Criminal? Dior paid $57 to produce bags retailing for $2,780.

That’s hilarious!

What are they arguing, though, that the name and design are meaningless? That all that’s relevant are the cost of labor, materials and transport?

If that’s true, a Ferrari should only cost about two to three times as much as a Toyota — not twelve times as much.

A fool and his/her money etc.

I have 2 bags. One is real, one isn’t. Both are different sizes, the same color, but with different colored hardware.

You cannot tell the difference. I was awestruck, but not surprised.

My bag shopping is complete!

There's one born every minute, OP.

People should paying that much for a $57 bag.

Keep in mind that Dior is owned by LVMH (LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE--(LVMUY) that has a share price of $154.55/SH and a market capitalization of $385 Billion) that is primarily owned by Bernard Arnault, who is the 3rd wealthiest man in the world with a net worth of $200 Billion...

His daughter is the Chairman/CEO of Dior.

I guess it's a "keep the money in the family" type attitude?

Made by 7-yr. olds in Vietnam, paid $1 a day... Label queens are ruining the planet.

Authorities also probed Giorgio Armani factories and found that the company paid $99 for bags that sold for over $1,900 in stores.

Now available at Nordstrom!

People who buy these bags as an investment are the same type who bought Beanie Babies and Cabbage Patch dolls. And anything Yeezy.

Jane Birkin carried thrift store picnic baskets in her real life. That's all you need to know.

Criminal is posting stories behind paywalls.

I dig fashion. And reading this made me embarrassed to like fashion and made me feel horrible for the victims of this exploitation of humans/labor-

I have old designer bags...one made in the 1970s, the rest in the 1990s early 2000s.

They were well made back then...todays Louies are crap, look and hold up like $15 bags

Please help my memory, but weren't these CHINESE sweatshops, making FRENCH bags in ITALY, the same sweatshops the created the horrible explosion of COVID in Italy and subsequently all of Europe?

The Chinese exported COVID through exported slave labor under the fraud that Italian craftsmen were making bags for Dior.

Hey all you Republican traitors, I see you Jim Jordan, stop being so obsessed with your fake Covid Gain of Function crap in 2020 and investigate Dior for counterfeiting their own bags with exported DISEASED slave labor!

I like how Coach counterfeits their own bags for the secondary markets by letting their Chinese machines, in China, run a little longer. Then they slap a Coach Label that looks a little different on the goods.

And we know that luxury goods are a scam.

Luxury is based on quality.

I love anything made with Loro Piana fabric.

Like a youthful rent boy, you can tell by sight and touch.

Why not just steal one?

Dior pays a startling low price to produce a $2,780 handbag

A recent investigation into Dior's suppliers reveal that some of its bags are produced at a fraction of what they sell for.

Patricia BattleJul 3, 2024 8:03 PM EDT

Luxury fashion brand Dior, which is owned by LVMH, is famous for its high-end merchandise such as handbags, apparel, jewelry and other accessories, which often come with price tags that are over $1,000. But a recent investigation has poked a hole in the facade that the expensive price tags match the cost it makes to produce these items.

LVMH has been under investigation by authorities in Italy, who looked into the working conditions at some of the company’s factories that craft Dior handbags. According to documents that authorities discovered in the investigation, Dior allegedly paid a supplier $57 to construct a handbag that sells for $2,780 in stores, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal.

Authorities also probed Giorgio Armani factories and found that the company paid $99 for bags that sold for over $1,900 in stores.

According to the Journal, the cost prices don’t include leather or other raw material, and the companies “separately cover the costs of design, distribution and marketing” of the products.

Both companies are being accused by authorities in Italy of exploiting foreign workers in order to produce their high-end products at low prices.

LVMH was put under court administration in Milan last month for allegedly subcontracting work to Chinese-owned firms that mistreated its workers. In a document of the decision, which was viewed by Reuters, it revealed that workers were sleeping in the factories so that they could have "manpower available 24 hours a day.”

Safety devices were also pulled from machinery to allow workers to operate them at a faster pace, which allowed the contractors to “rein in costs” and charge Dior a lower price for the handbags, according to Reuters.

Authorities claimed that Dior failed to take measures to check the working conditions at the factories of the contracting companies it worked with and did not conduct “periodic audits” of its suppliers over the past few years.

Worker exploitation is a huge problem in the fashion industry. In May, fast-fashion retailer Shein was exposed in a follow-up investigation from Public Eye for having its suppliers work 75-hour workweeks along with low wages (violating Chinese labor laws), after the company promised to end the practice in 2021. The workers were also found to be working in warehouses that had fire hazards.

