My professor told me Chanel bags are all made in China but assembled in Europe?

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#391
The issue is no matter how loud we protest on here about quality, price etc obviously there are people willing to pay full price for whatever chanel is churning out. As long as that is the case, what's the incentive for anything to change? They are a company, they exist to lower production costs and maximize profits. They're not some altruistic enterprise dedicated to preserving the holy grail of bags. As long as people keep buying they will keep selling. Enough people don't buy, then maybe something will change.
Also, made in China gets a bad rep. One of my former roommates was a Chinese accountant and I've seen her suits and shoes made in China.. Better fit and quality that a lot of made in Italy junk they're peddling here at a massive premium! She laughs about the whole made in China issue. Says like everywhere else they can make junky stuff for export and good quality stuff for own consumption.
 
#392
vanilla_latte said:
Also, made in China gets a bad rep. One of my former roommates was a Chinese accountant and I've seen her suits and shoes made in China.. Better fit and quality that a lot of made in Italy junk they're peddling here at a massive premium! She laughs about the whole made in China issue. Says like everywhere else they can make junky stuff for export and good quality stuff for own consumption.
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That's very true, but do these designer brands want exquisite fit and quality from the Chinese factories they are using? Wouldn't it cost them a lot more?
 
#393
vanilla_latte said:
The issue is no matter how loud we protest on here about quality, price etc obviously there are people willing to pay full price for whatever chanel is churning out. As long as that is the case, what's the incentive for anything to change? They are a company, they exist to lower production costs and maximize profits. They're not some altruistic enterprise dedicated to preserving the holy grail of bags. As long as people keep buying they will keep selling. Enough people don't buy, then maybe something will change.
Also, made in China gets a bad rep. One of my former roommates was a Chinese accountant and I've seen her suits and shoes made in China.. Better fit and quality that a lot of made in Italy junk they're peddling here at a massive premium! She laughs about the whole made in China issue. Says like everywhere else they can make junky stuff for export and good quality stuff for own consumption.
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I agree with the statements above too. But if having "made in China" is so bad, then why do they try to hide it? Why not be honest and disclose it? I am not against "made in China" as per se if people are honest about it - as I agree - likely good and bad things are made there just like everywhere else - but the reason things are made there is because labour is so cheap as are the overheads and transportation costs.
The designers should not be so transparent or misleading - IF this in fact the case (if they have things made in China) - but the reason they don't disclose it is so they can inflate the price and their profits.

I just hope in the case of Chanel that this is not the truth.
 
#394
They play off peoples prejudices. Logically it makes sense that every country can make both quality and shoddy stuff. Made In France or Italy has a cachet in people's minds that is only loosely associated with reality, so if legally they can claim the product is made in France because it is assembled there, they will do it. I agree it is deceptive.
Correct way to label is "assembled in France of foreign materials" or something like that. It should be fully disclosed what we are paying the big bucks for. It's still what they can get away with and still have people buy the stuff. Think about this: if you walk into a chanel store intending to buy a bag and they said btw the leather is from china but it's sewn in France are you going to turn around and walk away empty handed? I'm betting people won't.
 
#395
vanilla_latte said:
They play off peoples prejudices. Logically it makes sense that every country can make both quality and shoddy stuff. Made In France or Italy has a cachet in people's minds that is only loosely associated with reality, so if legally they can claim the product is made in France because it is assembled there, they will do it. I agree it is deceptive.
Correct way to label is "assembled in France of foreign materials" or something like that. It should be fully disclosed what we are paying the big bucks for. It's still what they can get away with and still have people buy the stuff. Think about this: if you walk into a chanel store intending to buy a bag and they said btw the leather is from china but it's sewn in France are you going to turn around and walk away empty handed? I'm betting people won't.
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Yes - here in Australia with food - if they are claiming to be made in Australia but using overseas ingredients they have to say "Made in Australia of Imported Ingredients". Not just claim Made in Australia - when it is misleading.
But I can not see this happening with apparel items etc.
 
#396
Regardless of the quality of made-in-China, they are not paying the workers there enough to justify the markup on the bags. At least in (legal) European factories you could be sure the wages are enough to somewhat account for the high prices of the bags. As it is, the workers and the customers are getting ripped off while the company is laughing all the way to the bank.

I'll have no problem buying made-in-China once I feel like the quality is guaranteed and the labor is fairly compensated. At one time things made in Japan were considered cheap, but that's totally changed. But for China, in most cases it's not there yet.
 
