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  •  » wealthy Chinese shun Louis Vuitton and Gucci as too popular

#1 2017-09-09 00:54:38

The_Shooman
A pretty face
From: AUSTRALIA
Posts: 13179

wealthy Chinese shun Louis Vuitton and Gucci as too popular

As we know, L.V is almost like a mall brand now, oh so common. "In China, Louis Vuitton is seen as the brand that even your ai-yi, or domestic helper, can afford,". Those really in the know now shop for Hermes' because they know it is well above what the masses can afford.
https://www.cnbc.com/id/47723719

To me the LV status symbol is no longer. It is so massed produced and over exposed now. I like the quote "LV sell bad bags that make people poor".

Dana Thomas - Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Lustre
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmAlmNjIhew

So many suckers around these days....people with no real status wearing perceived status symbols long past the time when it used to mean something, and such common folk not knowing quality and status if it bit them on the backside.

 

#2 2017-09-09 10:59:32

Film Noir Buff
Dandy Nightmare
From: Devil's Island
Posts: 9340

Re: wealthy Chinese shun Louis Vuitton and Gucci as too popular

Fashion does revolve around status and even perceived status. And in the subset of fashion there is the category "Luxury". luxury, implies you have a seat at the table, that youre a member. it isnt something to get irritated by, it's what separates the civilized from the uncivilized. Luxury replaces baser, grimier instincts. It may be that the pursuit of luxury is a bad byproduct of a more refined ideal but it helps people to channel aggression which go against peaceful coexistence in city settings. 

It is true when a luxury brand becomes overexposed and too attainable, it loses caste and becomes an overpriced commodity. At this point, there is a grey area before the market catches up with the loophole of oversupply. Once that loophole is closed, a new luxury brand steps in to replace the old, discarded one.

 

#3 2017-09-10 06:16:10

Kingston1an
Member
Posts: 4109

Re: wealthy Chinese shun Louis Vuitton and Gucci as too popular

All cufflinks love brands. It is just a question of the brand maintaining its status for them. Knockoffs can kill a brands image.

You only have to look at the queues in the London sales. Chinese cannot get enough of upmarket brands. They don't do understated.


"Florid, smug, middle-aged golf club bore in this country I'd say. Propping up the 19th hole in deepest Surrey bemoaning the perils of immigration."

 

#4 2017-09-11 00:16:23

The_Shooman
A pretty face
From: AUSTRALIA
Posts: 13179

Re: wealthy Chinese shun Louis Vuitton and Gucci as too popular

 

#5 2017-09-11 20:36:36

Berkeley_Breathes
Member
From: Crabapple Cove, ME
Posts: 4519

Re: wealthy Chinese shun Louis Vuitton and Gucci as too popular

To my mind, it's lazy thinking to say "Asians are tacky and buy LV for vanity reasons" or whatever, as there are many different versions of this all over the world with many different products (say, Turnbull and Asser shirts, for example). There are many kinds of "Asian," of course - it would be interesting to see how these bags and status symbols are seen in Japan, Vietnam, etc...

My significant other is Filipino-American, and her mother loves bags. For her it is not necessarily one-upmanship or flashiness as much as reveling in something she earned, moving from a farm in the Philippines to (eventually) a white-collar job in New York City. She wants a bag that says "I'm successful" because she had to have things that said the opposite for so long...

I personally find all of these brands and the consumption of them relatively harmless... The collectivist versus individualist debate is interesting, and anything about how different cultures perceive products or possessions is fascinating precisely because it has so many layers... Oversimplification is the enemy... as is complacency. Or cynicism.

Hermes has certainly done a good job keeping their cachet intact, though. Very interesting topic Shooman.


"The only comment a gentleman’s outfit should generate is that he is properly dressed for the occasion" - Calvin Trillin

 

#6 2017-09-11 21:52:31

Goodyear welt
Ivyist At Large
Posts: 3089

Re: wealthy Chinese shun Louis Vuitton and Gucci as too popular

Designer brands in China cost around 30% more than UK prices. Which is pretty weird.


Rocking traditional, current and classic Italian Ivy since 2011.