The investigation into LVMH comes at a time when the company is experiencing a decline in revenue amid a pullback in luxury spending from consumers due to a tight economy. In LVMH’s first-quarter earnings report for 2024, revenue for its fashion and leather goods sector declined by 2% year-over-year, while the company’s watches and jewelry sector shrunk by 5%.

R16- Brunello Cucinelli is pretty high quality as well-

LVMH needs to broken apart.

Experiencing post-purchase regret after reading this article. 😔

LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennesy) bought Dior in 2017 and cranked up the production with Chinese slave Labor.

LVMH buys something, then sells off the reputation with cheap goods.

Everything made by Dior 2018 onwards is just high speed production line crap to make as much money off the Dior reputation as possible. Red Lobster was bought up by vulture Capitalists and sold off for THE REAL ESTATE. LVMH bought Dior and will probably sell when people boycott Dior. By then they will have sold Red Lobster for the Real Estate.

[quote]Luxury is based on quality.

I suppose that is the question. What is quality versus utility?

For the less fortunate...

Loro Piana is an Italian company specializing in clothing and textile products, claiming to be the world's largest cashmere manufacturer. It was founded in 1924 and is owned by French multinational holding and conglomerate LVMH. The company has three divisions: the textile division produces high quality textiles from cashmere, vicuña wool, linen, and merino wool; the fashion luxury goods division produces menswear, womenswear, shoes and accessories; and the interior division produces interior products.

History

Originally from Trivero, the Loro Piana family started as merchants of wool at the beginning of the 19th century. In the second half of this century, the family moved its activity to Valsesia and founded the wool spinning mill Fratelli Lora e Compagnia, followed by the wool spinning mill Zignone & C. in Quarona at the beginning of the 20th century.

In 1924, the engineer Pietro Loro Piana founded the company Loro Piana & C. in Quarona.

After taking the lead of the company in the 1960s, Franco Loro Piana, grandson of Pietro, started to export high quality fabrics to Europe, America and Japan.

In the 1970s, the company was directed by Franco's sons, Sergio and Pier Luigi, whose focus was on top quality fabrics development, including cashmere and extra fine wools. Sergio and Pier's research gave birth to the Tasmanian fabric.

In the 1980s, Sergio and Pier Luigi Loro Piana started to diversify the business, therefore launching their first ready to wear collection and creating the luxury goods division. The interior division was launched in 2006.

In 2013, LVMH Group acquired an 80% stake in Loro Piana, becoming the major shareholder. Sergio Loro Piana died the same year. In 2017, LVMH acquired another 5% stake in the company.

In November 2021, Damien Bertrand was appointed as CEO of the brand.

Since 2022, Loro Piana has established its headquarters at Cortile della Seta in Milan's Brera district.

LVMH haven't killed LP like Dior, but it is something to watch for.

I wonder if LP imports Chinese slave labor?

For the less fortunate...

Brunello Cucinelli

Brunello Cucinelli (Italian pronunciation: born 3 September 1953 in Castel Rigone, is an Italian luxury creative director and the chief executive of his eponymous made in Italy brand, Brunello Cucinelli. He donates 20% of his profits through the Brunello Cucinelli Foundation. He has been described as a "philosopher-designer"

Early life and education

Cucinelli grew up in a rural agricultural community outside of Perugia. His childhood home had no electricity or running water. Cucinelli dropped out of engineering school at age 24,choosing instead to read philosophical texts on his own.

Career

Cucinelli's first product was cashmere wool sweaters in bright colors. In 1977 he started making dyed cashmere in a small workshop. He founded Brunello Cucinelli SpA in 1978 with the Italian lira equivalent of about $550; after the initial public offering of Brunello Cucinelli SpA his personal net worth exceeded $1 billion.

In June 2021, due to the ownership of 50.05% of the shares of his namesake company, Cucinelli had a personal net worth of approximately $2.2 billion.

Architecture

Cucinelli believes that architecture "needs to symbolize higher meanings besides serving a material purpose." He collaborated on the re-design and expansion of Solomeo with Italian architect Massimo de Vico. In 2021, Cucinelli announced that he would again be partnering with de Vico to transform one of Solomeo's 18th-century villas into a "Universal Library" that will carry books on philosophy, architecture, literature, poetry and craftsmanship.

Philanthropy

In 2018, Cucinelli raised €100 million for charity by selling 6% of his shares. His company gives about 20% of the profits to charity, with which he restored many works of art throughout Umbria, and he bought many lands around Solomeo, the town where he lives and where his company is based.

[quote]Like a youthful rent boy, you can tell by sight and touch.

OH! I've become warm...