#397
I've been following this thread from the beginning and I haven't seen any actual proof that CHANEL bags--or parts of them-- are made in China. However, reading the reply emails from CHANEL posted here really makes you wonder. You'd think that if there was no truth to it they'd deny the claim vehemently instead of dancing around the issue. Since they don't offer a straight answer then all we can do is follow our instincts on the matter, I guess.

The issue of a decline in quality is a separate one. Maybe it's because of a change in manufacturing location or perhaps it's just because the scale of manufacturing has increased so dramatically. Either way it equates to a decline in value which is even more pronounced with the successive price hikes.
 
#398
tulipfield said:
Regardless of the quality of made-in-China, they are not paying the workers there enough to justify the markup on the bags. At least in (legal) European factories you could be sure the wages are enough to somewhat account for the high prices of the bags. As it is, the workers and the customers are getting ripped off while the company is laughing all the way to the bank.

I'll have no problem buying made-in-China once I feel like the quality is guaranteed and the labor is fairly compensated. At one time things made in Japan were considered cheap, but that's totally changed. But for China, in most cases it's not there yet.
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Off topic but your kitty is so cute! :smile1:
I agree that the labor abuses have to be addressed. But this is true, in a way:
"As it is, the workers and the customers are getting ripped off while the company is laughing all the way to the bank. "
I read a lot on the science of retail, some stuff that isnt published to general public and when in luxury goods ( handbags/shoes/watches) the markup has nothing to do with cost of materials or cost of production and everything to do with what the market will bear. The wages or materials do not "justify" the price of the bag. Not even close. We are talking about a piece of leather here and some metal. Leather is skin off the cow. Hope no one believes that the skin of a Chinese cow is somehow worse than one of a European cow. Course there is the tanning process and stitching it together but its all automated these days. There isnt an old artisan guy stitching them one by one by hand. The price of the bag is what people will pay for it. In case of designer bags, we are not paying for labor, we are not paying for the skin of cow or the metal chain, we are paying for the privilege of toting around the brand name. Thats it. It is a nice bag, appealing design, but thats not what costs $5000. Take the original scenario, say the bag materials were sourced from China and it was finished in France. Aside from deceptive labeling, so what? Is the cow skin or the metal better in Europe? The sewing/finishing part is what makes it a Chanel and that is done in the country listed. Pricing for consumer goods is set by complex mathematical and statistical models and are all about "what is the maximum value at which enough people will buy". Thats it. No one is putting a gun to anyone's head to buy a Chanel bag. We all complain about price hikes and go buy anyway, so why would they not still be selling? Clearly their market tolerates the current price. Nothing wrong with buying for a brand name. I'm as much of a sucker for Chanel and LV as anyone else but I try to buy with eyes wide open, and be aware of what I'm paying for and why.
 
#399
vanilla_latte said:
Off topic but your kitty is so cute! :smile1:
I agree that the labor abuses have to be addressed. But this is true, in a way:
"As it is, the workers and the customers are getting ripped off while the company is laughing all the way to the bank. "
I read a lot on the science of retail, some stuff that isnt published to general public and when in luxury goods ( handbags/shoes/watches) the markup has nothing to do with cost of materials or cost of production and everything to do with what the market will bear. The wages or materials do not "justify" the price of the bag. Not even close. We are talking about a piece of leather here and some metal. Leather is skin off the cow. Hope no one believes that the skin of a Chinese cow is somehow worse than one of a European cow. Course there is the tanning process and stitching it together but its all automated these days. There isnt an old artisan guy stitching them one by one by hand. The price of the bag is what people will pay for it. In case of designer bags, we are not paying for labor, we are not paying for the skin of cow or the metal chain, we are paying for the privilege of toting around the brand name. Thats it. It is a nice bag, appealing design, but thats not what costs $5000. Take the original scenario, say the bag materials were sourced from China and it was finished in France. Aside from deceptive labeling, so what? Is the cow skin or the metal better in Europe? The sewing/finishing part is what makes it a Chanel and that is done in the country listed. Pricing for consumer goods is set by complex mathematical and statistical models and are all about "what is the maximum value at which enough people will buy". Thats it. No one is putting a gun to anyone's head to buy a Chanel bag. We all complain about price hikes and go buy anyway, so why would they not still be selling? Clearly their market tolerates the current price. Nothing wrong with buying for a brand name. I'm as much of a sucker for Chanel and LV as anyone else but I try to buy with eyes wide open, and be aware of what I'm paying for and why.
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Thank you dear. =)

And I totally agree. We're paying for the name and they're selling it to us.
 
