One of the reasons we are told not to buy fake goods is because it is linked to human trafficking. So if luxury houses are proved not to be respecting labour laws, then they are shooting themselves in the foot.
Luxury brands want to maximize profit, in any way possible. It’s not a coincidence that Arnault from LVMH is one of the richest people in the world, they turn so much profit from their products. Chanel owners are billionaires. Chanel bag costs probably $200-400 to make, tops, including materials and labor and they retail it for over $10K. Margins are 90% +. I suspect the very same shady factories who make bags for luxury brands also knock them off themselves, they already have the specs.
Has it occurred to you that it’s the mega corporations called luxury houses which peddle that bs (that subsequently gets supported by channels like this with little knowledge about the reality). Luxury fashion is nonsense and basically a giant lie. Whether people acknowledge it or not, the only reason to wear obvious labels is to show other people what you have.
When I was 12 my mom took me to the LV on Bloor Street in Toronto. I had my fake LV from *esluxy* on my arm and thought I was cute. The sweet sales ladies let me try on a bag and a pair of heels knowing we were not wealthy and couldn't afford to purchase anything. It as really nice. No one seemed to care I had a fake bag and I felt special. They even gave me a paper shopping bag which I used as a lunch bag for weeks after! :) Who cares if people don't have real ones? I'm 30 now and ironically, although I can afford them I still prefer real people with fake bags than fake people with real bags. Just saying :) (not that everyone who carries a real one is bad or vice versa.) Just means I don't care if people carry fakes.
Exactly…plausible deniability. That item SHOULD cost for than that to manufacture when taking into account materials, paying for overhead, etc. The fact that it only cost them $57 should have been a major red flag that something was not on the up and up. Someone at Dior was turning a blind eye and not auditing the location because they KNEW what they would find if they audited the place. So know they can say, ‘But we didn’t know!’ Maybe not everyone at Dior knew but there were definitely people that knew something was shady and ignored it.
Sophie, you have done nothing wrong to talk about it. When Dior goes to a supplier, Dior knows very well that it is not possible to make that bag with the details and craftsmanship at that price by having good working conditions. The problem is that Dior chooses to work with this low-cost supplier. Here, Dior has chosen profit over morality and they were caught in it. Dior is upset that they got caught, not that they choose to use this supplier. And that's the whole problem.
I read that the bags are sold to Dior for about $50-60 and they charge $5k-$6k. If they can’t run their business off that profit then they don’t deserve to be in business
As a journalist and fellow youtuber, I wanna point something out: we use ‘allegedly’ when we hear something from a friend or another YT creator or from social media posts. We DO NOT use allegedly when there is a police report and REUTERS articles. So, sorry Dior and LVMH, no allegedly here, these are facts and we talk about this accordingly. This Italy information is not gossip and I refuse to treat it as such. Just putting my two cents out there. Thanks for helping spread the word Sophie, these practices of workers exploitation and greed needs to stop.
That's absolutely not true! You use the term allegedly until such point there is a conviction. Any journalist knows that. However, you don't need to say 'alleged police report'... a police report is a police report and it is evidence. But evidence that needs to be tested in a court of law
@@sallysmith8848 in this particular case, it HAS been decided in the court by a judge, that workers were exploited in this facility and that this facility was working for Dior. So we don’t use the term allegedly.
Yes it's disgusting really, charging top money for an item that is made as cheaply as possible. These brands should be leading the way when it comes to ethical and sustainable manufacturing! All about profit £££ at the expense of human lives.
The courts in Italy made a ruling in regards to Dior. The manufacturers linked to those conditions are being punished by having an appointed 3rd party be in charge of operations for a year. It's no longer alleged, it's proven.
I used to go to Guangzhou a lot for work. My Chinese colleagues told me Valentino isn't popular with locals because it's well known that it is made in a factory in the city. I think this is happening on a larger scale than just Dior.
it 100% happens with make up too. There was an interesting subject about it as part of a netflix documentary on fakes and Jeffree star talked about it in that interview he did with Shane, where he explained the mark ups on expensive pallets
I'm curious to know if Dior will get sued for duping people into thinking they were buying quality bags? The champagne, the macarons, the VIP apointments, your "special" sales associate were just there to make you believe in the value of what you were paying for. It all seems like a massive joke and a humiliating lie.
Agree. No one needs to burn/destroy product following a scandal. Who would that serve? That company already has the customer’s hard-earned money, presumably the consumer bought it in good faith, and the absolute waste - and pollution - of burning usable items would be its own blight. And absolutely SO MANY humans employed in the supply chain including sales associates are not at fault at all.
My husband who couldn’t care less about this topic watched with me. I explained to him that when we spend a whole lot of money on something that we believe is made humanly, we will and should boycott a brand that has flat out lied to us.
I really can’t believe that in a capitalist society there are naive consumers who believe in the “brands”. Have you ever been a low class worker ? lol….. I have never once thought that luxury brands are manufacturing these items in good ethics and are not trying to scam us to the maximum profit.
I agree! I found articles way back around 2018. I think it was because there was no footage or images as evidence, so most people assumed for it to be a rumour.
Independence who you follow. One particular UA-camr always gets this information and makes videos well before anyone else. Yet he doesn’t have many followers compared to others. It’s also algorithm and I believe big brands flagging videos. But that last part is allegedly of course.
Aren't people paying thousands for a bag because they think that the bag is being made by artisans and incredibly high quality raw materials? The ads show artisans in a gorgeous workshop handmaking items. Are they misleading the consumer or is it FALSE advertising? At this point it's ALLEGED until the court resolves the issue. With the money that consumers spend, this story is a big deal. A basic clothes construction course or a basic glance at handbag and shoe making REVEALS the TRUTH about the industry. Know what you are buying. There's a reason exploitation exist. I guess if people PRETEND that it doesn't, the EXPLOITATION of the poor will continue.
You were the first! But so many people (at least 8 luxury YT I know) have spoke about this in the last week - thanks for standing up for what you believe in 👏🏽
Social media is absolutely the reason why the luxury industry IS what it is. The constant unboxing, hauls and craze for the latest IT item has ruined buying luxury for anyone.
I have never had a desire to purchase the luxury goods you discuss, but the UA-cam algorithm presented your video to me. You have a great deal of integrity discussing these issues.