In fact, it is well known that Brunello Cucinelli treats their employees EXTREMELY well- Probably one of the best fashion houses in that respect

The whole luxury economy is so disgusting. It’s hard to believe that Arnault is the richest man in the world. There should be a law that the cost of production for each luxury item needs to be posted.

[quote] same color, but with different colored hardware.

Hardware?

Locks, latches, hinges, handles.

Sometimes gold tone, sometimes silver tone sometimes two toned.

Launer, handbag maker to QE2, has their hardware made to order from Italy.

Hermes is supposedly a good employer and their handbags are supposed to be top quality, still. Is it worth the markup? Only the buyer can determine that.

Hermes bags are made by artisans in France by hand. The leather they use is exceptional and I think it merits a higher price. Perhaps not as high as they sell for but at least you know you're getting high quality not made in sweatshops.

Ha ha ha. It's like parading around proudly that you're a tool easily taken advantage of

Fashion and credit aren't real

There are brands like Loro Piana, Cucinelli, Bottega Veneto, Ferragamo, Zegna that don't fool around.

I have a word for this.

Imaginary appetites.

[quote]Hermes is supposedly a good employer and their handbags are supposed to be top quality, still. Is it worth the markup? Only the buyer can determine that.

I would say that it depends upon what you value. It is my understanding that not only are Hermes bags handmade (cut, assembled, and stitched) but that (depending on the bag) one individual creates that bag from start to finish. Now, I'd pay for that. I just don't know if I would pay $30K plus for it!

[quote]Jane Birkin carried thrift store picnic baskets in her real life. That's all you need to know.

And that's all the inspiration that Hermes needed in order to create its Birkin wicker bag which now sells between $60K-over $100K in the secondary market.

R32, they may be produced in Italy or France but they were labored and physically made by poor Chinese immigrants. How do you think Covid spread so fast!? The Silk Route.

R39 what is the difference to you if the hands are Italian or Chinese?

They'll still have the history of their Saddle Bag. Edgy before that was a thing.

R40, R32 made it seem like French artists made these leather bags. Some French dude in some hamlet, but no. These pricey bags are being manufactured in Italy and France but by poor immigrants

R42 what is the difference to you if the hands are Italian or Chinese? The label says "Made in Italy". It doesn't say made by ethnic Italians. Just as items with a "Made in the USA" label can be made by anyone within the US.

They ain't made by artisans that's for sure, you cretin R43.

Who said so? An artisan can't be Chinese? God, you're an idiot.

Artisan: "a worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand."

I like the Dior Saddle Bags with the newsprint exterior.

You think a lady of high class will buy a 25 thousand dollar purse knowing it's high brand yes, but Chinese made? Don't be dense. If it says made in France, and a person pays 25 thousand dollars, they expect it to be made by Frenchmen

Italy not a stable country and there's TWO economies, one is underground and doesn't pay taxes, look it up. Then there's the tomato problem again, Chinese tomatoes in Italian quality products. Do you stupid Americans feel good about your European and fucking UK obsession? It's not cute.

[quote]You think a lady of high class will buy a 25 thousand dollar purse knowing it's high brand yes, but Chinese made? Don't be dense. If it says made in France, and a person pays 25 thousand dollars, they expect it to be made by Frenchmen

There are no claims by any manufacturer that their workers are ethnically pure. You sound ridiculous.

And no one is forcing anyone to spend $25,000 on an Hermes bag.

[quote]Italy not a stable country

WTF are you talking about?

I'm not remotely surprised. It's a piece of stitched leather, not a dialysis machine. People who bring up the materials and craftsmanship to justify purchasing a bag that costs thousands of dollars are fucking chumps.

[quote]It's a piece of stitched leather, not a dialysis machine.

And now that the Supreme Court got rid of subject-matter experts, at least dialysis machines do not have the ability to drop out of the sky like a Boeing Jet.

I would not fly any more than I would buy a Dior bag.

I would recommend that those who are interested in this subject watch a few videos of this guy "Tanner Leatherstein" on YouTube. He buys all of these expensive bags and then dissects them while giving his objective analysis of the product plus his estimation re the cost of its production.

BTW: He even does a video on how he can afford these bags, why he dissects them, and he has his own leather company (of which I never heard of). I thought he was quite good.

I had no idea of the gross markup of these products but nearly 50% goes towards marketing.

The designer and niche fragrance industry is now contending with a wave of mostly very well made "inspired by" fragrances from UAI. The dupe quality is often good, unlike the crap dupes in the past, and in many instances the bottles are attractive. It's kind of full circle because Western fragrance drew heavily on Middle-eastern fragrance expertise.