#400
vanilla_latte said:
Off topic but your kitty is so cute! :smile1:
I agree that the labor abuses have to be addressed. But this is true, in a way:
"As it is, the workers and the customers are getting ripped off while the company is laughing all the way to the bank. "
I read a lot on the science of retail, some stuff that isnt published to general public and when in luxury goods ( handbags/shoes/watches) the markup has nothing to do with cost of materials or cost of production and everything to do with what the market will bear. The wages or materials do not "justify" the price of the bag. Not even close. We are talking about a piece of leather here and some metal. Leather is skin off the cow. Hope no one believes that the skin of a Chinese cow is somehow worse than one of a European cow. Course there is the tanning process and stitching it together but its all automated these days. There isnt an old artisan guy stitching them one by one by hand. The price of the bag is what people will pay for it. In case of designer bags, we are not paying for labor, we are not paying for the skin of cow or the metal chain, we are paying for the privilege of toting around the brand name. Thats it. It is a nice bag, appealing design, but thats not what costs $5000. Take the original scenario, say the bag materials were sourced from China and it was finished in France. Aside from deceptive labeling, so what? Is the cow skin or the metal better in Europe? The sewing/finishing part is what makes it a Chanel and that is done in the country listed. Pricing for consumer goods is set by complex mathematical and statistical models and are all about "what is the maximum value at which enough people will buy". Thats it. No one is putting a gun to anyone's head to buy a Chanel bag. We all complain about price hikes and go buy anyway, so why would they not still be selling? Clearly their market tolerates the current price. Nothing wrong with buying for a brand name. I'm as much of a sucker for Chanel and LV as anyone else but I try to buy with eyes wide open, and be aware of what I'm paying for and why.
Click to expand...
you are so right, we are essentially paying for the brand name.
 
#402
vanilla_latte said:
Off topic but your kitty is so cute! :smile1:
I agree that the labor abuses have to be addressed. But this is true, in a way:
"As it is, the workers and the customers are getting ripped off while the company is laughing all the way to the bank. "
I read a lot on the science of retail, some stuff that isnt published to general public and when in luxury goods ( handbags/shoes/watches) the markup has nothing to do with cost of materials or cost of production and everything to do with what the market will bear. The wages or materials do not "justify" the price of the bag. Not even close. We are talking about a piece of leather here and some metal. Leather is skin off the cow. Hope no one believes that the skin of a Chinese cow is somehow worse than one of a European cow. Course there is the tanning process and stitching it together but its all automated these days. There isnt an old artisan guy stitching them one by one by hand. The price of the bag is what people will pay for it. In case of designer bags, we are not paying for labor, we are not paying for the skin of cow or the metal chain, we are paying for the privilege of toting around the brand name. Thats it. It is a nice bag, appealing design, but thats not what costs $5000. Take the original scenario, say the bag materials were sourced from China and it was finished in France. Aside from deceptive labeling, so what? Is the cow skin or the metal better in Europe? The sewing/finishing part is what makes it a Chanel and that is done in the country listed. Pricing for consumer goods is set by complex mathematical and statistical models and are all about "what is the maximum value at which enough people will buy". Thats it. No one is putting a gun to anyone's head to buy a Chanel bag. We all complain about price hikes and go buy anyway, so why would they not still be selling? Clearly their market tolerates the current price. Nothing wrong with buying for a brand name. I'm as much of a sucker for Chanel and LV as anyone else but I try to buy with eyes wide open, and be aware of what I'm paying for and why.
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So well said! :woohoo: Having said that I am still no longer buying and the really funny part about all that - I haven't said a word to my SA but I also haven't heard from her since my last purchase in May - which was a jacket, purse, and shoes - all at one time. Hummmm......
 
#404
So cows, goats and Lambies that live in different countries ( China vs France) have different texture to their skin, fur etc possibly due to climate, food and other factors? Just curious :)
 
#405
zaraha said:
So cows, goats and Lambies that live in different countries ( China vs France) have different texture to their skin, fur etc possibly due to climate, food and other factors? Just curious :)
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I think we need to call out that electron microscope again! I'm not sure about all of the ways how diet affects skin, but I can see how it could affect it in some ways for sure. How the leather is tanned is another way that can produce different effects. Quality handling produces quality products, but if you have a breakdown in the chain, then problems can occur. Cutting corners in any way will result in more quality control issues. I think this is what we are now seeing more and more and more. At first I was willing to think it was just the electron microscope vision but it seems to becoming so regular and so blatant, that one is no longer necessary. The faults are clearly visible to the naked eye (or the well ocular couture dressed eye). :)
 
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