An Exposé On The Luxury Goods Industry
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What apt timing! We were just discussing whether we bought branded fashion goods in a separate thread here when lo and behold, in the Herald Sun on Saturday (23 Feb 2008), there was an article exposing the luxury fashion industry!
Here's the article - it might cause you to think twice before spending all that money on atas brands from now on :TO HELL IN A HANDBAG, Dina Rosendorff
Dana Thomas flits between fluent French and her native English as she negotiates with a parisian taxi driver while doing this long-distance phone interview.
The American author is on her way to a photo shoot for the sleeve of the paperback version of her best-selling book, Deluxe : How Luxury Lost Its Lustre.
The high-end world of fashion hasn't been the same since Thomas peeled off the gloss to expose a decidedly unglamorous reality.
Consumers were shocked to realise many of their most coveted brands were actually cheaply mass-produced in secret chinese sweatshops for a fraction of their hefty price tags.
We were horrified to learn there were tricks to get around a "made in China" label; by sewing it into an inside pocket or adding a bag's handle in Italy, thus allowing it to carry the "made in Italy" tag. And even more frightening was the sneaky way some brands actually imported Chinese workers to Italy, using cheap labour but still claiming the goods were "made in Italy".
The goal is gross - it's not about producing a beautiful product," Thomas says.
Once the luxury market was the domain of the elite - the only ones who could afford the exquisite tailoring and hand-made pieces. Now, Thomas says, the industry is more focused on "massclusivity". Thomas says 60% of young Japanese women own a Louis Vuitton handbag. Chanel's iconic No. 5 perfume is sold every 30 seconds.
While many would applaud the democratisation of luxury, which has rendered Gucci, Dior and Prada readily accessible to middle-class masses, Thomas sees the luxury market as a profit-hungry global cash cow run by quality-sacrificing corporations.
The change was spearheaded by Bernard Arnault, a French property developer who, in 1984, broke into fashion by buying Christian Dior. Now the chairman of LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy), he runs a conglomerate that includes Fendi, Loewe, Kenzo, Givenchy and De Beers. Under Arnault, the transformation was complete : luxury was no longer lovingly produced by couturiers, but by tycoons, who valued profit over perfection. (Needless to say, Thomas wasn't invited to Louis Vuitton's last womenswear show).
Thomas has no gripes with the Joe and Joanne Consumers of this world walking around with logo-embossed handbags. "I think the democratisation of luxury is fantastic ... a generation or two ago we would walk past the store and if we weren't of a certain class, our mothers would whisper to us if we wanted to go in, "No, we don't belong there', as if it were a country club or a secret society.
But basically, she says, they just don't make luxury the way they used to.
"The product that you bought in the early '90's is not the same product you're buying now, which is certainly not the same product your parents bought in the '50's.
Corners have been cut: next to nothing is hand-stitched, one Italian brand cuts sleeves 1cm shorter, and lining is a relic of the past.
A self-proclaimed outsider, Thomas says she felt free to lay bare the masquerade of high-end fashion without fear of ostracism.
"The fashion media is in cahoots with the fashion industry," she says matter-of-factly.
She recently left Newsweek after 12 years - "which is huge: it was a big step, leaving the mother ship"- and joined Portfolio, a new masthead, where she will write about luxury fashion and culture from a business standpoint.
She also plans to make a documentary based on her book, which made the New York Times bestseller list.
Thomas says trend-setters have cottoned on to the devaluation of luxury - and have moved on.
Although the big brands will still sell to the insatiable markets of Russia and China, Thomas believes there is a move towards slow-fashion - a return to real luxury.
"Like in slow food, it's a return to what luxury really was a generation ago," she says.
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actually, it is a pretty well-known fact.
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Originally posted by trendz:
actually, it is a pretty well-known fact.
But now, it's bolstered by concrete evidence mah!
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But does anyone really care about the quality?
The whole point of carrying an LV bag is so that people know you spent $2000 or more on a bag. The bag itself is kinda ugly
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If I may ask......
What's so good about a Coach or LV handbag that one has to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for it?
From the viewpoint of a guy, at that kind of price I would expect it to be bulletproof, tearproof, fireproof, and be hand-made by the Queen of Spain herself.
Give me my good ol' $50 practical backpack with a 35-litre capacity anytime.
*me prepares for the falling anvils dropped by the ladies*
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Originally posted by fudgester:
If I may ask......
What's so good about a Coach or LV handbag that one has to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for it?
From the viewpoint of a guy, at that kind of price I would expect it to be bulletproof, tearproof, fireproof, and be hand-made by the Queen of Spain herself.
Give me my good ol' $50 practical backpack with a 35-litre capacity anytime.
*me prepares for the falling anvils dropped by the ladies*
Not all ladies will scream bloody murder at your post!
I, for one, don't see the point in spending on stuff like that. I never saw the thrill of getting anything Tiffany's. 
If it was given to me, I'll gladly take it and do a happy-dance, but don't expect me to fork out good money to acquire branded goods. 
The handbags that I use and love right now are all non-branded. I love their designs though!
Anyways, my New Year Resolutions is to pay off all outstanding bills, and save aggressively! I shall need $$ soon to pay for further studies, and then for driving lessons and a Toyota Yaris!
