Are you getting what you have been paying with luxury brands?
After sharing my thoughts on whether what the TikTokers said about luxury brands is real, I thought I would try to take a side in this article and explore another discussion. Apart from Hermes, I know that Louis Vuitton has their factories in the US. Let's say Hermes makes its bags in France, but I imagine it has to source its material from somewhere else. I don't think France is mining the minerals in its country to make the hardware for Hermes.
Regardless of where the raw material came from, many people in the industry had gone through this; the cost to make a Birkin or a Kelly is likely not more than a thousand dollars. Even though they claimed it takes 40 hours to sew together a Birkin bag, allegedly, I have heard some professionals say the Birkin bag is not complicated to make, and it didn't take them 40 hours to make a dupe. Perhaps the 40-hour claim was bloated, or the bag maker wasn't as crafty as they claimed?
If you apply logic and critical thinking, you will realize that many luxury brand claims are marketing slogans rather than exact situations. Look at the LV Neverfull. It costs more than $2K if you buy it brand new from the store. The tote's structure is as basic as it gets, and that's why Neverfull dupes are like ants on the street: You can't count, and you can't tell if it is fake from a normal social distance. You can get the dupes for between $30 and $150, and these prices include the profit for the dupe manufacturer. If the fake bag makers can make a profit selling one for $150, then you know that the $1800 extra you are paying is not for the cost of making the bag but for something else.
Not every luxury brand makes sales, but many brands have yearly or seasonal sales, and you can get items for 50% to 70% off, and sometimes even more, if you know where to look. You may think it is worth paying that extra 70% to remain in trend, and that's okay, but you are definitely paying more than being trendy.
Take Coach for an example. I know many of you are eager to tell me Coach is not a luxury brand. I am fine if that's your perspective. What most people can agree upon is their pricing. For the quality they provide, many would consider them reasonable. I have seen bags from many luxury houses throughout the year, including Hermes; I can guarantee you the quality of the retail Coach bags you are buying, if not similar, is not far off from those on the top chart. Coach is very transparent regarding where they make their bags. If you think less about Coach bags because you think they are mass-produced in the factory, think again. How do you think luxury houses like Hermes, LV, and Chanel make billions every year? Who is in the right mind to believe their products are not mass-produced in the factories? If you have learned math in school, the math doesn't add up. The small and personal vibes of their workshop's promotional video surely do not represent real-life situations. Haven't we learned that from Dior's Book Tote scandal? Often, the truth is too harsh, and we would rather not burst our dream bubbles. I don't want to see what's going on in the kitchens of my favorite restaurants, either.
After buying and seeing bags for years, I can reassure you that the quality and craftsmanship do not drastically differ after you reach a certain level or price point. I have seen a Hermes Kelly Depeches pouch in person. The leather and the craftsmanship looked great, but the pouch's design and construction were fairly straightforward. Nearly $10K for a pouch? Unless I am carrying gold blocks in it, there is no way I would give them my money. In addition, the locking mechanism doesn't make it an easy pouch to use.
Now that we have established that we are paying 90% or more after deducting the cost of making the bags, which is not uncommon, it is time to discuss where the money has gone. Before we discuss further, it is clear that most of the outrageous profit goes to the owners, the shareholders, and the bonus for the high-level personnel. You may not be aware that, once you are promoted to a certain level in a company, the salary, and the yearly bonus are astronomically larger than a regular employee! While holding on to the illusion of luxury with the bag in your hand, you are literally paying for their luxury life! Basically, you fill their pockets with money, and they give you an empty bag. This is probably why the wealth gap is so significant in many countries.
