Prada Bags: Now Made in China for Italian Made Prices."
- Thread starter Prada Psycho
- Start date
TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others
Looking for these elusive tags is like going on a treasure hunt!
Thanks Zuhrah for the how-to.
Or, thanks to Prada's deceit, more appropriately: a scavenger hunt. :true:
I personally think it is okay to have a Prada bag that is made in China, even though it is as expensive as the other ones that are made in Italy, as long as you know it is authentic. But I have to say it might be a nightmare to sell an authentic Prada that is made in China on eBay. At the end of the day we are buying Prada because it is Prada and for its craftmanship, heritage, brand, style etc I even have Prada shares (which is not doing too well recently though...) lol
And therein lies part of the problem. Prada now feels they have to go to cheap manufacturing, whilst maintaining premium pricing, so they can keep their shareholders happy with profits and dividends. I'm sorry but with "Made in China", Prada ain't Prada.
Following this logic Apple is not Apple, Nokia is not Nokia, etc. Business is business and cutting on costs in one way or another is required at times to keep the business running.
Majority of products we consume are partially or completely made in China or some other country with low labour costs - including luxury brands some think are hand made in Europe from beginning to end (yeah, right). How did you think luxury business is reaping so much profits?
Or at the very least, it is not a premium designer handbag anymore, imo. I wouldn't buy a piece of traditional Chinese laquer furniture that was made in Italy and I don't plan on buying a premium Italian designer handbag (Italy has long been recognized as a major center for the production of luxury leather goods) that is made in China. Yes, and if these "luxury companies" think that it doesn't matter to the consumer where their bags are made, then why are the "made in" tags getting so hard to find? 
Why not put the "Made in" exactly where it always used to be, right under the logo on the inside of the bag? And I'm not just talking about Prada here. Look at many other brands, you'll find the same thing.
I'm not knocking China or any other country here either. I just don't think they're known for having a history of luxury leather good production.
At least Apple does not try to hide where their products are made. Their iphone says it's designed in the US and made in China. You have to turn the Prada bags inside out to figure out the country of origin. A couple of weeks ago at the Prada boutique the SAs were looking at me like I was a weirdo as I molested all the bags!
its the hiding part that make ppl made... be upfront of where its made and charge accordinging...
Don't feel bad. It happened to me too. Actually, I couldn't find a "made in" tag at all on one of the Prada leather-lined City bags. I kept looking but was worried security might wonder what I was doing for so long. Finally, a SA came out and I told her I couldn't find the tag. First she said it was made in MIilano because of the logo. When I questioned that she said ALL Prada's are made in Italy. Um, I don't think so. Even the store website shows a bag as "Made in India." I wish the SAs in these stores actually knew something about what they are selling. I guess some do, some don't. I prefer to buy from one that does. But it seems that others will say anything for a sale.
Some SA are cluesless of what they are selling... Ppl from tpf know more than them as we exchange info with each other n help each other learn so we won't be cheated... and I think SA learn more from ppl at tpf
About Prada bags made outside Italy not being real Prada:
I still don't understand all the fuss over this. Is there valid evidence of poorer quality in Made in China bags than in the Made in Italy ones? Why would a Chinese worker's skills and craftmanship be any worse than a worker's who is from Italy?
Other than this kind of attitudes bordering on racist, I think it's pretty inconsiderate to state a Prada bag not made in Italy is not a real prada. I can imagine how offputting and hostile it can seem to someone who has just made his/her first Prada purchase and someone tells it's not a real Prada and somehow inferior to someone else's bag.
Does Italy have enough specialized labour force in the industry to produce all the Prada bags for our needs? If they were all made in Italy, the demand would soon exceed the offer, which means the prices could rise to double the amount from today's situation.
What if all the other brands would want to keep up to our idealistic standards too and would produce their accessories in Italy? How many bags could be made in one day with the amount of available workers and how much would the brands have to raise their prices to keep their profits on a similar level with lower production rates and higher paid employees?
I hope you get my point.
About the hidden labels... Maybe the Made in X labels are well hidden due to aesthetical reasons? I personally wouldn't want to see a label stating the country of origin every time I carry or handle my bag. I don't think Prada has promised and advertised all their bags are made in Italy now and forever, so I don't think they are deliberately trying to fool us. On the contrary, aren't they being honest by telling the bag is actually made in China? If we're wondering about the "Prada Milano" logo, the bags are still designed in Italy, am I correct? The design is already half the work. Poor design will most likely result to poor product. We shouldn't forget the materials used either. An Italian artisan probably couldn't make any better product out of a poor design or poor materials than an artisan from a location outside Italy.
I still don't understand all the fuss over this. Is there valid evidence of poorer quality in Made in China bags than in the Made in Italy ones? Why would a Chinese worker's skills and craftmanship be any worse than a worker's who is from Italy?
Other than this kind of attitudes bordering on racist, I think it's pretty inconsiderate to state a Prada bag not made in Italy is not a real prada. I can imagine how offputting and hostile it can seem to someone who has just made his/her first Prada purchase and someone tells it's not a real Prada and somehow inferior to someone else's bag.
Does Italy have enough specialized labour force in the industry to produce all the Prada bags for our needs? If they were all made in Italy, the demand would soon exceed the offer, which means the prices could rise to double the amount from today's situation.
What if all the other brands would want to keep up to our idealistic standards too and would produce their accessories in Italy? How many bags could be made in one day with the amount of available workers and how much would the brands have to raise their prices to keep their profits on a similar level with lower production rates and higher paid employees?
I hope you get my point.
About the hidden labels... Maybe the Made in X labels are well hidden due to aesthetical reasons? I personally wouldn't want to see a label stating the country of origin every time I carry or handle my bag. I don't think Prada has promised and advertised all their bags are made in Italy now and forever, so I don't think they are deliberately trying to fool us. On the contrary, aren't they being honest by telling the bag is actually made in China? If we're wondering about the "Prada Milano" logo, the bags are still designed in Italy, am I correct? The design is already half the work. Poor design will most likely result to poor product. We shouldn't forget the materials used either. An Italian artisan probably couldn't make any better product out of a poor design or poor materials than an artisan from a location outside Italy.
If you'll go back to the very beginning of this thread and read all the posts, you'll find the answers to everyone of your questions, including the thinly veiled (and ludicrous) accusations of "racism" in your post.