(no subject)
Here is the Louis Vuitton Duomo Damier Ebene Canvas Top Handle, retail price US$1,520.
On a trip to Batam with my sis some two years ago, we stumbled upon a shop at one of the better shopping malls. It sold quality knock-offs, and the Grade A counterfeits were really the spitting image of the real thing. The above was sold at the shop and was Grade A... and it could be had for around S$180.
The attention to detail was amazing. It was made of real leather too, not pleather or pig's skin. Even the clochette to hold the padlock keys was remarkably well-made. Honestly, it looked exactly like the real thing, and no one would be any the wiser.
But since I read the book Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Lustre by Dana Thomas, it got me thinking. If such authentic replicas can be produced at such a low cost, who's to know the luxury manufacturers aren't using the same methods but churning out an exponential profit at the end?
After all, the book revealed some pretty ugly truths about some brands that have no qualms claiming their products are "Made in Italy" when the reality is that the entire product could have been made in a beat-up China factory instead. When the goods get shipped back, the manufacturers could simply affix a "Made in Italy" label on an inner pocket, and this one minor step alone "qualifies" it as a "legitimate" product from a European country.
Now, if the consumer knew that, which would they go for? The Grade A counterfeit, or the "real" inflated thing?
Anyway, I'm rereading the book. It's wise to be reminded, I guess.