List of Designer bags produced in China

[misskris03]

How sneaky! I will have to take a closer look at certain labels.

Oh and I just wanted to say, I am definitely still going to do the list, bit as I am very pregnant and possibly in labor I just wanted to say it will happen after baby
This will also give me enough time to research on sleepless nights as a human milk machine ^^.

Congratulations! I hope your labor goes quickly

 

[skimilk]

Yoox is sponsored by Net A Porter, so I had high expectations.

Just a tiny piece of info- it was Yoox that actually bought Net A Porter

 

[neverending]

I used to work with a young man that was involved with the production end of handbags for several well known companies.
This is what he told me:
Hardware on most bags comes from the same 3 or 4 hardware manufacturers. Coatings are what make the difference.
There is little to no difference between a $50 handbag and a $1500.
Materials: leather or not. Not leather once again comes from 3-5 makers and doesn't really differ between brands.
The biggest factor is SEWING. The competence of the person sewing the bag is the biggest differentiating factor.
Low end bags sold at big box stores are mass produced and made to last one season.
Truly high end bags usually have the best of all craftsmanship and materials. However, hardware only comes from a few places.
Hope this helps ladies.

That's really interesting. Especially about leather. Most of manufacturers they now use pebbled leather or saffiano leather. Any leather that is printed of some sort on it, it's low quality leather (that's why is printed). Tuscany's vacchetta or french calfskin (possibly veg tanned) are on another planet... but their cost is almost double.

I agree with sewing. Given that any manufacturer has access to same leather and same hardware, sewing makes the difference.

 

[FrenchBulldog]

I just purchased an MCM Heritage Boston bag that was made in Italy. I believe only certain styles are made in Italy, with all others in Korea? The quality and detail is impeccable. I have long been an MCM fan from back in the day and am happy I made the investment.

 

[dangerouscurves]

I just purchased an MCM Heritage Boston bag that was made in Italy. I believe only certain styles are made in Italy, with all others in Korea? The quality and detail is impeccable. I have long been an MCM fan from back in the day and am happy I made the investment.

That's true. I've only handle the made-in Korea ones and the quality is very very good. I was wondering how the quality of those made-in Italy MCM bags. Would you mind posting a pic or two?

 

[fierce]

In light of the subject, I have an interesting story on how to find out where your accessories and clothes are being made.

I purchased a showroom sample bag at a Rebecca Minkoff sample sale a couple years ago and the bag still had a tag attached with the name of the South Korean manufacturer in it. I Googled the manufacturer and found that they had factories not in SK, but in several Southeast Asian countries and Hong Kong.

Google then led me to a fascinating website called Import Genius, which collects American Bills of Lading data from U.S. Customs (importer and supplier with dates and what was shipped and what it is made of) and provides access to a historical database for a steep price for business people who need to know info on competitors' raw materials and finished goods suppliers. Import Genius does allow several free searches to demonstrate, so I typed in the S. Korean manufacturer and found they also supplied to many other U.S. brands including Marc Jacobs.

Just typing in "handbag" into the search right now returns 1164 results including Treesje (WISE LEAD INT'L HANDBAG LTD, Hong Kong), Hayden Harnett from 2007 (TOMI BEST, China, who also supplies to Patricia Nash), Perlina (Unitac Hong Kong, who also supplies to Helmut Lang), Tumi (SItoy HK), Kate Spade's Cedar Street bags (Maersk Vietnam), Loeffler Randall (Shinwon Seoul, but items made in China); Coach (importing Italian leather from CONCERIA M 2 C S A S), MZ Wallace (CHANCELAND LEATHERWARE LTD.Hong Kong)....

It is seriously fascinating, and sometimes when you get the result back for one company name you typed it volunteers others.

 

[Marisaa]

In light of the subject, I have an interesting story on how to find out where your accessories and clothes are being made.

I purchased a showroom sample bag at a Rebecca Minkoff sample sale a couple years ago and the bag still had a tag attached with the name of the South Korean manufacturer in it. I Googled the manufacturer and found that they had factories not in SK, but in several Southeast Asian countries and Hong Kong.

Google then led me to a fascinating website called Import Genius, which collects American Bills of Lading data from U.S. Customs (importer and supplier with dates and what was shipped and what it is made of) and provides access to a historical database for a steep price for business people who need to know info on competitors' raw materials and finished goods suppliers. Import Genius does allow several free searches to demonstrate, so I typed in the S. Korean manufacturer and found they also supplied to many other U.S. brands including Marc Jacobs.

Just typing in "handbag" into the search right now returns 1164 results including Treesje (WISE LEAD INT'L HANDBAG LTD, Hong Kong), Hayden Harnett from 2007 (TOMI BEST, China, who also supplies to Patricia Nash), Perlina (Unitac Hong Kong, who also supplies to Helmut Lang), Tumi (SItoy HK), Kate Spade's Cedar Street bags (Maersk Vietnam), Loeffler Randall (Shinwon Seoul, but items made in China); Coach (importing Italian leather from CONCERIA M 2 C S A S), MZ Wallace (CHANCELAND LEATHERWARE LTD.Hong Kong)....

