Ok so whats so wrong with China?

Kiari

O.G.
Feb 1, 2006
1,443
2
I see a lot of posts saying that the poster won't buy coach because they are "made in china" Whats the big deal? I don't get it? I like a lot (not all) of Coach bags and it has NOTHING to do with where they are made. Is it petty of me to think that others won't buy because they are a tad snobbish about items made in China?
 
kiari.. i totally understand what you are saying..
here is my point of view..
example.. i absolutly LOVE DKNY stuff.. everything from bags to clothes.. but i find them made in different countries from the brand's origin.. does that make them bad?! NO!!! :huh:
I dont care AT ALL.. where they are made..
what i care about is their brand's specifications, if its good AND high standard.. thats it! i dont care about where its been manufactured!! :oh:
 
When you spend that kind of money of purses you want exceptional quality, perfection, and limited editions.... Why would i want to buy a expensive bag made in china when its mass produced and only 1% sometime even less is going to the purse makers?? I would rather pay a little more buy bags made in italy, france, spain, even u.s.a. just for quality.
I know there are many nice items made in China but myself personally would rather stay away from purses made in China if i can. But if theres a gorgeous design that i like i will purchase the item regardless of where its from.
p.s i'm not snobby i just enjoy the finer things in life.
 
I think the *some* people who object to "made in China" have a problem with what they perceive to be sweatshop labor.

As someone who has seen these so-called "sweatshops" firsthand, I can tell you that they are a good thing and probably not what most people think they are. China, though developing quickly, is still about a century behind us. Just a hundred years ago in America, there were mills on the east coast where children weaved cloth. In a country where education isn't available to and isn't useful to millions of children, they need jobs. What is a few dollars to us each day is a decent, living wage in China. I do not deny, however, there are horrible horrible sweatshops in China that have somehow defied government regulation.

I think it's very easy to get up on our American soapbox and talk about human rights this, human rights that. The thing is, markets and the very concept of "human rights" itself is an evolutionary process that develops as a country develops.

Sorry, jumping off my soapbox.

Personally, I have *nothing* against *anything* being made in *any* country. While I agree the Swiss make excellent watches, the French fabulous handbags, I certainly would never presume that the Chinese could not produce items of exceptional quality despite the fact that its not a nation in which many luxury goods originated.
 
Ditto, so right.
Personally...I just associate 'made in China' with cheap mass market items made in sweatshops, and when you're spending several hundred to several thousand dollars for a luxury bag, that association tends to bother me sometimes. It's just learned psychology though. Not really that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things, as long as the brand has manufacturing standards that are decent.

When I am going to spend that much money on something, I REALLY want to know that a worker made a living wage for it.
 
honestly, i prefer when i see a bag was made in italy or france because it was more likely made by skilled rather than unskilled laborers, which may give it a higher chance of durability and quality, but we've all had expensive italian bags fall apart on us and less expensive chinese bags hold up for the long haul. a 'made in china' tag is not something that would keep me from buying a bag that i liked (my IF Audra was made in china), but i see a tag that says italy, france, spain, or usa to be a little added bonus.
 
bethany said:
Ditto, so right.
Personally...I just associate 'made in China' with cheap mass market items made in sweatshops, and when you're spending several hundred to several thousand dollars for a luxury bag, that association tends to bother me sometimes. It's just learned psychology though. Not really that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things, as long as the brand has manufacturing standards that are decent.

When I am going to spend that much money on something, I REALLY want to know that a worker made a living wage for it.

I really agree with what you're saying bethany. It's really a mind thing. It seems as though everyone is brainwashed into believing that something made in China is less than adequate but stamp it with a France, USA, or other "high end" country's name and people swoon over it.

However, I've noticed that people have mentioned who the money is going to in these situations. Bethany, you mentioned that when you spend that amount of money, you want it going to the right person... but who is that right person and how do you know who the money is going to? After material costs, building costs, sometimes branch (stores) costs, marketers, web costs, money to the designer... what is left? I believe someone mentioned some 1% in China goes to the workers, if I'm not correct (which I might not be), but exactly how much is 1%? 1% may seem like hardly nothing, but how much are these companies really crankin' in? I'm not trying to step on toes here, nor am I trying to save the world and it's workers, I'm just curious if anyone really knows. I don't, you could tell me about anything on this subject and I'd believe it.

Just something to look into I guess...
 
I think one also has to bear in mind that China has some of the best skilled crafts people as well..... not all of them are sweatshop labor... I don't mind where the items are made as long as the workmanship is good and there are no ethical issues...
 
How long has Coach been manufacturing in China? For the longest time, they had two claims to fame: (1) their bags were made in the U.S. and (2) they were guaranteed for life.

I returned both a purse and a briefcase in the late 80s and had their handles replaced and seams resewn free of charge.
 
coco-nut said:
How long has Coach been manufacturing in China? For the longest time, they had two claims to fame: (1) their bags were made in the U.S. and (2) they were guaranteed for life.

I returned both a purse and a briefcase in the late 80s and had their handles replaced and seams resewn free of charge.

I don't think their bags are guaranteed for life anymore.

I remember when what's that guy's name... Something Reed took the helm and really revamped Coach's image from dowdy to trendy. He literally verbatim said that they were going to make lower-quality bags because the old bags were so durable that nobody ever needed to replace them so new bags weren't selling!
 
muppy said:
I think one also has to bear in mind that China has some of the best skilled crafts people as well..... not all of them are sweatshop labor... I don't mind where the items are made as long as the workmanship is good and there are no ethical issues...

Ditto that. I just really don't like how there's a lot of clothing and accessory manufacturers that have their items assembled in places of the world where low wages seem to be the norm in order to save on operational costs. People have to be paid a living wage, and in some cases they don't get it. Quality is just an issue that so happens to usually not correlate with large scale, low budget operations. :wacko:
 
I heard made in China is not so bad anymore, either. i heard made in Vietnam is bad because they work for lower prices and have worse conditions that China did. I think China is trying to become better. So, I don't know where I stand. I buy mainly LV and they don't make there's in China, so for now I would say no. I would also say no because Coach is (Sorry to Coach lovers) crappy imo.