I just bought a really awesome French Company Bandouliere messenger bag, and I love it! The quality is every bit as good as the internationally known Louis Vuitton Company (The FC was made through a special license issued by LV, so it is essentially the same product). The designs are slightly different because they were trying to appeal to the growing demand in the United States for Louis Vuitton in the 1970s. They were mainly sold by Saks Fifth Ave. and Neiman Marcus, and many were specifically designed to be personally monogrammed (this is why many FC bags have blank oval patches). I think the reason why many may cost less than modern LVs is due to age/condition (The FC bags were made 1970s-1990s, so many of them are not in as great of shape as modern bags), and an unfamiliarity with the product. They do not have the same datecode system that LV has used since the 1980s. Instead, they included a tyvek tag (essentially paper) that claimed that the item was made in the U.S. under special licence from Louis Vuitton. Many of these tags were ripped out or have fallen out over time. They also used slightly different hardware (best example: The FC Speedy has a completely different lock system instead of the traditional brass lock with key). Some people also do not like that the FC bags used coated leather (light brown, orange-ish brown, and a darker brown). They did this because they believed that it made the leather sturdier than untreated vachetta leather, and it automatically displayed the coveted "aged" look. I must admit, I am not a huge fan of the coated leather, but I love the high quality that all Louis Vuittons are made with, which includes the US French Company.