Why would anyone suggest you burn your Dior stuff? There are plenty of innocent parties in this case such as the designers who designed such bag/ rtw, and you spending your hard earned money to buy such thing. My understanding is that most rtw only costs about 10% of retail. Then of course there is the overhead cost such as store front, insurance, staffing which adds another 10%. That’s why you see rtw mark downs tend to go down to 70% off at most since that still leaves a little bit of margin for department stores to recoup their costs for carrying said rtw. I had thought the cost of producing handbags is slightly higher than rtw since bags usually is more complicated to make than clothes. I never thought Dior would subcontracted out bags and rtw. The margin is insane. European Union should absolutely make a law so that all luxury houses need to make their own goods in house and 90% of the said items need to be actually made in France if they are stamped made in France.
It’s mass hysteria when people burn 🔥 things. I remember when John Lennon made a statement about “religion” and all the freaks burned all their Beatles records! Now worth millions 😂. We can look at the Beatles interview, and say wow he was always ahead of his time! Always do what you want; wear what you want- and others can do whatever they want…❤ I wonder if this is tied into the mass migration in the area??? 🤔
But that is the thing. Those bags should be more expensive rtw. But they aren’t because of corporate greed. And if it’s indeed 10% those bags shouldn’t be more then a Kate Spade or a Coach bag. Honestly they’ve been ripping everybody off and most people were defending these brands through the teeth. Hopefully this will create more awareness. We just make billionaires even richer for fomo
70% off is often sold with a loss. The margin on luxury RTW is lower than on other garments in the industry. That’s why most department stores and third party sellers can hardly make any money selling it.
I don't have a Dior but I'd be pissed knowing it was worth 57 dollars and Dior charged me $5,000+++ k. That's more than highway property. That is full blown greed.
So delighted to see you post about this Sophie. Thank you for being so dedicated to UA-cam, running 2 channels and your Pateron along with a full time job
Pretty sure if they dig deep enough they’ll find the same shady practices in every one of these luxury houses. Sad but true. Remember- people only show you what they want you to believe. Dior is about to implode like Balencagia. Not sure which one is worse! 🤦🏼♀️
But if anyone is going to talk about it, we would expect it to be you. You, after all, do represent designer everything and simply reporting what is already in the news isn't a crime. We appreciate hearing the bad, the good and the ugly!
It will probably not get disproven, but rather buried by LVMH. Personally, I don't think this is the only instance (and I don't even mean just Dior), we simply don't know about it.
So large companies when they slip up they need to fix it. If the Italian labor police didn’t check and investigated then this behavior would keep going. If we don’t talk about it, nothing will change. So I hope LVMH will look into this and fix their mistakes and improve going forward.
100% true I think a lot of designer products are made more cheaply than we think. "Made in Italy" is not the same thing as "100% made in Italy" they only requires a certain percentage of the item to be put together or manufactured in the country. I can't remember the % but remember it being surprisingly low! So these designer goods can be partially made in China (no shade to Chinese workers) where they can pay waaay less to make the bulk of the components, ship it over to Italy, put on some finishing touches, and charge 1000% more for it.
It's less than 1 %. French luxury brands will put the hardware on in France and they can stamp it with, made in France. The rest is made in 3rd world countries. No wonder they worry about dupes. these dupes are made by the same people that make the luxury items. lol
On this planet, any handbag costing thousands is making an insane markup. These luxury brands spend far more on marketing than the quality of their products. Dior's use of exploitative labor is not surprising. But shows what a farce their entire brand is. Wake up people! You're being lied to and scammed
It’s up to Dior, now, to come clean and make their production transparent. Not just a pretty video with dreamy visuals. The price increases COUPLED with the bad labor practices just makes these brands look vile! The clothes have not been that outstanding. It’s been literally a circus and freak show. Honestly, buying a fake from a producer who’s directly profiting doesn’t seem so bad.
Agreed. I have purchased a duplicate handbag for a friend when I was in Thailand. I don't usually purchase imitation anything, but there was a part of me that felt glad the funds were going directly to this sweet lady at her booth. Rather than the funds go to a huge corporation to make them even larger.
I wanted to add in California, that there is a California Transparency in Supply Chains Act that I found in the CH Carolina Herrera website. It requires “large manufacturers and retailers to disclose their efforts to stop slavery and human trafficking within their supply chains.” The act’s goal is to “educate consumers and enable them to make informed decisions.” In the CH website, they explained what they do as a business to meet this law. I find that refreshing. For example, they show their handbag is made in Spain and I know I watched somewhere in youtube that there is a town in Spain and this what they specialize in - well made handbags and hopefully they are getting paid fairly. In contrast, in the Prada website, they say their handbag is “Imported.” What does that mean, I don’t know. In my opinion, there is no transparency there and maybe I need to further research if I want to spend my hard earned money on a Prada handbag to make sure I am not part of the problem. There are also those Certified B Corp businesses. I know these are not perfect systems but at least there is effort to inform.
The Italian law enforcement agencies investigated this shop for one year and the evidence they found lead to this court action. It’s not alleged. It happened.
Hi Sophie, please don’t take this the wrong way and i don’t mean any offense but i’m quite surprised by some of your words and not sure why everyone is so surprised about the price of making these bags. the Tanner man(sorry i don’t remember his name) has been ripping these bags apart for ages and telling us how much they cost to make. However it’s quite clear to me that the cost of materials are very low and personally i imagined that the staff would just be on a basic wage,so the actual cost of the bag to make would still be a fraction of what they are charging (this is all brands in my eyes) but i Still love luxury and sometimes wish i didn’t, my 14 year old son asked me why i support people ripping us off🤷♀️
I feel like Tanner Leatherstein bases his calculations on ethical production though. So yeah, we always knew they were extremely overpriced but we didn’t know about the sweatshop labour and exploitation.
Any retail item costs a fraction of the selling price to produce. The only product that I know of that’s an exception is cars. Markup on cars is minimal compared to items like clothes and electronics.
I saw the video you were talking about with the guy making the wallet, that was crazy! I'm glad you talked about it, since you have, there are a number of UA-camrs that have since spoken out about it. And yes, you were basically just reading other articles out there. You go girl! If someone is mad at you over it, that speaks more about them than it does you. All of this has definitely changed my opinion of luxury brands in an even bigger way than before.
Hi Sophie, I used to work in the jewellery industry for some of the biggest brands. I can assure you the conditions where below optimal. Many of my coworkers, including me, had health problems because of this and the companies just don't care. I'm talking ateliers in France belonging to big names from Place Vendôme.
I'm not at all surprised at how little a luxury brand pays for their products vs their markup. Most company margins are at least 30% after all is said and done. There are a lot of reasons for the markup as Tanner Leatherstein's YT videos have shown. Overall, the main thing consumers are essentially paying for is the brand's name/reputation which is a fairly intangible value.