And this year there is a huge scandal in the industry because of the bad optics not to mention real misery of the labour practices in the flower harvesting in developing countries. In particular Jasmin production in Egypt.

yada yada yada

I have tested many. Of course they do "oriental" fragrances well but now they do the designer and niche gourmands and florals very well. In my opinion they mostly do not do as well with fougeres and chypres and especially citrus freshies. Fortunately France, Italy and Spain all have brands that do great and inexpensive citrus freshies and fougeres.

The prices on higher end luxury designer and and niche fragrances have gone through the roof. Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Chanel have obscene fragrance prices nowadays. And LV has never been known as a fragrance house. And Gucci, only somewhat.

I'd like to take a moment to thank the many posters here. I really enjoy these type threads but what I REALLY enjoy is all the learning that I gain from their knowledge and expertise!

THANK YOU!!!

Here's an anecdote from two years ago. I was considering giving Chanel Coromandel to a friend so went into the higher end luxury department store in Geneva, Bon Genie, and I couldn't find the Chanel fragrance counter. Because they don't have one anymore. The saleslady kindly informed me that they no longer "worked with" Chanel, preferring to concentrate on more "exclusive" houses. And she directed me to the merely upscale department store 200 meters away - Globus. Coromandel is USD 400, so I pushed on what "exclusive" might mean and she told me Chanel is omniprésente. Natch. I gave her the point.

How much does it cost to make a Birkin bag

[quote]around $800--Hermès says its prices are based on its costs, which are necessarily high. Yet the many man-hours and fine materials that go into the making of the bag may not account for much of its price: Luca Solca, an equity analyst at Exane BNP Paribas, estimates that the production cost of a basic Birkin is around $800.”

Back in the day, when America first went designer crazy, the difference in the cost of a well-made, designer pair of shoes, for example, was 100%. Back in the 1960s, a fifty dollar pair of shoes was compared to a $100 pair of Pierre Cardin designer shoes. Cardin sold out, and that brand went $$$, Cue Halston and the happiest moment of Halston was when he was bought our and $$$.

We are seeing the end of the road on designer/luxury brands, when LVMH buys brands and turns up the speed on the production mill. Made in Italy, and the quality associated with it, is what LVMH bought when it bought Dior. As far as I can tell, Hermes and Launer still spend their money on materials and Launer still puts out a reasonably priced hand made product.

Bottom line, I hope LVMH spins off Loro Piana before they destroy the quality and brand.

Also, now that we live in the online internet world, and we know that LVMH bought Dior in 2017,

I would only buy PRELOVED, Certified PRE 2018 Dior bags.

Dior ORIGINALS that have not been touched by imported mains chinoises.

Did anyone actually think a $3000 bag cost that much to make?

[quote]Did anyone actually think a $3000 bag cost that much to make?

No. But I didn't think that it only cost $50 to produce only to be sold for $3000.00 either

There's a sucker born every minute. Some vote for Trump, some pay ridiculously excessive prices for status symbols.

What exactly did you think cost more than 50 bucks?

The $57 doesn’t even include materials. Obviously, the markup is ridiculous, but it’s not off $57.

R34 All women and gays of course in that video.

Now we should all watch that video and understand why straight men dominate society.

[quote]We are seeing the end of the road on designer/luxury brands

Maybe. Maybe not. IMHO, these established luxury brands ie DIOR, etc are going to have a horrific backlash unless it changes its business model. Yes, being a public entity has its benefits re growth and enhanced branding, but as more, more ,people realize the conditions used to get that product to market and how these companies must answer to its shareholders rather than the consumer, I believe that the consumer will begin shying away from these labels.

However... this is an opportunity for new, better crafted luxury, socially conscious, brands to fill the void ie Brunello Cucinelli

Not Dior, LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennesy). They won't change because their vulture capitalist plan is based on profit, not quality. Buy a brand with a great name, crank up prices, crank up production and suck the life out of loyal buyers. Exactly what happened to Pierre Cardin in the 60s, happened to Halston.

Dior is destined to either disappear or be spun off to be saved.

I don't wear many things with overt labels. Always was raised to believe it's tacky. I do like quality and have my suits custom made but no logos or telltale design elements.

Italy is not a stable country WTF do you mean idiot, THEY HAVE HAD 50 GOVERNMENTS SINCE THE WAR, are you retarded? Everybody cheats like hell, look it up bitch. They don't like gays either as a rule, just like the US and the rest of western Europe, they are just below the US in ranking. Don't believe what they say here, they lie, it's probably DL munchkin Miss Matte-A, la femenina, he bought himself an Italian visa and husband.