Other than paying for the company expenses, you are also paying for the marketing. Remember the giant billboard you saw? The seasonal fashion shows you never got invited to? How about the gift bags the fashion show attendees brag about? I am sure you would remember seeing the free bags those superficial influencers receive and show, right? You pay for that as well when you purchase from the company. I know; it is all part of the package. If you are a frequent buyer at Hermes, they will serve you coffee, tea, and drinks when you shop at their stores; allegedly, their SA may even hang out with you off work if you buy enough. So that's good enough for you? Coffee and tea? If you spend that $10K you paid for the Birkin in a Mexico resort or a vacation in Bali, I am sure you will be pampered, getting more than a drink with that budget, and you don't have to beg for anything.
Although not always, luxury brand sales representatives often treat their customers poorly. This is supposed to be some kind of sales strategy: treating the customers like peasants so that they will buy more to prove themselves. Many times, I was interested in purchasing some LV items, but when I visited their stores, they always told me they were too busy because I am not someone who likes to dress up for a store. In contrast, when I went with friends who dressed the part, they were always available to serve us. I remember going to Chanel with my friend to buy earrings, and we were told we had to participate in some lottery game because they had limited stock. My friend was not picked to purchase the earrings, and the salesperson never texted or called back, even though she promised she would.
How many videos have you seen of people claiming to be mistreated by a salesperson at Hermes? The way they treat their customers is ridiculous at best. You are not allowed to ask, but you can have a wish list, and if you are lucky, you may be "offered" to purchase one; if not, you may have to wait for years, or never. They often lie about not having Birkins or Kellys at the back until you have bought enough random awkward items, and then they miraculously remember they may have something at the back that suits you. I have seen people being proud and overjoyed when their custom order Hermes bags finally came after waiting for years. How bad exactly are we being brainwashed by luxury brands? Waiting for an item for years, and we are supposed to be thankful and tearfully happy about it? You can be sure celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Victoria Beckham, or Jennifer Lopez are not waiting for years for a Birkin. Why? They are treated as valuable, important people, and most of us are not; we are peasants, remember? Spending an outrageous amount of money, waiting in a limbo timeline, not knowing when to receive a product we purchased, and that is luxury? I would say this business model is indeed luxurious.
Why are we being lured into this luxury dreamland that is not exactly doing us any good? Many Birkin owners are convinced the bags are an investment. The bags only maintain their value if you don't use them and store them in a humidity and temperature-controlled room. Other than storing and preserving, you must pay more for your home insurance. If you are lucky, bags may be the only thing you lose from people breaking in; I remember seeing news of a murder case in Paris because of his Birkin bags. There have been talks about people being robbed for carrying a Birkin in the city, so be safe if you choose to continue this risky journey.
I once heard a joke: You know you made it when you own a Birkin bag. Seriously, where did you make it by giving away your money? People who can easily afford a Birkin bag have no time for the bag. They have bigger fish to fry, like their investments. You will not impress billionaires or millionaires because you have a Birkin. What's left is self-affirming among your peers who own the same bags; they surely are not impressed by having the same thing. What's more, you can show off your Birkin bags to people who either can't afford them or don't care. For people who may be struggling with depression, I can reassure you that luxury goods won't bring you happiness. There are no fairy tales in the luxury land. Worse, you may even feel isolated when you attract people who want to befriend you for the wrong reasons. It is particularly unsightly when the world is at war; people are losing livelihoods, and this may be the worst time to flaunt your luxury goods while the economy is declining everywhere. I want to end this discussion on a good note. Hermes makes well-crafted bags, but are they the most convenient and easiest to use with the complex locking mechanism? Probably not, but you can enjoy the bags as an art piece. Art is something subjective. If it is worth it to you, enjoy it!
Ultimately, what is luxury? The other day, when I was out with friends, a homeless person asked for help. My friend gave him $5, and he was teared up, sharing his stories with us. At that moment, I thought real human connection and kindness were the luxuries I liked to see because that's what we need in our society now. When I watched some YouTube videos this morning, one comment stood out to me. She said that if a bag costs as much as the downpayment for your car or house, there's something wrong with it. So, have you found your luxury peace?
* All the content above is based on personal opinion.