A $57 bag selling for $2700 is a 47x markup. $57 is 2.11% of $2700. A saw a report of other another brand having a margin of 86% (in Colorful Noir’s video about this topic).
If the designs are original and hard to replicate without infringing someone's copyright then I suppose it can make sense. I mean those paintings are even more expensive so far. But fashion designs that are only practical are easier to copy, but it could be so that they indeed invented the look, but it's so far ago that the design is now just commonplace. I heard lv designed a more practical luggage of their time, original, nowadays it's just common.
I agree with you. Don’t destroy your pieces. You already paid for them and someone did spend their time on it. On another note, this happens in nearly all categories or industries; shoes, clothes, jewelry, restaurants, construction, etc. We think “it’s work, I have to do it”sort of. You know what I mean? Most I’d say comes down to labor laws varying across countries.
I have been putting-off buying a Lady Dior and Book Tote for other brands. But I have decided to not purchase anything from Dior because of this issue.
I feel that conditions in some factories in Italy are a bit of an open secret, tannerys that produce leather for major top luxury brands have (allegedly) not paid workers and when the workers asked for their wages two of them were (allegedly) beaten to death.
When I was younger, I heard my Mother talking about luxury bags and this is associated with the rich folks. In the Philippines, take for example Imelda Marcos, the former First Lady and Imelda Cojuangco, and the Socialites and Elites of the Old Manila. They usually would wear very expensive bags and clothing and their jewelries were actually stored in the banks and not at home, since these jewelries are small and dainty but they are jewelries very similar to the ones owned by the royal families of England. There were stories that when they watch Oscars and other award shows where celebrities wore borrowed jewelries, these ladies were amused since those type of jewelries are something they owned, not borrowed. The luxury that time is equivalent to luxury living, their houses, cars, maids, drivers and body guards. The fussiness of closing the bag does not bother them, the maid can hold it for them. When they shop, they have maids and body guards following them. They are not bothered by the rain because when they are ready to leave, their drivers will fetch them. Someone will carry their umbrella. They are not bothered by thieves robbing them since they have two or three body guards following them.
Sophie!! Thank you for putting the info out there. It is certainly something for us all to be aware of and to follow. You look so gorgeous today and I love your videos. Hi David!!
I've already been buying less designer, I'm appauled that people with this amount of money and power choose to abuse their position. I'm not opposed to buying a fake now, considering selling more of my designer items.
Multi national companies are thugs. Including LVMH. Glad you did not take the video down. And I was aghast when people started cutting up Balenciaga bags after their downfall. I sympathise with your hope that it will all be disproven but it seems unlikely. It is right to say ‘alleged’ until proven but I doubt it would have gone this far without a basis in reality. I am sticking to lower priced bags. The luxury brands do not want me! Thank you for the video. PS. Factoring in Dior’s extra costs, advertising and buildings etc, the cost would go above the low price quoted but still a lot less than the price charged.
I think it’s time that we all looked at our consumerism, and how our purchasing of luxury items that feeds the increasingly outrageous behaviour of LVMH and the like, whose practices (whether sub-contacted or not) “allegedly” are damaging the wellbeing of their workers and the environment. How many handbags/clothes/jewellery do we really need? Believe me I’m as guilty of multiple purchases as the next person, but I’d decided a few years ago that the price increases across the luxury market was pure greed. The “alleged” news of slave labour behind luxury brands means I’m out of the market and will not support it in any way - I don’t need luxury at the expense of someone else’s life!
I really like your content! I saw fellow youtuber Cassie doing a video on the topic too. It is shocking, but not surprising. I am from Bulgaria, and many Bulgarians work in Italy for luxury brands. To be honest, some brands have facilities in Bulgaria too. The conditions are pretty much the same, and people are not payd as they should be, but at least they say that thay have a job. Materials come from Turkey. And they cost less. So this is why I would never buy from a luxury brand - I just cannot justify the price.
It's long overdue that consumers need to end the extreme status signaling through the continual support of these highly manipulative and exploitative conglomerates.
Luxury brands have been profiting from social media and influencers without having to pay for the work. However social media can also destroy a brand and cancel culture is strong.
@@SophieShohetOfficial also, remember, that you are not responsible for this, and at least you are doing the right thing by speaking up.and not giving Dior any money. Plus, many products we all buy that are not even luxury items have issues with slave labor. No one's hand are clean, and the best we can do is try not to buy things that are made unethically where we can. You're doing well. Don't worry.
@@ms_cartographer I so appreciate your kind words and feedback, honestly, thank you so much 🙏 I don’t feel I could have ‘not’ spoken about this. Hugs xx🩷
@@SophieShohetOfficial I love your videos. They give me lots of motivation as a working woman trying to move up in the field of GIS, and I really appreciate your career advice.
I haven't heard from Natalie Portman (face of Lady Dior) about this... isn't she an activist and vegan for ethical reasons? The hypocrisy around this is astounding and I'm glad you're addressing it
Hi Sophie, not alledged, the Task Force in Italy is very reliable and they discover a lot of things like this all the time. They don't waist their time just for fun, they work hard to get to the point. I would not be surprised that LVMH with all the money comes out clean but their hands are dirty, they need to check very well who they comission to produce their goods, they must know that for the little money they pay someone gets exploited or should we think that they are stupid?
UA-camrs have to be very careful with wording because if not it leaves them liable to be sued. Sophie is sensible and knows she needs to say “alleged” at this point especially while the investigation is going on. Now, let’s face it, even AFTER the investigation, the ‘allegations’ are still not likely to be proven, so it’ll most likely be referred to as “alleged” until (as Sophie points out) it’ll be largely forgotten/buried and then not mentioned at all.
I dont think anyone hates you for talking about it. If anything, I think it highlights your integrity and willingness to share fashion news with everyone. I dont think anyone worth a dime is going to be upset.
Thank you for making this video Sophie. I think it’s so important that you cover it. Many of us watch you not just because you showcase your lux items but because you talk about so many issues surrounding it, whether it’s the good, the bad or the ugly. I don’t think you are a hypocrite for not destroying your Dior stuff. That won’t help anyone. Continue to enjoy the pieces you have. And on a slight tangent, you look AMAZING in your all-white outfit! Make up and hair on point and with the earrings! Seriously giving me style inspo! I’m now looking for a white blazer 🤍🤍🤍
Ms. Sophie, This video is inspiring. Think of all the people who have been employed to make these items (and might be suffering), your videos might be increasing awareness and improving their lives. Most importantly recognizing that they are people and deserve to be treated fairly. What the luxury brands have been allegedly doing is not your fault. Stay steady. ❤
Make LVMH on the whole step up and show their labor conditions. You KNOW this is not just Dior, which I also love - just bought a necklace BTW, this is LVMH and the other clothing conglomerates. I try to buy most things direct from the original producer, if I can. Etsy has lots of independent workshops and seamstresses who are putting their work online. Sometimes the older design houses put out something I really like, though, so I pick it up. Don’t burn your Dior unless you are getting rid of all LVMH. And every other major manufacturer. Just like pushing to get rid of PABA out of make up, brands need to be pushed to make their labor practices transparent.
