Thank you for sharing
@poleneinblack, I enjoyed reading your comments.
CHANEL is the
no. 1 luxury brand in the world with 51 million instagram followers (LV = 48 million, Hermès 12 million). From a business perspective they are very smart and careful not to follow the foosteps of Michael Kors (product overexposure + market oversaturation = brand devaluation). As the
most valuable luxury brand in the world they can really do whatever they want and we as consumers will still buy it (yes, I truly believe this), so I'm in favour of them opening VIP boutiques., cancelling sales and increasing prices.
Incidentally, when Gabrielle Chanel was alive she only did haute couture, so the VIP boutiques are really just CHANEL's way of going back to its roots of serving an elite clientele.
Let's be honest here: the allure of CHANEL is keeping its access very INaccessible. Scarcity marketing cultivates desire. It's a proven psychological phenomenon and that's why Hermès' game works. People want it more when they cannot get it easily.
TL;DR = CHANEL is not an aspirational brand like Louis Vuitton (lower class, middle class, whatever; anyone can buy as long as they save up). Exclusivity sells.
Well, number 1 in the world based on what? There are many metrics and measures, and impeccable service is one measure as well. I don’t think IG followers only indicate the ranking - just one bit of information among multitudes. The Kardashians often have 350 million followers on IG - does that make them “classy“ or “elite”? And as H is privately owned, their numbers aren’t public the same way. I actually do think chanel is churning almost fast fashion if they do 6 releases a year, and with the many many complaints about quality, and hideous customer service, it’s hard for me to see them as number one in luxury. And I do think they are an aspirational brand as are most all luxury houses. Many can buy whether they are wealthy or whether they worked their butts off and earned their lovely bag (and people who work for a living are not lower class or middle class - they are human beings) And unlike many of us on tpf there are millions that don’t care one bit about luxury bags or haute couture even if they have billions. Hard to believe for many of us here I know.
Chanel seems to wish they had the luxury and cachet of Hermes in their bags, they sure price bags now like they are H now but their bags simply aren’t worth that much, never will be, aren’t made in the same careful and hand stitched way, and won’t last over time the same way. H for sure has my loyalty - I have 10 year old bags that look brand new after much use. And their skins are second to none. When their only Box calf partner closed his ranch awhile back, H quit making boxcalf bags until they found just the right partner again - it was years. What meticulous attention to quality and detail. Thank dog LVMH didn’t succeed in their sketchy secret stock buys to gain a controlling interest from H illegally. They had to pay a major fine after they were caught by the French government and they would have ruined Hermes. I have H, LV, Chanel and H will always have my heart. No one does color like them either! But I enjoy my Chanel and LV too - different bags for different things. LV canvas was invaluable during the height of Covid as I didn’t worry about hand sanitizer as much.
And Chanel has done what so many luxury houses (except Hermes, they do price increases based more on actual costs they incurred rather than profit gouging) have done which is obscene - every few month price increases and engaging in profit gouging. Fair enough, no one HAS to buy luxury and if those prices are ok with some, of course people will buy from them directly. No matter how ridiculous their prices are and they are ridiculous at this point and utterly divorced from reality in true cost of goods sold. I was determined not to buy directly from them.
And Gabrielle Chanel? She did a lot more than fashion - her checkered history with Nazi Germany stains the brand for me - and serving ”elite” clientele hits differently knowing her history. I’m aware many huge companies did the same, but that doesn’t make it right or easy to stomach.
I have 2 small Chanel’s - a boy and WOC (just realized neither was she involved in) in calfskin and lambskin, and they are beautiful and I love using them, they are nice, but not H nice, and I don’t want another Chanel (caviar leather feels more plastic to me than calf or lambskin even if it is more durable, the hand of the skin is vital to me) because I find many of their bags simply not desirable (they give me an old lady vibe at a very insane price!!, but we each have our own likes and dislikes, and I’m not 30 anymore so I can say that
, still don’t want most of their bags) I didn’t want to play games at the boutiques. Chanel hands down has been the rudest to me and other customers I’ve seen, openly, when walking in, and I immediately walked right back out every time. Relationship, kindness and common courtesy are truly a luxury. No one deserves to be treated as garbage simply to grovel for substandard products in some cases. And how do they know which customer is a billionaire or will become one? Or which young person that buys a card holder today will spend millions over their lifetime? Short sighted and a really skeezy business practice to institutionalize snootiness. To me kindness is priceless especially in this turmoil filled world right now. And I’m sure some of their SAs and managers are lovely and helpful.
I knew exactly what I wanted, searched, found perfect bags at a reasonable price and done. I had no interest buying directly from Chanel to contribute to their coffers. And I’m done with Chanel bags as I’m at purse peace there. I know many of you lovely tpfers have very different opinions and experiences and loves at Chanel and good for you. That’s why there are many houses!
Long post, but we each have different priorities, loves, interest, level of tolerance for rudeness or snottiness, and that’s ok. I’m a big believer in kind, friendly treatment that values human beings and relationship over some perceived “eliteness“. Everything follows from good relationship. H boutiques and most SA’s have always been much that way in my experience. So that coupled with the highest quality keeps me going back! And loving every H piece I own.
I definitely just bought the boy messenger style and love it. Granted, I'm tiny and have stuck to a small iPhone since the iPhone SE (iPhone 13mini now!) and don't carry a ton with me. I agree the brand does seem like it's devaluing itself with some of their tactics lately. And I don't like the 22 at all.