 

#7 2017-09-12 19:19:29

The_Shooman
A pretty face
From: AUSTRALIA
Posts: 13179

Re: wealthy Chinese shun Louis Vuitton and Gucci as too popular

Last edited by The_Shooman (2017-09-12 19:30:58)

 

#8 2017-09-12 19:41:37

The_Shooman
A pretty face
From: AUSTRALIA
Posts: 13179

Re: wealthy Chinese shun Louis Vuitton and Gucci as too popular

 

#9 2017-09-12 20:19:28

Berkeley_Breathes
Member
From: Crabapple Cove, ME
Posts: 4519

Re: wealthy Chinese shun Louis Vuitton and Gucci as too popular


"The only comment a gentleman’s outfit should generate is that he is properly dressed for the occasion" - Calvin Trillin

 

#10 2017-09-12 22:15:20

The_Shooman
A pretty face
From: AUSTRALIA
Posts: 13179

Re: wealthy Chinese shun Louis Vuitton and Gucci as too popular

 

#11 2017-09-18 06:31:46

4F Hepcat
THE Cat
Posts: 14333

Re: wealthy Chinese shun Louis Vuitton and Gucci as too popular


Vibe-Rations in Spectra-Sonic-Sound

 

#12 2017-09-18 06:39:02

Berkeley_Breathes
Member
From: Crabapple Cove, ME
Posts: 4519

Re: wealthy Chinese shun Louis Vuitton and Gucci as too popular

Luxury is moving into the area of custom-made and personalized, for that exact reason.


"The only comment a gentleman’s outfit should generate is that he is properly dressed for the occasion" - Calvin Trillin

 

#13 2017-09-19 03:58:35

woofboxer
Devil's Ivy Advocate
From: The Lost County of Middlesex
Posts: 7959

Re: wealthy Chinese shun Louis Vuitton and Gucci as too popular


'I'm not that keen on the Average Look .......ever'. 
John Simons

Achievements: banned from the Ivy Style FB Group

 

#14 2017-09-20 17:49:19

The_Shooman
A pretty face
From: AUSTRALIA
Posts: 13179

Re: wealthy Chinese shun Louis Vuitton and Gucci as too popular

 

#15 2017-09-20 18:39:13

Berkeley_Breathes
Member
From: Crabapple Cove, ME
Posts: 4519

Re: wealthy Chinese shun Louis Vuitton and Gucci as too popular

An idea:

It seems to me that we're defining luxury as, "Company X makes a product that is very expensive and exclusive, and also unnecessary."

Then we're asking:

"What happens when Company X also offers things everybody can afford? Can the brand still be considered luxury if they offer less exclusive products?"

I would say yes. A luxury product is a luxury product is a luxury product. The most tricked out, high-end Mercedes is still luxury, even if they also offer entry-level versions that give peasants like ourselves the illusion of that luxury.

The expensive handbag is still luxury, even when owned by many, many people, because it is unnecessary and expensive. Even when owned by many, that expensive handbag is still "exclusive" because it is out of reach for so many.

I think we may be confusing a definition of luxury with a definition of demand by consumer. That is, a luxury handbag can still be luxury, but also be seen as undesirable because of how many people own it.

Hermes has managed their brand very well, so their bags, especially the Birkin, are both expensive and truly exclusive (or at least they have managed their image to continue to appear so). Alden shoes are a good example from our own world here on this forum. But I would argue that BMW is still a luxury brand.


"The only comment a gentleman’s outfit should generate is that he is properly dressed for the occasion" - Calvin Trillin

 

#16 2017-09-22 03:08:31

4F Hepcat
THE Cat
Posts: 14333

Re: wealthy Chinese shun Louis Vuitton and Gucci as too popular

I would say by definition, a luxury item cannot be mass produced. A good case in point: Rolex watches. By any means of cost, quality, longevity and the craft of watchmaking these are expensive pieces and one would think the bulk of the range Submariner, etc are luxury items. Not so say watch afficionados and collectors: they are work horses that whilst of extremely high quality and precision are mass produced. The true luxury begins above the Rolex brand.

So then you get into over elaborate and complex movements, one-offs and the kind of watch you can pay 3 grand for a service on. They don't tell the time any better, they're not necessariy going to last longer than other less expensive watches that you can leave as an heirloom, but they have added pointlessness.