Even if I marry a rich man, I wouldn't ask for branded goods. Rather, I'll ask for property (to refurbish myself and then rent out for extra revenue) and a yacht!
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WAT so good about BM tat cost 200k which infact only cost 50k oversea?
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Originally posted by T.Ryousuke:
WAT so good about BM tat cost 200k which infact only cost 50k oversea?
Good for show-off purposes nia!
To me, a car is a vehicle that gets you from Point A to Point B. All I want is a Toyota Yaris! -
Originally posted by Rhonda:
Not all ladies will scream bloody murder at your post!
I, for one, don't see the point in spending
on stuff like that. I never saw the thrill of getting
anything Tiffany's. If it was given to me, I'll gladly
take it and do a happy-dance, but don't expect me to fork out good
money to acquire branded goods. The handbags that I use and love right now are all non-branded. I love their designs though!
Anyways, my New Year Resolutions is to pay off all outstanding bills, and save aggressively! I shall need $$ soon to pay for further studies, and then for driving lessons and a Toyota Yaris!
Even if I marry a rich man, I wouldn't ask for branded goods. Rather, I'll ask for property (to refurbish myself and then rent out for extra revenue) and a yacht!
My gf will tell me she wants to stay in a big house with a large garden in front if I manage to afford it one day.
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So a LV bag is just peanut to a BM. Just make yr money worth on every cents u spend. Good example is handphone. Sg r sick of show off, so wat u can affort? Anybody can buy a car, just a matter of want or not.
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I think, if you ARE getting top-quality for the money you are forking out, it's alright.
BUT, if you are paying through your nose, and getting a product that's of inferior quality or not as good as it's made-out to be, then it's another story altogether.
Like what fudgie said, if you're paying to get a durable bag that you'll use daily and won't wear out easily and quickly, that's paying for the quality that the brand is known for, not just paying for the brand.
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Look at Nokia case, somehow doesn't mean branded means good. Conti car also alot of problem. New Condo workmanship sux. Laptop/PC all from China. So be careful wat u r buying.
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Spending is like mind poisoning. It's always not enuff.
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"Made in Italy by the Chinese"
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These corporations are not interested in making goods, they're interested in making money. In the process, they sell away the soul of the brand. And when the novelty is lost, it takes years to rebuild the image.
Some car companies are guilty of doing the same thing.
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Originally posted by fudgester:
If I may ask......
What's so good about a Coach or LV handbag that one has to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for it?
From the viewpoint of a guy, at that kind of price I would expect it to be bulletproof, tearproof, fireproof, and be hand-made by the Queen of Spain herself.
Give me my good ol' $50 practical backpack with a 35-litre capacity anytime.
*me prepares for the falling anvils dropped by the ladies*
They are pretty. -
I don't own any LV anything and don't intend to. Ugly, ugly, ugly and sooooooooo ostentatious. IMHO.
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Originally posted by Ferret:
They are pretty.
Well, on my part, I still wouldn't pay a few hundred (or a few thousand!) dollars more for a bag that looks pretty when a much cheaper alternative that can do the job just as well exists.But then again, as I said before, this is the viewpoint of a guy, and no man has ever managed to figure out exactly how a woman thinks, anyway.
*awaits the falling anvil*
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I walked past the famous row of shops tonight after work, and spotted two handbags that are really striking and pretty! I don't think they are branded at all, but guess what... they caught my eye, so I'm heading back to consider purchasing them!
The branded handbags looked 'common', but these two were unique and pleasing to the eye. -
Originally posted by fudgester:
Well, on my part, I still wouldn't pay a few hundred (or a few thousand!) dollars more for a bag that looks pretty when a much cheaper alternative that can do the job just as well exists.But then again, as I said before, this is the viewpoint of a guy, and no man has ever managed to figure out exactly how a woman thinks, anyway.
*awaits the falling anvil*
careful ah.
I have this guy who keep telling me the same thing. Then ended up with a gf who's into such stuff.
Then he bo pian have to spend those $$ to keep her happy.
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A-grade pirated products are readily available in other countries. I probably wont bother with buying real branded stuff.
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Originally posted by Rhonda:
The branded handbags looked 'common', but these two were unique and pleasing to the eye.
Probably because you've seen so many people carry them and the imitations that the novelty's already lost.
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Originally posted by Kuali Baba:
Probably because you've seen so many people carry them and the imitations that the novelty's already lost.
Hmm... quite true! Besides, you first see them on the runway or fashion mags, and then you see them in the stores, and then a huge proliferation of imitations flood the entire market, and then everywhere you turn, the ladies are carrying the same designs... a total saturation that makes a unique, sometimes really pretty and creative piece, from some non-branded brand (
) refreshingly original. I'm now considering buying this Japanese patchwork sling bag I saw in the shop windows... makes one look like one's going around collecting herbs like that!
Quite cute! Think can tie a ponytail, wear 3/4 pants, and slippers, and walk around carefree with that sling bag! -
boh bian de mah.
they rather earn a lil bit juz to eat.
betta than hvin nth to put to their mouth at all.
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Originally posted by Hello Kitty:
boh bian de mah.
they rather earn a lil bit juz to eat.
betta than hvin nth to put to their mouth at all.
Erm... I don't think it's just 'a lil bit'.
Besides, unscrupulous business practices can never be justifiable.