An Exposé On The Luxury Goods Industry
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it was oly tic for tat.
i nit no honourable mention.
u'd earned it urself.
n so, u've ur opinion of her n i've mine.
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If you keep funding these practices, you keep the sweatshop workers trapped in their current working conditions.
They can walk away only when the sweatshop closes down. If you, and everyone, supports fair trade, at least they'll find a job where they're paid and treated fairly.
It's not just the high fashion goods segment which is affected - things like crops and Persian carpets may also have been made and sold through unethical practices.
Will it raise prices? Only if you let yourself believe the claptrap from the corporations which mark-up the prices of their goods for maximum profit.
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It's well-known that the goods produced by major brands are made by the Chinese.
Probably they should put a new label "Made in Italy by Chinese." This is how business works. They need to have a high margin of earning. Also, you are paying for the brand name which explains why they are called luxury goods
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Kindly take a look at Nike. The wages that it pays to is workers in China and Pakistan. Most of them can't even afford the shoe or soccer ball that they are making.
Another example is one of the famous company that has prouduced a wide range of products with the printing of a fruit.
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Originally posted by dangerboi:
Kindly take a look at Nike. The wages that it pays to is workers in China and Pakistan. Most of them can't even afford the shoe or soccer ball that they are making.
Another example is one of the famous company that has prouduced a wide range of products with the printing of a fruit.
Hmm... are you referring to the American company, "Fruit of the Loom"?
I don't remember seeing any fruit on Banana Republic...
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Tht really ruin the image of us, product designers.
How many people are actually more devoted to design that the dollar sign. Haix. -
Originally posted by seotiblizzard:
Tht really ruin the image of us, product designers.
How many people are actually more devoted to
design that the dollar sign. Haix.I don't think it ruins your profession's image at all. It is not you guys who set the cut-throat prices, but your employers who do so. Intelligent people will be able to tell the difference.
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Originally posted by seotiblizzard:
Tht really ruin the image of us, product designers.
How many people are actually more devoted to
design that the dollar sign. Haix.The marketing and manufacturing people step in and ruin the painstaking craftwork by saying, "No, we won't be able to mass-produce that," dumbing down our designs for robots and sweatshop labourers.
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Originally posted by ultranova3:
"Made in Italy by the Chinese"
Made in Branded China -
Originally posted by dangerboi:
Kindly take a look at Nike. The wages that it pays to is workers in China and Pakistan. Most of them can't even afford the shoe or soccer ball that they are making.
Another example is one of the famous company that has prouduced a wide range of products with the printing of a fruit.
that argument is rather absurd. it takes no notice of cost of living and wages in the state/town the workers are in. Not saying it's so in this case, but it's possible that yes they can't afford the shoe but the wages they get might be an average income level there. Putting it in this way is only sensationalizing the issue. -
Not all luxury items are "made in Italy by the Chinese". Even if it is Made in Italy by the Chinese, they still have strict Quality control. Those that are not up to the standard will be destroyed.
Louis Vuitton has 3 bases: Paris, Spain and USA. That's why you see some of the LV items are stamped made in Spain. LV, Chanel and hermes do not have sales. they would rather destroy it than sell it at discounted price.
As fas as I know, Chanel and Dior have only one base in Paris.
There is one Chanel documentary show on Haute Couture collection (Those who does not know the meaning of Haute Couture, please check yourself). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMcf4O7B74Q They did the collection by hand (yes by hands, no sewing machine). Can you imagine how long does it take to make a full embroidered wedding gown? How many people are needed to do that? How long does it take to make a fully sequined dress?
Christian Dior's A/W 2007
Christian Dior A/W 2007
Christian Dior S/S 2007 (Origami Creation)
Christian Dior S/S 2008
Those intricate embroderies are hand made, not machine.
To own those dresses, you have to fly to Paris to meet John Galliano (chief designer for Christian Dior). They will take your measurement and you can choose the design or have him desinged a new one for you.
Those dresses are at least US$60k or above sometimes it can reach US$100k, depending on the embroideries/sequins.
These are what I called the ultimate of luxury.
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who are we to say that people working in those 'sweatshops' have it bad? naturally, there are poeple who hate it there and these are the people 'they' will FIND when 'they' need 'inside information/statements/etc'. some people are dead grateful for whatever they can get working in there. otherwise they would end up jobless anyway. there are people working for walmart etc who would hate you if you were to get rid of walmart. cos that's where they are getting their $$ from. and they can't find it anywhere else. why take away what little they are already getting?
what's good, what's bad, what's right, what's wrong. who is to say anyway?
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not withstdg th general one-sided comments, thr r, in fact, many intellects & economists who r advocatin the existence of sweatshops for the betterment of its workers' lives.
