During the pandemic, online shopping grew a lot and gave us access to products of formidable quality and an even better price! After all, who doesn’t love to always be in fashion without exaggerating?
However, what consumers don’t realize is that Hermes’ unique bag, Birkin, bought on Shopee, may actually be original.
The expose went viral when Donald Trump, president of The United States, implemented radical tariffs against China. This trade war harmed Chinese producers, who through social networks, exposed the manufacturing process of luxury brands and the difference between the cost of production and the final price
On TikTok, Chinese manufacturers reveal that luxury brands are produced at low costs. Bags that cost around $1,400 to produce can be sold up for $34,000 in the U.S. “More than 90% of the price of a luxury bag is in the logo. If you don’t care about the brand, you can buy the same product from us for much less”, says a spokesperson for the supplier Sen Bags.
Another problem encountered by the asiatics is the association of their products with poor quality. Many pieces are made by them and, once finished, are sent to their countries of origin, usually European, to be labeled. “They are the same materials, the same hands, just without a logo,” he says.
The reason is because European Union legislation allows a product to be labeled “Made in France” or “Made in Italy” if the final stage of its production takes place in those countries, even if the other stages are carried out elsewhere.
Fact or rumor?
Since not everything is as it seems, the brands have spoken out in defense of their reputation, denying the accusations.
According to Louis Vuitton, the workshops that produce the bags are located in France, Spain, Italy and the United States.
“Production and training is carried out in France across 60 sites, organised into regional hubs. Supplementing this network are 15 production sites in other countries, located in Switzerland, Italy, the UK, the USA, Portugal and Australia.” The French brand, Hermes, states on its official website. They also confirm that their most iconic bag, the Birkin, is made only in France.
“Don’t underestimate what this could mean for luxury. These videos may seem like noise right now. But the narrative they’re pushing could quietly reshape how people perceive value, origin and authenticity,” says marketing expert Fabio Becheri in a LinkedIn post.
Has exclusivity become routine?
In the series “Sex and the City”, the character Samantha Jones buys a fake Fendi and shows it to her friend, Carrie Bradshaw. Sam praises the perfect copy and argues that no one will know it is not original, but Carrie says: “People may not know, but you know.”
People do not just buy a product, they buy a story and narratives. The main narrative of luxury is exclusivity. The choice to pay more is with power, the meaning that the item carries with it.
When the veracity of these representations is questioned, chaos ensues, and that was exactly the role of the Chinese.
What is China’s role in the fashion market?
Some people say that this exhibition was a marketing strategy, since it publicizes the ability of Chinese factories to produce the same quality of Western luxury brands.
But in practice, it shows China’s position in this global scenario. The country has factories with cutting-edge technology, highly qualified labor, and large-scale production capacity with strict quality control. They want to eliminate the negative and cheap stereotype and become a reference.
For now, not all products are authentic and original; many are replicas, and it is important that distributors are transparent about this so that we can distinguish between authentic products and replicas.
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The article above was edited by Mariana De Oliver.
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