I feel your pain through this video, I've seen your videos over the years and Dior has been your most favorite brand. It is a let down to find out the unfair practices they chose to do. Hopefully they can make positive changes. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
I think its great you made the video. Its important news to those who buy from these brands. Fast fashion brands get it in the neck (and so they should) over this stuff all the time, lux fashion brands need to be held accountable to the same if not higher standards and should equally get it in the neck & shamed publicly in the same way for these terrible working practises and treating humans in apauling ways. Some of these luxury companies are getting greedier & greedier they deserve to loose sales and customers. They dont care about customer service and quality any more
I grew up in Los Angeles- and there’s so many shops carrying LVMH products. (Aside from title stores, there’s Bloomingdale’s, Sak’s, Neimans etc. Times that by all the major cities in the world/ airports/ etc and you realize how many of these products are made. It would be incredibly difficult to keep up the quality for HUNDREDS of stores/retailers. They’re nice to look at, but I don’t think they’ve upheld quality for a long time.
Goes for all products really. Most products cost almost nothing to produce. For example, make-up costs nothing to produce at all and still, we are willing to pay eg £30 pounds for a face cream. Yesterday I saw a hair oil which costs £110 pounds (Sisley hair) for 60ml. This is absolutely ridiculous as the cost of producing a product like that is more likely under £1 pound.
We love David 😄 well done to him for supporting you and for also putting some perspective on what you said. Well done Sophie for covering this. I understand why you were apprehensive and wanted to take your post down but as you said ethically it was right that you did speak on it. Love ALL of your content x
It's been known for years that luxury houses have used factories in Tuscany to produce items. Not just bags but silk Hermes scarves. If u have contacts u can buy a dozen scarves for less than the price of one in boutique.
Been hearing about this for over the last week. Even though I don’t agree with what is happening if it is true, Dior is my favorite brand and I don’t believe that they are the only luxury brand doing this. If people are going to burn Dior, they might as well start burning all of the luxury brands. They all have there dark closets. If I am going to stop carrying my Dior, I might as well stop carrying all luxury brands. I will continue to carry all of the items I paid my hard earned money for. I have already decreased the amount of luxury items I purchase. They are all out of control.
We need to unity and call this BS out. It doesn’t matter what funding someone owns. Everyone is buying is being robbed legally illegally. And truly unfair. I don’t think the founders of these brands would be proud to know this.
I was so glad to see your initial video on this topic. I think that difficult topics are worth discussing even when it makes us uncomfortable. Perhaps, the discomfort makes it even more important to be vocal. Thanks for being vulnerable!
There is no use in burning anything. It’s like burning the Harry Potter books, it has no tangible use. Also, you’re the only one I’ve heard about the scandal from and it’s that kind of integrity I like so much about you.
Its really good to watch making this video and dont feel bad of speaking up ! Your not the one whos in the wrong , you enjoy the brand. Its disrespectful for your hard earned money to destroy the items … just be as truthful as you are .. im so proud that i am one of your subscriber xx ❤❤❤ much love and respect
Much respect! I saw about this on Canadian News. I don't know what I would do regarding wearing merchandise from Dior. I think I would put aside the bags for this season until the issue is resolved. I would not get rid of anything as they are lovely. There is a lot of finger pointing going on beyond Dior ( Government agencies and the like) .
It makes no sense to destroy something hard earned money was already spent on. It’s even crazier when people buy something during a protest/boycott to film themselves destroying it. Idk why people even ask this question, it’s so nonsensical
Thank you for your honest commentary about the recent Dior scandal. I have one Lady Dior handbag and a few SLG's, which I dearly love. Hopefully, I will continue to use them in the future. With that being said, I have been saving my money to purchase another Lady Dior handbag in the fall. However, after reading about the labor issues in Italy, now I am questioning whether I will do it. I am greatly saddened to think about those Chinese laborers being abused, working in horrible conditions. Another question I have is what other luxury brands are guilty of following the same practices? Take care, Sophie! 💜 P.S. You look absolutely beautiful today!😍
It's not the first time I hear a story like this when it comes to luxury brands. I don't know why this is shocking to people. It is very sad indeed and wrong and criminal, but not a shocker to me. I'm glad I never buy from luxurious brands, I genuinely never like their style anyways... You didn't do anything wrong like you said, you were just reporting the news and the people need to know that this is happening.
I work for a small company, our product are made either from china or eastern Europe. The part made in China can’t be made in Europe as we don’t have our the industry to make it in one go here. We have to have a team in HK to help us contact Chinese suppliers, and I am Our customer (big stores) now are asking us to show them some proof of auditing in the factory, and that makes them panic every time. Communication is already difficult because of different business cultures (which is fair and why we do need intermediaries) but god it feels like we are all working with shady businesses when we need quality controls. I am not sure but i think LV is opening new factories in France, so there is hope to have better wage and working conditions. All luxury brands are going to manufacture again in western countries, sooner or later. Nobody wants luxury products manufactured in the same cheap factories than your groceries store brand.
But as somebody said, even if the workers have better working condition, selling a bag $5k that is worth $53 to make is unethical. Only a FOOL will still choose to procure such “alleged” luxury items.
Hi lovely Sophie. I think it will die off soon and I’m convinced there are other luxury brands out there who are doing exactly the same. I don’t think you have any reason to be afraid of your SA’s, it has more than likely been a shock to them also, many who are selling the products, will be embarrassed too. Luv E xx
Support you all the way from Japan. You shouldn't be fear to speak up about this alleged news about Dior. In fact, Dior or LVMH should be ashamed of and start reviewing their ethics.
I’m glad you posted the video. I know free speech is viewed differently around the world, but it’s so important to me. Thank you for your work on this.