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You need to realize also why the luxury products are often overpriced:
1. They need to present their collection in a runway. The place is never cheap and usually it is 3x a year (S/S & A/W pret-a-porter, cruise) or 5x a year (S/S & A/W pret-a-porter, S/S & A/W Haute couture, Cruise)
2. They need to hire the models. Supermodels are being paid very high.
3. They need to make it grand, invite celebrities and fashion editors, give freebies.
4. They need to advertise it in fashion magazines.
5. The materials are not really cheap. Cashmere, ostrich skin, silk, alligator skin, chinchilla fur are not cheap.
6. Those concept stores and locations are not cheap too.
So even if they hire workers with very low salary, they still need to offset those expenses by selling the bag at very high price. Otherwise, how do they make profit. No one wants to operate on losses.
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I thought this was a rather interesting article.
Does fair trade coffee help the poor?
It's about coffee and not clothing but it's still interesting.
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Originally posted by Rhonda:
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! 
Speaking of bags, guess what I've been doing of late? Since I have all this downtime and since more people here are going green, I've been making shopping totes. I hope to sell them at craft fairs, online, etc. Right now the going's slow since it's a one-woman show. It's alot of fun though.
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Originally posted by Phaze:
I thought this was a rather interesting article.
Does fair trade coffee help the poor?
It's about coffee and not clothing but it's still interesting.
me read dat b4 le. -
There was a recent story in the local rag about branded bags. About how the manufacturers have outsourced production of famous names like LV and such. To ensure that they still carry the Made in Italy tag, the manufacturers have gotten sneaky. For eg, if the leather handles are made in Italy, it'll conveniently say so on the tag, totally circumventing the fact that the bag itself was made in China.
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Originally posted by ultranova3:
Louis Vuitton has 3 bases: Paris, Spain and USA. That's why you see some of the LV items are stamped made in Spain. LV, Chanel and hermes do not have sales. they would rather destroy it than sell it at discounted price.
actually heard before the sales and marketing for chanel are at loggerheads over this, because the salesmen wants to sell more piecesbut the marketing wants to sell less at a higher price for the image and authorised dealers aren't allow to give any discounts plus they're more strict over who's selling their stuff.
selling branded stuff myself and sometimes when customers ask where products like gucci are made, i really don't know how to answer because its printed on the product but i don't believe it myself.
and one incident was there was a brand from a certain country that was actually made in the country of origin for the first batch we ordered but subsequent orders had MIC engraved on it. -
Originally posted by ultranova3:
Not all luxury items are "made in Italy by the Chinese". Even if it is Made in Italy by the Chinese, they still have strict Quality control. Those that are not up to the standard will be destroyed.
Louis Vuitton has 3 bases: Paris, Spain and USA. That's why you see some of the LV items are stamped made in Spain. LV, Chanel and hermes do not have sales. they would rather destroy it than sell it at discounted price.
As fas as I know, Chanel and Dior have only one base in Paris.
There is one Chanel documentary show on Haute Couture collection (Those who does not know the meaning of Haute Couture, please check yourself). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMcf4O7B74Q They did the collection by hand (yes by hands, no sewing machine). Can you imagine how long does it take to make a full embroidered wedding gown? How many people are needed to do that? How long does it take to make a fully sequined dress?
Christian Dior's A/W 2007
Christian Dior A/W 2007
Christian Dior S/S 2007 (Origami Creation)
Christian Dior S/S 2008
Those intricate embroderies are hand made, not machine.
To own those dresses, you have to fly to Paris to meet John Galliano (chief designer for Christian Dior). They will take your measurement and you can choose the design or have him desinged a new one for you.
Those dresses are at least US$60k or above sometimes it can reach US$100k, depending on the embroideries/sequins.
These are what I called the ultimate of luxury.
What you have in this post (which I can appreciate) is quite different from the 'off the rack' goods that can be mass-produced, and bought by people on the street with big pockets. Anyway, you're saying that the profit margins from the sale of these 'off the rack' products are used to rationalise other costs...right?
Let's not let this distract us from the essence of this thread - ethical business practices. Can we deny the existence of these sweatshops? Maybe whoever got interviewed had been lying, or everyone else was swallowing their pride. Sure, it gives them all a livelihood, but is this the right way to do it as human beings?
Does the brand need to sell its soul to Mammon, and by flirting with unethical practices and dumbing down its products, risk an image that will take years to build up again?
When you can maximise profits, create what you can convince enough people to believe are win-win situations, they say you're cunning, tough and have good acumen. If you stick to values, you're called naive and soft. Only one route though allows you to have a heart and sleep peacefully.
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i cant never stand those dumb people buying branded bags of lousy quality or to splurge on an it bag every few months even though they will never use it until it's worth the money.
tsk.
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Rumour is that when those fashion powerhouses send their orders to Chinese manufacturers, the Chinese will always produce a bit more extra. Then those extras will make their way into the local market.
Thus, it is possible to get branded quality goods, but at a lower price.
Wish I had such a lobang.
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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!
sighh... you were doing so well until the yacht... kekekekeke.....only kidding.
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Originally posted by breytonhartge:
sighh... you were doing so well until the yacht... kekekekeke.....only kidding.