[quote]Italy is not a stable country WTF do you mean idiot, THEY HAVE HAD 50 GOVERNMENTS SINCE THE WAR

Since 2010 the UK has had more governments than Italy.

At the moment among the 3 top countries of Europe, Italy, Germany and France, the Italian government is the most stable, as seen in the European elections.

For the less fortunate...

Launer London is a British manufacturer of luxury handbags and other small leather goods founded in 1940 by Sam Launer, who emigrated to London from Czechoslovakia during the Second World War. The company first sold a handbag to a member of the British royal family in 1950 and subsequently was awarded a royal warrant by Queen Elizabeth II.

History

In 1940, Sam Launer founded Launer London, and began making handbags in a small rented workshop in London's Soho district. He had left Czechoslovakia after it was occupied by Germany early in the Second World War. Launer died in 1955, and the company remained a family business until Gerald Bodmer purchased the company in 1981.

In 2011, Launer started producing bags in colours other than their traditional black, brown, and navy.

By 2019 turnover had risen 167% since the 2011 figure of £1.5 million. For the 52 weeks of 2018 Launer reported a 23% increase in turnover to £4 million.

Royal warrant

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother first purchased a Launer bag in the 1950s, and later gave one to her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II.

In 1968, Launer London were given a royal warrant by The Queen. She had bought more than 200 of their bags by 2019, according to CEO and owner Gerald Bodmer; and her three favourites appear to have been a black leather Royale, a black patent Traviata, and a third custom-made bag. She also kept all of her mother's Launer bags, according to Bodmer. The Traviata is Launer's bestselling design, partly due to the influence of The Queen; it is handmade in Walsall in the West Midlands, and sold for about £1,800 in 2019.

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher regularly carried a Launer handbag, which was remarked upon as a characteristic. Gerald Bodmer first sent her one after seeing a cartoon of Thatcher whacking Argentina with her bag at the time of the Falklands War.

The Traviata

But can you put a price upon something that makes a person feel good about themself and their accomplishments?

I suppose it's all relative but I "get this". I don't know what it costs to manufacture a ROLEX watch but when I was able to finally buy mine (and yes, it was A LOT of money) it wasn't to impress anybody and/or show off. For me (and even to this day) it represents what I have accomplished. All the pains and struggles that I endured to be able to afford such a luxury piece. I don't care if it thrills anyone else, but it thrills me and brings a contented smile to my face every time I look at it on my wrist--of which it rarely leaves. If I'm going through a tough time, I can just look at my watch and immediately begin to feel a sense of calm.

So, I guess it's all relative. Whereas I would NEVER buy Louis Vuitton (especially not now), what about that young boy and/or girl who looks at that product as an achievement? A celebration of their life and what they are doing? For me, it makes no sense to spend thousands and thousands of dollars for a product that is machine manufactured, mass produced, vinyl (or shellacked canvas)... It just makes no sense to me. Where is the quality in that? However, given the history of LV and how the products are marketed, they can hold a whole different meaning for someone else. That's something I can (might) respect. I can "get" that.

Rich people do not need external validation and do not want to draw attention.

"Luxury" crap is for rubes.

Rich people can be just as attention-seeking and ostentatious as anyone else.

Old money, doll, old money, the ones the parvenu and arriviste ape.

Cunts

LVMH is going to bleed Dior to death for profit and then sell the husk, again for profit, to people who cannot maintain the brand.

Dior joins, Pierre Cardan, Halston and numerous others into the Name Brand graveyard.

sad

Brands are a rip-off in general. If you can afford it, go to an actual tailor and have something made for you.

I've always looked at anyone who pays for luxury brands as complete fools. Same way I look at people who buy luxury cars. I roll my eyes and wonder if they realize that it makes them look like they have tiny dicks and are trying to compensate for it.

"it represents what I have accomplished."

You have zero clue about what it means to be alive.

These couture brands are just playing on the gullibility of females with money. I don't believe this revelation is going to cut their sales one bit. Many women with money (men as well), especially if they grew up without money, are as stupid as turkeys when it comes to being played for fools by these so-called high quality brands.

All of these are overpriced because of the name. Yes even the famous Birkin that to its credit is at least not one of the ones made in a sweatshop. You can have someone with skills make you a bag to your liking for a lot less than 15 grand. And no stupid bullshit like having to buy a bunch of other items you don't want from the brand to be given the opportunity" to buy whatever piece the agent happens to get in stock. The whole thing makes me sick, really.

Swiss precision and artful watchmaking only endures with certain brands. Patek Philippe for example. Rolex jumped the shark and is a greedy international juggernaut, perhaps running out of steam, like all the other most greedy luxury brands. Chanel's quality is in the dumpster. Rolex and Chanel are still privately owned, by the way.