Sophie, Great and insightful video. The issue that I am having as a whole is the following: people/human beings have a short-term memory. Let’s take a few steps back here: - Coco Chanel “allegedly” was involved with the Nazis. And all we care about today is the outrageous price increases left right and center (don’t even get me started with the departure of their former Creative Director). Did we stop buying the brand? - Nike was the very 1st brand put on the radar was kids exploitation to reduce their costs. And every now and then, they even sponsor the Olympic Games.Did we stop wearing the brand? - Skims - Kim Kardashian brand is now a brand used to support athletes for worldwide events. I mean, what the hell is going on? - The Balenciaga campaign is another one: most YT influencers are like: I stop wearing the brand. Good for you when you have 20+ different ones seating in your closet. - Karl Lagerfeld was fat shaming people; - I believe is it the CEO or founder of LuluLemon that had the audacity to say that their brand was not designed for fat people (something f around those lines) etc.; etc. The list goes on and on and on ! As a consumer, where do we draw the line? Why don’t companies simply file for bankruptcy due to lack of integrity? Why don’t the UN/ European Commission or any other global institutions put in place proper painful fines / sanctions for e.g. for all these corporations?
Hi sophie❤ i have been a sub since u had 1k subs and ive always known dior is ur fav brand ur the reason i got my dior bag..its gotta be heartbreaking for u Sophie and to be honest u are the perfect person to have brought this out urve always been so caring and honest to ur followers and subs who u consider friends in a lot of ur vlogs thats why we love ya❤ just keep being u sophie🫶🙌to u and david.
Designer bags cost crazy amounts of money and we all know we pay mostly for the name but don't we like to fool ourselves into thinking that with the prices we're paying we could at least be halfway sure to get somewhat good quality material and workers were being paid somewhat okay wages? Hahaha, obviously not so much 😂😂😂 Thank you for speaking about the issue.
One of the reasons we are told not to buy fake goods is because it is linked to human trafficking. So if luxury houses are proved not to be respecting labour laws, then they are shooting themselves in the foot.
Luxury brands want to maximize profit, in any way possible. It’s not a coincidence that Arnault from LVMH is one of the richest people in the world, they turn so much profit from their products. Chanel owners are billionaires. Chanel bag costs probably $200-400 to make, tops, including materials and labor and they retail it for over $10K. Margins are 90% +. I suspect the very same shady factories who make bags for luxury brands also knock them off themselves, they already have the specs.
IM NOT THE LEAST BIT SURPRISED BY ANY OF THIS-- BUYING THERE OVERPRICED GOODS IS A SUCKER RACKET
Excellent point!
Has it occurred to you that it’s the mega corporations called luxury houses which peddle that bs (that subsequently gets supported by channels like this with little knowledge about the reality). Luxury fashion is nonsense and basically a giant lie. Whether people acknowledge it or not, the only reason to wear obvious labels is to show other people what you have.
When I was 12 my mom took me to the LV on Bloor Street in Toronto. I had my fake LV from *esluxy* on my arm and thought I was cute. The sweet sales ladies let me try on a bag and a pair of heels knowing we were not wealthy and couldn't afford to purchase anything. It as really nice. No one seemed to care I had a fake bag and I felt special. They even gave me a paper shopping bag which I used as a lunch bag for weeks after! :) Who cares if people don't have real ones? I'm 30 now and ironically, although I can afford them I still prefer real people with fake bags than fake people with real bags. Just saying :) (not that everyone who carries a real one is bad or vice versa.) Just means I don't care if people carry fakes.
The fact that Dior did not check that place is not enough excuse to claim they "didn't know" when they're paying $57 dollars per bag, THEY KNEW.
Exactly…plausible deniability. That item SHOULD cost for than that to manufacture when taking into account materials, paying for overhead, etc. The fact that it only cost them $57 should have been a major red flag that something was not on the up and up. Someone at Dior was turning a blind eye and not auditing the location because they KNEW what they would find if they audited the place. So know they can say, ‘But we didn’t know!’ Maybe not everyone at Dior knew but there were definitely people that knew something was shady and ignored it.
I don't believe that... when company orders their private label from other company, they have every right to check them at any time..
They really put up a Balenciaga move right there
Exactly 👍🏻
My mom bought an LV from *esluxy* and she loves it. It’s been there for over 10 years when she went out.
Sophie, you have done nothing wrong to talk about it. When Dior goes to a supplier, Dior knows very well that it is not possible to make that bag with the details and craftsmanship at that price by having good working conditions. The problem is that Dior chooses to work with this low-cost supplier. Here, Dior has chosen profit over morality and they were caught in it. Dior is upset that they got caught, not that they choose to use this supplier. And that's the whole problem.
Well stated.
💯
I agree
I read that the bags are sold to Dior for about $50-60 and they charge $5k-$6k. If they can’t run their business off that profit then they don’t deserve to be in business
Exactly they know but pretend not to know/save themselves by having a proxy supplier
I am tired of luxury brands bullying people
Hermes’ gives bonuses to staff based on sales. All staff - which is a class act.
@@moiraverwijk4134most companies that are centered around sales give incentives and bonuses to staff. That’s not abnormal.
They're so nice to me and I'm currently a window shopper type of shopper regarding retail lol
@@moiraverwijk4134 better than Chanel!!!;
They are not family they are just after the commission!
As a journalist and fellow youtuber, I wanna point something out: we use ‘allegedly’ when we hear something from a friend or another YT creator or from social media posts. We DO NOT use allegedly when there is a police report and REUTERS articles. So, sorry Dior and LVMH, no allegedly here, these are facts and we talk about this accordingly. This Italy information is not gossip and I refuse to treat it as such. Just putting my two cents out there. Thanks for helping spread the word Sophie, these practices of workers exploitation and greed needs to stop.
That's absolutely not true! You use the term allegedly until such point there is a conviction. Any journalist knows that. However, you don't need to say 'alleged police report'... a police report is a police report and it is evidence. But evidence that needs to be tested in a court of law
@@sallysmith8848 in this particular case, it HAS been decided in the court by a judge, that workers were exploited in this facility and that this facility was working for Dior. So we don’t use the term allegedly.
I think your comment needs to be seen by everyone.
Luxury brands demonising ‘replica’/‘fake’ bags meanwhile they are all made in the same Chinese factories home and abroad.
Exactly and basically it’s all replica until Dior buys it?!🧐
@@inelsclassics4378 exactly what I've been saying for years. I bet they own it all (or most of it)... And collect all (or most of) the money.
It’s extremely silly to burn your Dior items. Just don’t buy any more from them.
Agreed, those are pretty hefty investments
These are all my favorite*preluxz* ！
@cecilyerker agree! you can sell them if you don't wear them anymore.