It is seriously fascinating, and sometimes when you get the result back for one company name you typed it volunteers others.

Thank you! Awesome info!

 

[TaylorXavier]

This is all so fascinating. Honestly I don't mind where these bags are made but more so how they're made, you know what I mean? This includes working conditions too.

 

[Marisaa]

That's really interesting. Especially about leather. Most of manufacturers they now use pebbled leather or saffiano leather. Any leather that is printed of some sort on it, it's low quality leather (that's why is printed). Tuscany's vacchetta or french calfskin (possibly veg tanned) are on another planet... but their cost is almost double.

I agree with sewing. Given that any manufacturer has access to same leather and same hardware, sewing makes the difference.

This does not surprise me. It is very similar to watch making process. Movements come from a very few manufacturers, main thing is assembling and certifying process. There are very few watchmakers who make their own movements, like Zenith, for example.

 

[applecidered]

I think it varies. Some brands have some items (not all) MIC. Of my collection, Coach, Dooney & Bourke, and Fossil have the MIC tags.

My Prada is MII, but YMMV evidently. My Burberry (trench) is England, but my Burberry polo is Turkey.

 

[twinklebee]

Phillip Lim is made in China but leather quality, hardware and workmanship appear to be on par with some high-end designers. The only non-luxury part of the bag is the lining, which is some kind of polyester. I suppose if his bags were made in Italy the cost would be much higher. Leather-wise it is superior to other Made in China brands like Rebecca Minkoff, Kate Spade, Coach, etc. I would say the quality and feel of Phillip Lim bags is equivalent to the lower-priced bags from high end designers like Gucci, Marc Jacobs (the over $1000 items), and Mulberry.

 

[babysunshine]

I was inspired by this thread : http://forum.purseblog.com/handbags-and-purses/counterfeit-made-in-china-not-anymore-938836.html
That pointed out that many high end designers are moving their production to China or at least have parts produced in China.
So I posted this:


I think it would be good to know for anyone who may not want to pay 2K for a Premiere bag made in China.
I have RM bags which are made in China and I am aware of that and won't complain at this price range. But I also own Fendi.

If anyone has a good strategy in regards to collecting info let me know. My idea was to share on this thread where your bags are made (looking at the tag)...or whatever you have read about a specific brand, like Burberry moving production, and I'd make it into a neat list organized by designers from A-Z for everyone to read

Anyone interested?

Coach. There was a Burberry nylon tote I used for 2.5 years everyday and it was also MIChina.

 

[Designer_Homme]

Be it Designer or Premium Labels there is really no clarity or fine line that separate them being goods from Made In Italy or Made In China. Almost 90% of consumer goods globally are Made In China. Every household has something MIC it is unavoidable. MIC doesn't mean it is of poor quality. End of the day it all comes back to the Price Point. Usually a 100% MIC product has a lower retail pricing, the price tag will tell a thousand words when it comes to whether it is Made In Italy, Made In China or Made In South East Asia.

For Fast Fashion Apparels like H&M, Forever21 and many more, their main concern is Cost, so to keep cost down they are definitely Made In China or some even in third world countries like Bangalesh. In this era of Fast Fashion, basically almost everyone buy something new to wear for every other events or occasions. So pricing and cost means everything.

As for Luxury Fashion, the price point also make the difference, usually for their Label Main Line they are usually Made In Italy/France, It is their lower priced Diffusion Line that are Made In China. You cannot expect Armani Xchange or Moschino Cheap and Chic to be Made In Italy as their Main Line Emporio Armani or Moschino at such price, be logical and practical. Even with tag Made In Italy, not everything can be fully 100% Made In Italy, part of the production parts are probably "Imported" which can be parts produced in China or other parts of Asia.

As for tag stated "Imported" is the fashion house or retailer subtle way of informing their consumer that it is Made In China, such labeling makes the consumer feel better, it is a Marketing strategy!

In my opinon, when I buy something which is affordable in my perspective, I don't mind it is MIC or elsewhere if the quality is good. However if I am paying a premium price, I will expect it to be Made In Italy using the finest material with superior quality only. I will not pay Italian Price for MIC products.

Well what you pay is what you get, you pay peanuts ; you get monkeys! Caveat Emptor Rule applies.

 

[Mariapia]

Some designers know that the MIC tag is a deterrent....
They..... hide the tiny () tag at the bottom of an inside pocket, you have to have baby fingers to get hold of it. and then, I am not joking, a magnifying glass to read it...
That's how I found out about Sophie Webster bags.
The SA couldn't believe it!

 

[babevivtan]

There was a French TV programme about those Chinese workers making bags in their basement for an "Official " Italian manufacturer working for a very high end brand.
The manufacturer subcontracted the job.....
€ 50 per bag!
The brand said they were not aware of that.....
The brand was... Chanel!

Exactly how can they NOT know?,

How is a big brand not aware of their suppliers working condition? I smell rats here. This is why I dislike Chanel, well, one of the reasons.

Please give me more reasons cos I need to save money and learn more. I am serious. You could PM me instead too. Thank you very much in advance.