, abuse of confidence, and possession and sales of counterfeit goods were skilled leather workers who had been with the company for decades, many of whom expressed deep remorse at having “betrayed the trust” of an employer they were proud to work for.”
So made by Hermes artisans with actual Hermes elements, a legitimate Birkin pattern and actual skins used by Hermes?
There was probably only a few items they couldn’t obtain hence leading to the “subtle” differences noted?
This is awful, but not completely unexpected. Hermès should also increase security checks when people leave work as they were stealing tools and a great deal extra leather to create these bags.
Perhaps I am a bit paranoid, but I think the chip would likely have a geo-location function. That way stolen bags could be located more easily and re-obtained.
If hackers could find a way into the database of chipped bags, they could identify locations of large collections. Those locations would then be targeted for robberies, kidnappings and the like.
I maintain I would rather not have chipped bags.
don't most brands already have some sort of system like this? The system doesn't have a chip mechanism, but given we purchase from boutiques
Also, I remember long ago Chanel would irresponsibly ban you from shopping with them if they found your bag on a resale website (they would track the serial no. to find out).
Ugh, I think I have one of these bags. It was given to me by a friend who knew I loved Hermes, but who was unfamiliar with the price points. It sits on a shelf and I hate fact that it’s even in my closet. I honestly don’t know what to do with it!
You should contact Bababebi and get the bag authenticated. Then you’d know for real.
While there is your purchase history, people sell their bags, move etc.
The geolocation shows where the bags are at any given moment. Like your phone.
Chips inherently don’t necessarily infer tracking. Chips simply store a boatload of information on a tiny format. Think of your pets and how they may be microchipped. Lost pets still need to be found and scanned in order to read the chip. Also, the information on the chip does not need to include personal details. It could be something tokenized which relates to information stored with Hermes. Hope this helps!
This is what I would presume they would do. And with blockchain, it's safe and fairly low risk with regards to personal data unless it's paired with a bunch of other information. I can only imagine the repercussions if a brand tracked its customers through a bag or other apparel they bought, even if it happened as some unintended side-effect. There would also be fines at least in the EU.
Geolocation implies a battery and/or at least GPS technology implemented which wouldn't likely be the case if chips are implemented.
If Hermes would ever do a chip, I would imagine it would be along the line of the RFID chips Gucci/Prada/YSL/etc are doing which is data that details information regarding to the bag's production and distribution outlets (like which boutique the bag ended up, etc.)
This is what I mean, or something like Certilogo.
What I worry though is how easy that data can be replicated by counterfeiters and fool official systems, given that super fakes are becoming more common than ever.
Use it to hold magazines in your bathroom and as a reminder that fakes of valuable items have been around for centuries.
https://wwd.com/business-news/legal/hermes-counterfeit-birkin-trial-paris-1203661825/
This Article says there were 148 bags in total, mostly sold to Hong Kong.
Also,
“In addition to these, the ring resold bags created under the “bon au personnel” provision, which allows Hermès employees to acquire the elements and make their own bags, identified by a shooting star stamp, strictly for personal use.
Over the three-day trial, prosecutors explained three men, including two Hermès workers, had hatched the plot. One, an expert leather cutter, left his position at Hermès with, among other confidential documents, a Birkin pattern in his possession. Another, in charge of acquiring the exotic skins, is a former executive of an Italian subsidiary of the company previously ensnared in another counterfeiting scandal.
Among the eight others facing charges of forgery as an organized band, abuse of confidence, and possession and sales of counterfeit goods were skilled leather workers who had been with the company for decades, many of whom expressed deep remorse at having “betrayed the trust” of an employer they were proud to work for.”
So made by Hermes artisans with actual Hermes elements, a legitimate Birkin pattern and actual skins used by Hermes?
Also worth noting from the article:
1. Seems like there were bags marked with and without shooting stars.
2. The bags were made/sold between 2011-2014 so I would assume that leathers in seasonal colors in those date ranges were likely subject to being faked
3. What do you think is meant by "off cut?" Do you think that means there was a flaw in the skin or that the actual cut of the leather parts is off making the bag the wrong size?