But if "a Rolex watch!" is meaningful to someone, than that's what is important. It's not a bad watch. Many of the models are wildly overpriced for the materials and machining involved.

In the olden days of the internet there was a much seen breakdown of the costs of materials in a Cartier tank. It appears to have been scrubbed. I think back then it was a couple hundred bucks of materials. 200 comes to mind.

The current tanks have a quartz movement. A good one, but still. That's hardly Swiss watch-matching.

Cartier has made some brilliant mechanical movements but you'll pay through the nose for them, nowadays. I only know about such commodities from my time working for Mid-East royals. These are commodities for the very very rich.

Those who know, know there is a certain Hong King factory that sells 1:1 Chanel copies for $500-600. Many former Chanel original purchasers who are no longer willing to pay those prices for inferior quality have switched.

In the same city, you can also purchase a handmade Birkin for under $2000.

I no longer believe anyone's Birkin or Chanel is genuine.

Based off of how insanely priced the Dior and Stone Island collab pieces are, I’d say it seems like they’re doubling down.

Yes the very top tier are doubling down. B and C list luxury or more precisely designer brands have cut prices. Burberry & Ferragamo. Kering's YSL, Bottega Veneta and Gucci.

The luxury market has pivoted to developing countries in East and South Asia. Just like Europeans and Americans who 'made it' in the post WW2 economy, they're targeting their wares to the next set of new money.

Then there are these really ridiculously stupid women whose whole identity is based on what they wear and how they look - that's all over the world.

I agree with the above comment about getting custom clothes if you have money. Anyone can go into a store and buy something. But you can get beautiful tailor-made clothes that no one else has with a good tailor and designer.

It's still going to cost you - but I'd have to think it's less than what these fools are shelling out.

R89 However post COVID the Chinese have stopped buying. They do not let themselves be taken as easy marks.

can the fragrance poster tells us more about the dupes from middle east? Like what brands? I'm interested!

Afnan and its sub-brand Zimaya

Lattafa and its sub-brand Maison Alhambra

Khadlaj, Rasasi, Armaf, Paris Corner

Jenny Glow & Just Jack

You can learn about any brand by seachring YouTube with the name and "best new" or "10 best" and watching any of thousands of videos about each brand or each western fragrance you may want to find as a dupe or clone.

Here I show you an example:

Aromatix is a recently very popular reviewer of Mid-Eastern fragrances. I am mostly transfixed by his giant rack.

A couple of these guys have recently gotten videos removed and are being told to stop using the word "clone" and "dupe" because the reviewed fragrances may be copyright infringement.

That ASAD in the tacky black and gold bottle took Europe by storm last year as an excellent "inspired by" Dior Sauvage. It is a good cheapie. Then they cloned their own clone in their sub-brand, Maison Alhambra, with Salvo, which is arguably better.

Let's just say some of these are very good and others suck. But for 15-30 bucks rather than 150-300 or more.

R92 R93, thank you so much for the information!

For the less fortunate...

Stone Island is an Italian luxury fashion house specialized in men's apparel, outerwear, and accessories headquartered in Ravarino, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Its core branding includes a Nautical star and compass, both of which is printed or overlaid atop a button-on cloth badge with green, yellow, and black detailing.

Founded in 1982 by Massimo Osti, the brand popularized during the 1980s and 1990s in Europe and Japan, and during the 2010s, in the U.S. and Canada. Stone Island uses trademark reflective fabric, dyeing compounds, and surface treatments to produce garments. It was acquired by Italian fashion house Moncler in 2020 for €1.15 billion.

It is a global staple of youth subculture as characterized by Italian Paninaro, English football casual, British, American, and Canadian hip hop culture, as well as world-wide streetwear.

History

Designer Massimo Osti founded Stone Island in 1982, in Ravarino, Italy. He founded the brand to compliment his flagship label, C.P. Company, which he started in 1971. Osti sold 50% of Stone Island to GFT (Gruppo Finanziario Tessile) in 1983, before selling the remaining half to GFT in 1991. He left the company in 1994 and was succeeded by Paul Harvey as head designer from 1996 to 2008. GFT sold Stone Island to Italian businessman Carlo Rivetti in 1993 who combined the label with C.P. Company Sportswear Company SpA. Stone Island rapidly popularized during the 1990s in Europe and Japan, and during the 2010s, in the U.S. and Canada.

In 2017, Singaporean sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings bought out a 30% stake in Stone Island valued at €345 million.Three years later, Italian fashion house Moncler bought a majority stake in Stone Island for a reported €1.15 billion. Throughout the 2010s and 2020s, Stone Island collaborated with other design companies such as Supreme, James Jebbia, Nike, Adidas, New Balance, among others.

