Influencers and Hermes

[GrlinMia]

Well said! And to you your point, BOF just posted an article discussing this topic. These type of buyers are called "Aspirational shoppers". Buyers who originally propped up the luxury industry during the pandemic however no longer can afford to do so..they can maybe afford to buy a luxury item once a year or so but not part of the wealthy clientele. I am not sure if posting a link is allowed but its on BOF website and Insta. Good article!

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It will affect those two brands in particular because they are loud and

The lies….. lol these so called influencers say on their platform makes me vomit !

I saw one the other day posting 5 pics in some

Could it be that these « special associates » are the ones with relationships with management? Also, for Parisians, the three stores are their home stores! Where else would they shop? And to assume these local and French customers don’t spend at Hermes is very far from the truth. To me, it makes sense locals would have priority as it is custom everywhere else including your own home store.

I think the issue with many people have with these influencers getting bags in Paris is that they believe just by stepping foot in FSH, one is guaranteed a bag. Influencers create this illusion that everyone will get a bag, but a lottery doesn’t guarantee a bag, but rather guarantees an equal chance.

 

[GrlinMia]

Could it be that these « special associates » are the ones with relationships with management? Also, for Parisians, the three stores are their home stores! Where else would they shop? And to assume these local and French customers don’t spend at Hermes is very far from the truth. To me, it makes sense locals would have priority as it is custom everywhere else including your own home store.

I think the issue with many people have with these influencers getting bags in Paris is that they believe just by stepping foot in FSH, one is guaranteed a bag. Influencers create this illusion that everyone will get a bag, but a lottery doesn’t guarantee a bag, but rather guarantees an equal chance.

An “equal chance” - its a luxury brand. There is nothing “equal” about it. The influencers did not ruin it for everyone, resellers did. People that are not genuine customers who deprive genuine customers from getting bags by gaming the lottery system. Did you not read the article about the guy that made 20 mil on reselling Hermes by hiring bunch of students who constantly fill out forms, score appointments and buy these bags without being actual clients? The lottery system is idiotic. It only fuels the resale market. May be thats the point. But it aint about any “equal chances”.

 

[QuelleFromage]

An “equal chance” - its a luxury brand. There is nothing “equal” about it. The influencers did not ruin it for everyone, resellers did. People that are not genuine customers who deprive genuine customers from getting bags by gaming the lottery system. Did you not read the article about the guy that made 20 mil on reselling Hermes by hiring bunch of students who constantly fill out forms, score appointments and buy these bags without being actual clients? The lottery system is idiotic. It only fuels the resale market. May be thats the point. But it aint about any “equal chances”.

The lottery exists because we had people literally sleeping on the street outside FSH, and a huge line down the block by opening time (which was in the way of folks going to work, and also a security risk given where it's located).
Resellers were hiring people to stand in line, so it's not as though the lottery is more favorable to resellers.

Seems reasonable to assign some responsibility for this hysteria about "getting a bag" to influencers and the constant visibility of the brand in the context of hauls and unboxings.

And yes, locals get priority everywhere - it's the same in Las Vegas, in Shanghai, in NYC, in Lisbon etc etc. No one is laughing behind anyone's backs.

 

[Veritybelle]

The lottery exists because we had people literally sleeping on the street outside FSH, and a huge line down the block by opening time (which was in the way of folks going to work, and also a security risk given where it's located).
Resellers were hiring people to stand in line, so it's not as though the lottery is more favorable to resellers.

Seems reasonable to assign some responsibility for this hysteria about "getting a bag" to influencers and the constant visibility of the brand in the context of hauls and unboxings.

And yes, locals get priority everywhere - it's the same in Las Vegas, in Shanghai, in NYC, in Lisbon etc etc. No one is laughing behind anyone's backs.

Not only do locals get priority everywhere, but surely none of us wants to lose out to tourists in our local stores. I don’t know about now, but local priority was the explicit policy in Melbourne back in the day, when only locals could place orders.

 

[GrlinMia]

The lottery exists because we had people literally sleeping on the street outside FSH, and a huge line down the block by opening time (which was in the way of folks going to work, and also a security risk given where it's located).
Resellers were hiring people to stand in line, so it's not as though the lottery is more favorable to resellers.

Seems reasonable to assign some responsibility for this hysteria about "getting a bag" to influencers and the constant visibility of the brand in the context of hauls and unboxings.

And yes, locals get priority everywhere - it's the same in Las Vegas, in Shanghai, in NYC, in Lisbon etc etc. No one is laughing behind anyone's backs.

If people were clogging the street, it is police’s job to ensure it doesn’t create security risks etc.

Not only do locals get priority everywhere, but surely none of us wants to lose out to tourists in our local stores. I don’t know about now, but local priority was the explicit policy in Melbourne back in the day, when only locals could place orders.

I just didn’t realise that Paris positioned itself as local stores. Ok then I totally see a point that they mislead customers by using influencers to make it look that anyone can just a score a B or K bag by walking in. That’s not how local stores work. They dangle this dream in front of ppl making them keep spending. Totally agree then. Not cool.

 

[periogirl28]

I know of locals who have shopped at Paris stores for years and they really do not need to buy much or anything at all to get offered B/ K and other bags. But still, a newer customer would generally have a quota of 2 B or K a year. I totally support stores worldwide giving their regular, local customers priority. This is in-line with Hermes policy to encourage customers to support their nearest local store. I also do not really believe that what we know about how influencers get their bags (bec I don't read their IG or watch their YT vids) is 100% accurate and transparent. So I would advise not getting too worked up. That's just me.