You did just right Sophie! We as luxury consumers know the items are overpriced. But we hope we are paying for brand name , quality and fair labour.
This is why i am so angry and disappointed. We hold luxury brands to a higher standard.
Exact. To me it’s an ethical issue buying things where I know the workers are treated poorly.
Yes it's disgusting really, charging top money for an item that is made as cheaply as possible. These brands should be leading the way when it comes to ethical and sustainable manufacturing! All about profit £££ at the expense of human lives.
The courts in Italy made a ruling in regards to Dior. The manufacturers linked to those conditions are being punished by having an appointed 3rd party be in charge of operations for a year. It's no longer alleged, it's proven.
Exactly. It’s not alleged. The factory was under investigation for a year. They had proof.
I used to go to Guangzhou a lot for work. My Chinese colleagues told me Valentino isn't popular with locals because it's well known that it is made in a factory in the city. I think this is happening on a larger scale than just Dior.
it 100% happens with make up too. There was an interesting subject about it as part of a netflix documentary on fakes and Jeffree star talked about it in that interview he did with Shane, where he explained the mark ups on expensive pallets
@@jadiecakes3241what is the title of that documentary?
@anna_ania9190 its a series called Broken and the episode is makeup mayhem.
I'm curious to know if Dior will get sued for duping people into thinking they were buying quality bags? The champagne, the macarons, the VIP apointments, your "special" sales associate were just there to make you believe in the value of what you were paying for. It all seems like a massive joke and a humiliating lie.
Agree.
No one needs to burn/destroy product following a scandal. Who would that serve? That company already has the customer’s hard-earned money, presumably the consumer bought it in good faith, and the absolute waste - and pollution - of burning usable items would be its own blight.
And absolutely SO MANY humans employed in the supply chain including sales associates are not at fault at all.
My husband who couldn’t care less about this topic watched with me. I explained to him that when we spend a whole lot of money on something that we believe is made humanly, we will and should boycott a brand that has flat out lied to us.
Agree. Not sure why anyone would continue to buy or carry from this brand. I would be embarrassed if these “allegations” are true.
I really can’t believe that in a capitalist society there are naive consumers who believe in the “brands”. Have you ever been a low class worker ? lol….. I have never once thought that luxury brands are manufacturing these items in good ethics and are not trying to scam us to the maximum profit.
I was surprised that so little information about it appeared in the media or even UA-cam. Now I completely understand it.
I agree! I found articles way back around 2018. I think it was because there was no footage or images as evidence, so most people assumed for it to be a rumour.
Independence who you follow. One particular UA-camr always gets this information and makes videos well before anyone else. Yet he doesn’t have many followers compared to others. It’s also algorithm and I believe big brands flagging videos. But that last part is allegedly of course.
Aren't people paying thousands for a bag because they think that the bag is being made by artisans and incredibly high quality raw materials? The ads show artisans in a gorgeous workshop handmaking items. Are they misleading the consumer or is it FALSE advertising? At this point it's ALLEGED until the court resolves the issue. With the money that consumers spend, this story is a big deal. A basic clothes construction course or a basic glance at handbag and shoe making REVEALS the TRUTH about the industry. Know what you are buying. There's a reason exploitation exist. I guess if people PRETEND that it doesn't, the EXPLOITATION of the poor will continue.
Louis Vuitton was told to remove an ad that showed a woman hand sewing a bag in around 2012 because it was false advertising.
You were the first! But so many people (at least 8 luxury YT I know) have spoke about this in the last week - thanks for standing up for what you believe in 👏🏽
Ahhh phew! Glad it’s not just me now 😅🫣 thank you so much my friend xx
Social media is absolutely the reason why the luxury industry IS what it is. The constant unboxing, hauls and craze for the latest IT item has ruined buying luxury for anyone.
Big time
I have never had a desire to purchase the luxury goods you discuss, but the UA-cam algorithm presented your video to me. You have a great deal of integrity discussing these issues.
Why would anyone suggest you burn your Dior stuff? There are plenty of innocent parties in this case such as the designers who designed such bag/ rtw, and you spending your hard earned money to buy such thing. My understanding is that most rtw only costs about 10% of retail. Then of course there is the overhead cost such as store front, insurance, staffing which adds another 10%. That’s why you see rtw mark downs tend to go down to 70% off at most since that still leaves a little bit of margin for department stores to recoup their costs for carrying said rtw. I had thought the cost of producing handbags is slightly higher than rtw since bags usually is more complicated to make than clothes. I never thought Dior would subcontracted out bags and rtw. The margin is insane. European Union should absolutely make a law so that all luxury houses need to make their own goods in house and 90% of the said items need to be actually made in France if they are stamped made in France.
It’s mass hysteria when people burn 🔥 things. I remember when John Lennon made a statement about “religion” and all the freaks burned all their Beatles records! Now worth millions 😂. We can look at the Beatles interview, and say wow he was always ahead of his time! Always do what you want; wear what you want- and others can do whatever they want…❤ I wonder if this is tied into the mass migration in the area??? 🤔
But that is the thing. Those bags should be more expensive rtw. But they aren’t because of corporate greed. And if it’s indeed 10% those bags shouldn’t be more then a Kate Spade or a Coach bag.
Honestly they’ve been ripping everybody off and most people were defending these brands through the teeth.
Hopefully this will create more awareness.
We just make billionaires even richer for fomo
70% off is often sold with a loss. The margin on luxury RTW is lower than on other garments in the industry. That’s why most department stores and third party sellers can hardly make any money selling it.
I don't have a Dior but I'd be pissed knowing it was worth 57 dollars and Dior charged me $5,000+++ k. That's more than highway property. That is full blown greed.
So delighted to see you post about this Sophie. Thank you for being so dedicated to UA-cam, running 2 channels and your Pateron along with a full time job
Thank you so much ALWAYS for the love and support my friend 🙏 I appreciate you so much. Apologies for the late video!xx🩷
Pretty sure if they dig deep enough they’ll find the same shady practices in every one of these luxury houses. Sad but true. Remember- people only show you what they want you to believe.
Dior is about to implode like Balencagia. Not sure which one is worse! 🤦🏼♀️
I despise Balenciaga
But if anyone is going to talk about it, we would expect it to be you. You, after all, do represent designer everything and simply reporting what is already in the news isn't a crime. We appreciate hearing the bad, the good and the ugly!
I appreciate that feedback, thank you my friend 🙏 yes I know what you mean, it wouldn’t have been right to have ignored it xx🩷🩷
It will probably not get disproven, but rather buried by LVMH. Personally, I don't think this is the only instance (and I don't even mean just Dior), we simply don't know about it.