Brand identity

The name Stone Island is derived from Polish-British pre-modernist writer Joseph Conrad's novels wherein the words "stone" and "island" appear most frequently. According to founder Massimo Osti, his novels' exploration of "boats and sea" moved him to create a brand with "[a] new sensibility oriented to science instead of fashion". The brand emphasizes anti-fashion, prioritizing function over form. The logo references a compass, afixed with a Nautical star. It is recognizable by the use of a cloth badge that features the compass design on the left-side of a garment.

Stone Island focuses on technical apparel research, development, and manufacturing. It is known for its approach to fabrication through a range of dyeing techniques and surface treatments. These include the use of Raso Gommato in 1983, thermosensitive fabric in 1987, rubber wool in 1987, and reflective fabric in 1991. Originally the patches were green edged, badges from around the year 2000 onwards became black edged.

Subculture

Stone Island became influential in youth subculture for "wealthy middle-class teens" in Italy during the late 1980s for their unconventional fabrics and silhouettes. From the mid 1990s the brand popularized in the football casual subculture in England and throughout the rest of Europe. The brand is often associated with hooliganism and can be seen in many football hooliganism based films, such as Green Street and The Football Factory. Its presence in the U.S. and Canada starting in the early 2000s was bolstered by streetwear and hip hop culture. Its largest consumer base was noted by Esquire as being "Milanese youth, English football fanatics, [athletes], and [celebrities]". British magazine i-D described Stone Island as a high-end status symbol among youth who show off the compass logo in a practice known as "getting the badge in".

I love Stone Island- particularly hoodies/pants/outerwear.

Always buy on sale, but I love this brand.

[quote]Those who know, know there is a certain Hong King factory that sells 1:1 Chanel copies for $500-600. Many former Chanel original purchasers who are no longer willing to pay those prices for inferior quality have switched. In the same city, you can also purchase a handmade Birkin for under $2000. I no longer believe anyone's Birkin or Chanel is genuine.

So, what are they buying? The "history" of the brand? LOL!

This is when I have a problem with those who are luxury brand whores. Very little has to do with quality, etc but more to do with impressing others and pretending one is something that they are not. A story of Ivana Trump comes to my mind. She was notorious for taking her seamstress and walking with her down Madison and 5th Avenues copying designs from the store windows. This just takes so much away from those who created and made the piece but why should she care since she had her "image" to maintain?

Alas, I guess we all can agree that she probably paid her seamstress QUITE well...

I used to work in a Las Vegas jewelry store and if it is a Swiss quartz movement, it is the same Swiss movement no matter what watch it is in. Only the size changes to accommodate the designer cases. They are sold by the Swiss movement monopoly. They are expensive in the same way DeBeers diamonds are expensive. Monopoly distribution. However, the science of a quartz movement, is well known old tech. The Chinese, have successfully created the same, accurate movements for $5 a piece.

I like wearing a watch. I hate having to flip out a cell phone. And my favorite "designer watch" is a Piaget, just saying the word reeks of money. The Piaget Altiplano is the ultimate in simple, understated elegance. I wear a gold plated lookalike I bought for $20.

Luxury label bullshit is a tax on the vapid and stupid. I carry *MY* belongings in a Walmart bag just to repel these types!

Ferragamo Tanner Leatherstein’s seal of approval.

Ahem...

[quote] Criminal is posting stories behind paywalls.

Tragic is having so much malware on your device you can't open Business Insider.

[quote]Jane Birkin carried thrift store picnic baskets in her real life.

Just how many picnics did Ms. Birkin go on?

r98, can you post links to reliable knockoff brands?

Tragic is thinking Business Insider is anything but an agglomerator and increasingly A.I. Also, it sometimes IS behind a fucking paywall in some regions of the world.

what about IWC? Also very simple design and understated

Sure - buy an automatic IWC from the 60s.

Dior, Armani’s pricey handbags made by migrant workers who make $2 an hour, cost $57 to make: prosecutors

By Social Links forAriel Zilber

Published July 4, 2024, 10:59 a.m. ET

Luxury goods makers behind iconic brands including Dior and Armani hired contractors that pay workers as little as $2 an hour to make handbags that they then sell for thousands of dollars apiece, according to European law enforcement officials.

Dior, the French multinational luxury fashion house chaired by mogul Bernard Arnault and his family, charges a supplier around $57 to manufacture a handbag that it sells in stores for around $2,780, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Armani, the Milan-based designer, paid $270 to a supplier to make handbags that were then sold on the retail market for just under $2,000, according to the Journal.