 

[QuelleFromage]

If people were clogging the street, it is police’s job to ensure it doesn’t create security risks etc.

I just didn’t realise that Paris positioned itself as local stores. Ok then I totally see a point that they mislead customers by using influencers to make it look that anyone can just a score a B or K bag by walking in. That’s not how local stores work. They dangle this dream in front of ppl making them keep spending. Totally agree then. Not cool.

This is literally in an area that has heavy government presence and enhanced security, in a country where terrorist activity is a concern. It is hardly up to the French police to control crowds of shoppers.

The Paris stores have a triple duty:
They serve Parisians, like every other store in this city from the supermarche to the quincaillerie to Maison Alaïa.
They have the global flagship in FSH which is a destination to many.
They are the only stores where a walk-in without a profile has a real chance of getting a Birkin or Kelly.

The last two are not in conflict with the first one, but it's unreasonable for a tourist without a relationship to expect the exact same treatment as someone who lives down the street.

That's not a scam, and frankly it's not Hermès putting up these videos, TikToks, and blogs about "how to score in Paris" - it's influencers, who want to be seen as experts in order to rack up followers/subscribers/likes, and thus to make money. If an influencer spends 30K€ at FSH then pretends they "scored" a bag by luck, that is on them.

Discussion around Paris stores that's not about influencers, though, belongs in the Paris thread

 

[A.Ali]

In my country, sales associates (SAs) are now more careful when dealing with influencers who visit their stores. This is because of previous incidents where some influencers brought along their own bags and merely purchased Twillies to wrap around them. They proceeded to film the SAs while wrapping the twillies and shared the videos online, thus creating the false impression that they had purchased a bag from the store. This caused a lot of backlash from customers who were not offered a bag.

 

[hermesnewbie024]

I feel that courting the influencers turned the bag into something very, very recognizable and consumable. Resellers made it worse because people who watch social media but don’t shop assume the inflated resale prices are the retail prices. It makes me less comfortable to wear my items out in some situations.

There’s a reason Jane Birkin only had one birkin at a time and owners used their bags for decades and then passed them into the next generation. I have always loved Hermes because the bags are beautiful but also high quality and could last a life time.

The hyper consumption of some influencers, obviously for content because watching how someone styles a few classic bags over a long period of time won’t make an influencer business, is really off putting to me. And the H games is also encouraging lots of consumption, which is something I am trying to be mindful of in my own shopping. And the brand recognition is also a bit off putting because I am less comfortable wearing some of my bags out.

Well said!

 

[papertiger]

Just a reminder we have a thread devoted to Paris Paris trip for Hermes

 

[TortieGirl]

HloverCC and Mel in Melbourne come to mind and aometimes Tamara K. They cant possibly be able to use all the bought merchandise with the the frequency they buy them, possibly except Tamara coz shes a model.

Mel in Melbourne's collection is extremely over the top. At first it was a fantastic bit of luxury escapism, but now it's clearly a case of gross overconsumption.

How can anyone afford that much from EVERY brand?

 

[ladysarah]

There does seem to be a lot of resentment about influencers being less than truthful, promoting over consumption and generally setting unrealistic standards. Really though all we have to do is not be followers and we take their power away. My favourite influencer ( the only one I currently’follow’ is Lydia Tomlinson as I love her style and we are similar height/shape. She did not jump on the multiple Hermes bandwagon and her focus is on style rather than shopping. Most of us, myself are included have plenty of ‘stuff’ and is really just a matter of making the most of them.

 

[JalebiLover]

Mel in Melbourne's collection is extremely over the top. At first it was a fantastic bit of luxury escapism, but now it's clearly a case of gross overconsumption.

How can anyone afford that much from EVERY brand?

LV Lover CC shops at multiple boutiques..so probably an account under her husband name. Her car was also broken into and they stole a whole bunch of items. These influencers can only afford all of this "luxury" by reselling the items right after they unbox. Its just to get clicks/likes/followers.

 

[lilflobowl]

LV Lover CC shops at multiple boutiques..so probably an account under her husband name. Her car was also broken into and they stole a whole bunch of items. These influencers can only afford all of this "luxury" by reselling the items right after they unbox. Its just to get clicks/likes/followers.

Maybe some are & do this but not all. There are some influencers who are already wealthy to begin with and can afford to amass such a sizeable collection without reselling them immediately.

Influencers, as we all know, only show one facet of their lives. While viewers like ourselves may speculate the source of their income or possible reselling practices, we do need to be responsible in our speculations.

 

[horselove]

There does seem to be a lot of resentment about influencers being less than truthful, promoting over consumption and generally setting unrealistic standards. Really though all we have to do is not be followers and we take their power away. My favourite influencer ( the only one I currently’follow’ is Lydia Tomlinson as I love her style and we are similar height/shape. She did not jump on the multiple Hermes bandwagon and her focus is on style rather than shopping. Most of us, myself are included have plenty of ‘stuff’ and is really just a matter of making the most of them.

I quit instagram altogether a while ago and my appreciation for Hermes actually ‘improved’. I have also learned to appreciate different styles and quirks. The hermes style on lnsta tends to be one tracked and repetitive, everyone copying one another and buying the same shoes and jewellery. I’m in this thread for the gossips! I kinda miss that tbh haha