So large companies when they slip up they need to fix it. If the Italian labor police didn’t check and investigated then this behavior would keep going. If we don’t talk about it, nothing will change. So I hope LVMH will look into this and fix their mistakes and improve going forward.
100% true
I think a lot of designer products are made more cheaply than we think. "Made in Italy" is not the same thing as "100% made in Italy" they only requires a certain percentage of the item to be put together or manufactured in the country. I can't remember the % but remember it being surprisingly low! So these designer goods can be partially made in China (no shade to Chinese workers) where they can pay waaay less to make the bulk of the components, ship it over to Italy, put on some finishing touches, and charge 1000% more for it.
It's less than 1 %. French luxury brands will put the hardware on in France and they can stamp it with, made in France. The rest is made in 3rd world countries. No wonder they worry about dupes. these dupes are made by the same people that make the luxury items. lol
On this planet, any handbag costing thousands is making an insane markup. These luxury brands spend far more on marketing than the quality of their products. Dior's use of exploitative labor is not surprising. But shows what a farce their entire brand is. Wake up people! You're being lied to and scammed
It’s up to Dior, now, to come clean and make their production transparent. Not just a pretty video with dreamy visuals.
The price increases COUPLED with the bad labor practices just makes these brands look vile! The clothes have not been that outstanding. It’s been literally a circus and freak show.
Honestly, buying a fake from a producer who’s directly profiting doesn’t seem so bad.
Agreed. I have purchased a duplicate handbag for a friend when I was in Thailand. I don't usually purchase imitation anything, but there was a part of me that felt glad the funds were going directly to this sweet lady at her booth. Rather than the funds go to a huge corporation to make them even larger.
I wanted to add in California, that there is a California Transparency in Supply Chains Act that I found in the CH Carolina Herrera website. It requires “large manufacturers and retailers to disclose their efforts to stop slavery and human trafficking within their supply chains.” The act’s goal is to “educate consumers and enable them to make informed decisions.” In the CH website, they explained what they do as a business to meet this law. I find that refreshing. For example, they show their handbag is made in Spain and I know I watched somewhere in youtube that there is a town in Spain and this what they specialize in - well made handbags and hopefully they are getting paid fairly. In contrast, in the Prada website, they say their handbag is “Imported.” What does that mean, I don’t know. In my opinion, there is no transparency there and maybe I need to further research if I want to spend my hard earned money on a Prada handbag to make sure I am not part of the problem. There are also those Certified B Corp businesses. I know these are not perfect systems but at least there is effort to inform.
This town in Spain is Ubrique.
@@missswiss7538 Thank you.
The Italian law enforcement agencies investigated this shop for one year and the evidence they found lead to this court action. It’s not alleged. It happened.
Hi Sophie, please don’t take this the wrong way and i don’t mean any offense but i’m quite surprised by some of your words and not sure why everyone is so surprised about the price of making these bags. the Tanner man(sorry i don’t remember his name) has been ripping these bags apart for ages and telling us how much they cost to make. However it’s quite clear to me that the cost of materials are very low and personally i imagined that the staff would just be on a basic wage,so the actual cost of the bag to make would still be a fraction of what they are charging (this is all brands in my eyes) but i Still love luxury and sometimes wish i didn’t, my 14 year old son asked me why i support people ripping us off🤷♀️
I feel like Tanner Leatherstein bases his calculations on ethical production though. So yeah, we always knew they were extremely overpriced but we didn’t know about the sweatshop labour and exploitation.
There have been stories about it for ages. People just didn’t want to know
Any retail item costs a fraction of the selling price to produce. The only product that I know of that’s an exception is cars. Markup on cars is minimal compared to items like clothes and electronics.
I saw the video you were talking about with the guy making the wallet, that was crazy! I'm glad you talked about it, since you have, there are a number of UA-camrs that have since spoken out about it. And yes, you were basically just reading other articles out there. You go girl! If someone is mad at you over it, that speaks more about them than it does you. All of this has definitely changed my opinion of luxury brands in an even bigger way than before.
even if the working environment was great. $5000 for a $57 bag is stupid.
Hi Sophie, I used to work in the jewellery industry for some of the biggest brands. I can assure you the conditions where below optimal. Many of my coworkers, including me, had health problems because of this and the companies just don't care. I'm talking ateliers in France belonging to big names from Place Vendôme.
I just don’t see how ANYONE can be shocked by this news.
Same! No one wants to know.
I wouldn’t say shocked, more so excited, bordering on aroused by the news
I'm not at all surprised at how little a luxury brand pays for their products vs their markup. Most company margins are at least 30% after all is said and done. There are a lot of reasons for the markup as Tanner Leatherstein's YT videos have shown. Overall, the main thing consumers are essentially paying for is the brand's name/reputation which is a fairly intangible value.
A $57 bag selling for $2700 is a 47x markup. $57 is 2.11% of $2700. A saw a report of other another brand having a margin of 86% (in Colorful Noir’s video about this topic).
If the designs are original and hard to replicate without infringing someone's copyright then I suppose it can make sense. I mean those paintings are even more expensive so far.
But fashion designs that are only practical are easier to copy, but it could be so that they indeed invented the look, but it's so far ago that the design is now just commonplace. I heard lv designed a more practical luggage of their time, original, nowadays it's just common.
I agree with you. Don’t destroy your pieces. You already paid for them and someone did spend their time on it. On another note, this happens in nearly all categories or industries; shoes, clothes, jewelry, restaurants, construction, etc. We think “it’s work, I have to do it”sort of. You know what I mean? Most I’d say comes down to labor laws varying across countries.
I have been putting-off buying a Lady Dior and Book Tote for other brands. But I have decided to not purchase anything from Dior because of this issue.
I feel that conditions in some factories in Italy are a bit of an open secret, tannerys that produce leather for major top luxury brands have (allegedly) not paid workers and when the workers asked for their wages two of them were (allegedly) beaten to death.
I'm actually suprised that this might have happened in Italy.... I thought they would treat the workers right...
I believe they are immigrant workers that may not have proper citizenship and therefore, would be scared to say something @orangesnowflake3769
Oh, there are videos!@@orangesnowflake3769
@@orangesnowflake3769 - pretty sure they wouldn't of been Italians, but imported/illegal labours.