Luxury is something that does the job, but has many layers of added superfluous details be it status and prestige, or pointless gimmicks and costly extras.

With cars its somewhat different, a luxury high-end car, generally has significant improvements in performance and unless it's a sport's car, comfort.


Vibe-Rations in Spectra-Sonic-Sound

 

#17 2017-09-22 11:10:09

Berkeley_Breathes
Member
From: Crabapple Cove, ME
Posts: 4519

Re: wealthy Chinese shun Louis Vuitton and Gucci as too popular

What about the Tesla conundrum, i.e. a luxury brand that actually wants to be accessible to all, but can't achieve it because of the things you say above, 4F ("a luxury item cannot be mass produced").


"The only comment a gentleman’s outfit should generate is that he is properly dressed for the occasion" - Calvin Trillin

 

#18 2017-09-22 11:47:50

4F Hepcat
THE Cat
Posts: 14333

Re: wealthy Chinese shun Louis Vuitton and Gucci as too popular

By definition you cannot be accessible to all and be a luxury item, as much of that "luxury" comes from not being affordable or accessible to the many. There's a quality of exclusiveness here.

If we are saying that electric cars are luxury, well, the inflection point for electric cars is going to come by the mid 2020s and we'll all be driving electric cars with long ranges and short recharge times. That will cease to be luxury then, it will be mainstream. And that's coming for sure. Also with the benefits better crumpled zones and safety aspects with the reduced space of the electric engines.

Tesla's not really luxury, it's just ahead of the curve....for now.

I am not 100% convinced that the luxury model works well with cars. There's always a point with cars to get you from A to B.


Vibe-Rations in Spectra-Sonic-Sound

 

#19 2017-09-22 13:36:34

Berkeley_Breathes
Member
From: Crabapple Cove, ME
Posts: 4519

Re: wealthy Chinese shun Louis Vuitton and Gucci as too popular

I mean, the Model S is in the luxury sedan class, so technically it is marketed as luxury.


"The only comment a gentleman’s outfit should generate is that he is properly dressed for the occasion" - Calvin Trillin

 

#20 2017-10-08 08:15:56

Beestonplace
Member
Posts: 1926

Re: wealthy Chinese shun Louis Vuitton and Gucci as too popular

And even then, there are many cars "above" an S-Class.


I LOVE , this foum

 

#21 2017-10-14 06:21:37

The_Shooman
A pretty face
From: AUSTRALIA
Posts: 13179

Re: wealthy Chinese shun Louis Vuitton and Gucci as too popular

Last edited by The_Shooman (2017-10-14 06:59:27)

 

#22 2017-10-14 07:08:11

Babbling Brooks
Member
Posts: 683

Re: wealthy Chinese shun Louis Vuitton and Gucci as too popular

I think there are plenty of men sad enough to do the same, maybe not with a purple alligator handbag though


You can play a shoestring if you're sincere.

 

#23 2017-10-14 07:45:00

Babbling Brooks
Member
Posts: 683

Re: wealthy Chinese shun Louis Vuitton and Gucci as too popular

Just referring back to whether there is an luxury left, well, in terms of when I worked for a furniture factory, making high end branded lines I would say yes there are still luxury brands. Typically they're not overly branded companies,they normally old school makers who have contracts with 'luxury' companies. Even in the same factory the level of workmanship that went into an own brand luxury sofa vs a heavily marketed and branded luxury line was huge. And the difference is typically what you can't see.


You can play a shoestring if you're sincere.

 

#24 2017-10-15 03:00:35

Goodyear welt
Ivyist At Large
Posts: 3089

Re: wealthy Chinese shun Louis Vuitton and Gucci as too popular

Dunhill suits are made by Zegna.


Rocking traditional, current and classic Italian Ivy since 2011.

 

#25 2017-10-15 20:28:59

The_Shooman
A pretty face
From: AUSTRALIA
Posts: 13179

Re: wealthy Chinese shun Louis Vuitton and Gucci as too popular

Last edited by The_Shooman (2017-10-15 20:41:17)

 
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