Italian authorities obtained the figures after police conducted a series of raids on workshops and makeshift factories that employed illegal immigrants and others “off the book,” the Journal reported.

Prosecutors in Milan accused the companies of hiring subcontractors that employ Chinese migrants and other foreign workers who are paid as little as between $2 and $3 an hour.

The workers often sleep in the workshops and are made to work from dusk until dawn, including on holidays and weekends, it was alleged.

Last month, Italian judges ordered a subsidiary of Dior, Armanti and Alviero Martini Spa, another luxury fashion maker known for map-print bags and other items, to be placed under court administration after ruling that their manufacturing units mistreated migrant workers.

The Post has sought comment from Dior, Armani and Alviero Martini.

r104, I attached a link. ALL of them have Chinese quartz movement.

It took me $60, but my third $20 watch runs PERFECTLY, on my sixth year, third battery.

This has been blowing up all day.

R70 Is a retard probably and shill, there's the internet idiot now, the UK is one of the most stable countries in the world, are you on crack? Bad SvetaCunt.

R111 Idiot, I never said the UK was unstable. What I said was, since 2010 it has had more governments than Italy.

I do dig my Louis Vuitton "Galaxy" Bandouliere.. (duffle) Its really cool looking with this galaxy/space print that somehow makes it look less "desperate'.. I will die with this duffle!

I have a passion for luxury watches and have a small collection (Panerai, Jaeger, IWC). While these watches are beautiful objects with superb movements and mechanics, I also know very well that the mark up is high. The boutique price is about x2 the wholesale price, which itself is of course higher than the production cost. But that’s ok, that’s how it works. Where it becomes insane is with three brands (AP, PP, Rolex) which for some reason the Chinese adore, driving demand, and therefore prices, off the charts in the past 15 years. As a result, on the 2nd hand market, you end up with a very simple watch (let’s say a steel PP Nautilus date) costing about 4 times as much as a masterpiece of complications (rose gold IWC Portuguese perpetual calendar and moon phase). But that’s the price of exclusivity I suppose. The PP is not a better watch, far from it. But it’s rarer as you can no longer buy it in boutiques (10 year waiting list).

None of you are considering the resale value of those designer bags.

Take a look at the prices for Hermes:

R74 is not terribly perceptive.

[quote]But if "a Rolex watch!" is meaningful to someone, than that's what is important.

And that was my point, R84. Not everyone is caught up in the "label whore" mentality. For many the purchase (and the ability to purchase) a luxury good holds a special meaning such as R113.

Again, the question is; Can you put a price upon something that makes a person feel good about themself and their accomplishment(s)?

[quote]You have zero clue about what it means to be alive.

I found this offensive, R81. I'll leave it at that.

Anyone that buys clothing/bags from an LVMH-owned company is getting scammed.

And while not killing Dom Pérignon or Hennesy, their prices are incomparable to their former selves.

Pocketbooks not bags.

Anything with LVs all over it is tacky as shit R113

My (gay male) friend made me hold his tacky LV-patterened item in public one time and I was embarrassed to do so. How toting something like that around can possibly make anyone feel better about themselves is beyond me.

R113 You look like a vulgar fool carrying it around.

A long time ago, on my first and only trip to Paris, I went to the LV store on the Champs Elysees. I bought a small bag. Now, I know that the bag is called the "pochette accessoires" (brown canvas monogram). It cost under $200 and I thought I could use it, plus it would be a souvenir.

I ended up feeling stupid for owning it and driving my Honda Civic. Anyway, I gave it to a friend.

After buying that bag, the market exploded and that little bag now sells (new on the LV website) for $1,550. Yes, it now comes with a couple extra straps, but it's the same bag.

If people want to pay $2800 for an unremarkable bag and can’t make the judgement that a it’s a piece of crap in their own it’s their problem

This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Luxury retailers mark up their products by MASSIVE margins, because if we apportion production, transport and marketing costs to every item sold at a standard price, the costs absorbed become minimal. The purchase of these so-called luxury goods is aspirational in nature, and people are not necessarily concerned about acquiring beauty or even quality, but communicating to others that they aim to be part of a certain social class and share its ideology. This is why gigantic, shiny logos are so common among these well known, middle-income-orientated labels that nouveau riches and wannabes are desperate to showcase.

We're very much living in the Andersen tale about the fatuous emperor who was fooled into walking around in his underwear, by two con-men who said that anyone who couldn't see their magical fabric was either incompetent and stupid. The only difference is that instead of an emperor, large corporations are fooling everyone into thinking that the little mirrors they're selling are worth mountains of gold. How embarrassing for all of us.

They look good