Which designer bags are ACTUALLY handmade?

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I'ts hard to say really, because they are allowed to market it as "handmade in Italy" or whatever, even when most of the bag is made by a machine in China or the like.

Tho I'd think you can be sure with Hermès, Chanel etc. But brands/designers with less pride in their history and handcraft, I'm very suspicious about. The only guideline is probably that a real handmade bag always is always very very expensive.
 
Oh..I thought LV was handmade, or so I read somewhere. How do they make all of our purses then?
I think the bags are made by machine. Some parts may be added by people working in the plants, but that doesn't make them handmade. For instance, with Hermes, there are actual craftsmen who sew the bags by hand. That is one reason it is so hard to find Hermes bags and takes so long to get them when you order them. And that is one way to discern a real Hermes bag...the stitching will be slightly uneven because it is done by human hands as opposed to a machine. If anything in LV is handmade it would be the very exclusive, very expensive pieces. Most handmade bags are going to cost in the thousands. It is rare to find one that isn't unless it is a relatively new or unknown designer. And I have been looking for information on whether Chanel is handmade.
 
So I finally just called LV and asked. I could not resist. The answer was that artisans use machines to create the bags. SOME pieces are hand sewn onto the bag. In other words, no, LV really is not handmade. They just want to give the appearance that it is. The lady was trying to make it clear to me that these artisans have to have a sepcial knowledge to run the machines. That still doesn't make it handmade.


As for the Fendi Selleria, I'm not sure. It may be a handmade piece.
 
not everything is done by hand, even in a "handmade" bag, right? so what is really considered handmade? hand cut, hand sewn? even if the person used a sewing machine, but it wasn't automatic, is that considered 'handmade'
 
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