Luxury Brands Producing Own Fakes?! A Deep Dive Into the Dark Side of Luxury Conspiracy Theories

I will concur some.we have a family friend (billionaire)… lives in the pelican hill estate mansions along with several properties across the country. She has a few real chanel, birkins, LVs, etc. Like a handful or so. BUT has several fakes too. She finds it dumb to overspend on those types of things rather than real estate, actual diamonds, business investments, etc. Makes sense I guess from that perspective. No one would ever expect her fake Kelly is fake since her 5 carat diamond and lambo is real. Save that 15k and go invest it? Maybe that’s why she’s a billionaire 🤷🏻‍♀️

I know FIRST HAND that some “fake” Chanel appears and feels the same as “authentic” bags— my best friend has a bunch of real & fake and some of the fakes are better quality literally.. They’re called “super fakes” and it would make a lot of sense if they were made in the same factory

Luxury items should be distinguished and identified by their superior quality and craftsmanship and not by their label and price tags...

If I owned a bag which cost over 10k there is no way I’d walk around the streets with it. Id be too scared of being mugged / attacked for it especially with things as they are at the moment. Going out with a fake Hermes is probably the safest option at the mo.

I don’t think the actual brands are counterfeiting, but I do think there are reasons why we’re seeing counterfeit quality meet and even exceed European brands: 1) Chinese workers are being brought to France and Italy with visas and even in boats offshore to produce in those countries so the brands can say they’re made in Europe while paying less for labor. Then those Chinese workers see their visas expire, they have to leave, and a new group is brought in. Eventually you have thousands of Chinese nationals trained in European leather making. They can then seek employment at counterfeiters. 2) A lot of elements of some brands and bags are being made in China, and only the finishing elements are done in Europe, so you then have independent Chinese factories who know the brands’ blueprints AND have workers trained to meet European standards. Once the contract ends, all they have to do is source leather (easy) and branded hardware (the only part where copyright infringement comes in) and they simply don’t stop making the bags. 3) Technology has made it easier than ever to source where the authentic leathers come from and obtain factory firsts and seconds, or obtain a similar leather or reproduce them if you can’t. It’s also easy to 3D print casts and molds for branded hardware. 4) New pricing strategies encourage counterfeits by making them more profitable. The further an item is priced from its cost of production, the more profitable reproducing the bag becomes. For example, when Chanel flaps were $1k, if they cost $150 to knock off and the customer will only pay 1/4 of the retail price for it, you can only make $100 per bag. But now that they’re $10k and prices are essentially divorced from the cost of production, if you can reproduce one perfectly for $500 and sell it for 1/5 of the retail price, that’s now $1500 in profit. The higher brands push prices, the more profitable 1:1 super fakes become. 5) Social media has increased brand and product exposure, simultaneously increasing the prime market for counterfeit goods, i.e. people who are aware of the goods but can’t comfortably afford them.

I think most ppl have the idea that Hermes artisans are like 50 year old italian/french dudes that have 30 years workmanship experience when in reality they are regular ppl pulled off the streets and go through few months of training lol.

When I spot someone staring at my real Chanel bag on the subway or in anywhere out in public. I reply “Canal Street”. People in NYC know that means fake😂

This reminds me of that scene in the House of Gucci movie when Lady Gaga’s character discovered the fake bag market and when she reported it the Uncle, he didn’t care! At this point it wouldn’t be a shocker if the brands are in on it as well.

Prices are so stupid now, who can blame anyone for buying replica? I have owned Chanel for 30 years and must have owned at least 80 bags at some time or other, you can only get away with silly prices if the quality matches, the quality is way off right now.

Also, this makes me super scared to keep buying vintage on the pre-owned market… 😳

They closed the replica forum on Reddit after the article was published! The cat was out of the bag so to speak!🤣

It is legal to make 80-90% of a product in China and finish a piece in France and still call it made in France, this is why the made in France tags are soo important to these brands. Because we believe the prestige. However, it is definitely happening with some brands that at high end but lack some quality control. Now is Chanel doing this? I’m not sure. If Hermes doing this? I’m not sure. I doubt they would let the public know. However, Chanel quality has been going down. Lv quality has gone down. Etc. I think what people try to game, is the ratio to what they spend verse what the cost to make the item is. The markup is ridiculous. Especially with Hermes, people want the prestige of Hermes and handmade item, but also being able to access it financially as well as just general accessibility. However, it’s ironic because the prestige is kept by keeping the supply low.

The fake chanel 22 might just be better. Lol.

As I've said before, fake sites are even duping vintage Chanel so buying vintage designs isn't safe either. I've heard rich people say that buying only real and obsessing over that is middle-class behaviour because they're trying to distinguish themselves from the poor (status signalling) but the rich just see it as "keeping up appearances". So it's a classism thing. With the risk of robbery, arguably it isn't worth it anymore but women in particular are expected to have a 'uniform' and well done on gaming that system!

First of all, stressing about not getting a Birkin in a particular color-way makes me sad for our society. I love my bags, but what privilege that this is what causes stress in someone's life. This has been a very existential video, what is reality...? Although the theory about luxury houses participating in the fakes market would be surreal, I can't believe they actually would. Can you imagine if this ever became public? The brands would plummet because who would ever buy from the store again? As someone who lives in NYC, I know the NYC mentality. There are always people who like to hustle, no matter how rich they are, and I can totally see that getting a really good fake probably gives these women a little adrenaline and dopamine boost. Gotta fill the time somehow 😆. Interesting topic for sure.

Before Chanel started implementing the chip, the replica industry already had them in their bags. I remember the Caramel colour came out a week before Chanel announced 21P. That should tell you something 🤔

Also lots of luxury brands have outlets around the world and the rumour has it that they produce lots of products only for their outlets with less quality. if they actually do this is there any reason why we shouldnt think they are making counterfeits for the public markets. ???

All you would need is an artisan who was employed to Hermes prior and access to materials. Wasn’t that what some of the artisans were doing as a side hustle. The Hermes games and quota system to create inflated perceived scarcity is 💣 up in their face 🤯

Always buy real diamonds, buy fake bags. I have a few real bags and regret the money I paid. But I’ll never buy fake jewellery

This video should go viral! 🤯 This is a conversation worth having it is one of the most thought provoking videos in the luxury community. I am excited about the continued conversation. Imagine the savvy you would need to have to purchase a super fake. I wouldn’t know where to begin. I am intrigued.