When I was younger, I heard my Mother talking about luxury bags and this is associated with the rich folks. In the Philippines, take for example Imelda Marcos, the former First Lady and Imelda Cojuangco, and the Socialites and Elites of the Old Manila. They usually would wear very expensive bags and clothing and their jewelries were actually stored in the banks and not at home, since these jewelries are small and dainty but they are jewelries very similar to the ones owned by the royal families of England. There were stories that when they watch Oscars and other award shows where celebrities wore borrowed jewelries, these ladies were amused since those type of jewelries are something they owned, not borrowed. The luxury that time is equivalent to luxury living, their houses, cars, maids, drivers and body guards. The fussiness of closing the bag does not bother them, the maid can hold it for them. When they shop, they have maids and body guards following them. They are not bothered by the rain because when they are ready to leave, their drivers will fetch them. Someone will carry their umbrella. They are not bothered by thieves robbing them since they have two or three body guards following them.
Sophie!! Thank you for putting the info out there. It is certainly something for us all to be aware of and to follow. You look so gorgeous today and I love your videos. Hi David!!
Thank you ALWAYS for the love Sylvia! 🙏 it is so appreciated 🙏🙏🩷🩷 Hugs to you and I shall send your regards to David, he will appreciate that 🥰🩷 xx
We shouldn't be scared of a shop/brand especially when they're the ones (allegedly) doing wrong, i'm more than happy to leave that toxic relationship.
I've already been buying less designer, I'm appauled that people with this amount of money and power choose to abuse their position. I'm not opposed to buying a fake now, considering selling more of my designer items.
Multi national companies are thugs. Including LVMH. Glad you did not take the video down. And I was aghast when people started cutting up Balenciaga bags after their downfall. I sympathise with your hope that it will all be disproven but it seems unlikely. It is right to say ‘alleged’ until proven but I doubt it would have gone this far without a basis in reality. I am sticking to lower priced bags. The luxury brands do not want me! Thank you for the video. PS. Factoring in Dior’s extra costs, advertising and buildings etc, the cost would go above the low price quoted but still a lot less than the price charged.
When I do buy designer, I buy vintage and preloved. I save money and...in my mind...the quality is generally better.
@@joannathesinger770 👍
This is why I follow you! Respect Sophie, all the best to you!
they can't pay they a decent wage because Bernard Arnault takes it all. That's why he's one of the richest men in the world.
And he’s unlikely to do anything about Dior because his daughter runs it!
I think it’s time that we all looked at our consumerism, and how our purchasing of luxury items that feeds the increasingly outrageous behaviour of LVMH and the like, whose practices (whether sub-contacted or not) “allegedly” are damaging the wellbeing of their workers and the environment. How many handbags/clothes/jewellery do we really need? Believe me I’m as guilty of multiple purchases as the next person, but I’d decided a few years ago that the price increases across the luxury market was pure greed. The “alleged” news of slave labour behind luxury brands means I’m out of the market and will not support it in any way - I don’t need luxury at the expense of someone else’s life!
@@mgeiser6951you are right!❤
I really like your content! I saw fellow youtuber Cassie doing a video on the topic too. It is shocking, but not surprising. I am from Bulgaria, and many Bulgarians work in Italy for luxury brands. To be honest, some brands have facilities in Bulgaria too. The conditions are pretty much the same, and people are not payd as they should be, but at least they say that thay have a job. Materials come from Turkey. And they cost less. So this is why I would never buy from a luxury brand - I just cannot justify the price.
It's long overdue that consumers need to end the extreme status signaling through the continual support of these highly manipulative and exploitative conglomerates.
Luxury brands have been profiting from social media and influencers without having to pay for the work. However social media can also destroy a brand and cancel culture is strong.
Well right now… egg on Chanel’s face. I would NEVER enrich those swindling ‘luxury’ brands. Enrich yourself and SAVE YOUR MONEY!
I saw a few videos from youtubers before I watched yours, but all the information has been the same. It's good that you left it up ❤
If anyone actually thought any designer bags (including Hermes) were made by skilled artisans, I have a bridge to sell you.
You didn't do anything wrong. Maybe, the company of Dior shouldn't treat their workers poorly.
Thank you for the love my friend 🙏xx
@@SophieShohetOfficial also, remember, that you are not responsible for this, and at least you are doing the right thing by speaking up.and not giving Dior any money. Plus, many products we all buy that are not even luxury items have issues with slave labor. No one's hand are clean, and the best we can do is try not to buy things that are made unethically where we can. You're doing well. Don't worry.
@@ms_cartographer I so appreciate your kind words and feedback, honestly, thank you so much 🙏 I don’t feel I could have ‘not’ spoken about this. Hugs xx🩷
@@SophieShohetOfficial I love your videos. They give me lots of motivation as a working woman trying to move up in the field of GIS, and I really appreciate your career advice.
I haven't heard from Natalie Portman (face of Lady Dior) about this... isn't she an activist and vegan for ethical reasons? The hypocrisy around this is astounding and I'm glad you're addressing it
Don't hold ur breath
Be calm and keep moving forward. You do it all so well
Thank you always my friend 🙏🩷xx
Destroying the items would just be wasteful cause it's already bought + paid for.
Hi Sophie, not alledged, the Task Force in Italy is very reliable and they discover a lot of things like this all the time. They don't waist their time just for fun, they work hard to get to the point. I would not be surprised that LVMH with all the money comes out clean but their hands are dirty, they need to check very well who they comission to produce their goods, they must know that for the little money they pay someone gets exploited or should we think that they are stupid?
UA-camrs have to be very careful with wording because if not it leaves them liable to be sued. Sophie is sensible and knows she needs to say “alleged” at this point especially while the investigation is going on. Now, let’s face it, even AFTER the investigation, the ‘allegations’ are still not likely to be proven, so it’ll most likely be referred to as “alleged” until (as Sophie points out) it’ll be largely forgotten/buried and then not mentioned at all.
Even the sales associates don’t make a lot of money, in order to make money you have to establish yourself and have an extensive clientele.
How much volume is Dior pushing out that they need to take safety mechanisms off to speed up production?
I dont think anyone hates you for talking about it. If anything, I think it highlights your integrity and willingness to share fashion news with everyone. I dont think anyone worth a dime is going to be upset.
Thank you for making this video Sophie. I think it’s so important that you cover it. Many of us watch you not just because you showcase your lux items but because you talk about so many issues surrounding it, whether it’s the good, the bad or the ugly. I don’t think you are a hypocrite for not destroying your Dior stuff. That won’t help anyone. Continue to enjoy the pieces you have.
And on a slight tangent, you look AMAZING in your all-white outfit! Make up and hair on point and with the earrings! Seriously giving me style inspo! I’m now looking for a white blazer 🤍🤍🤍
Ms. Sophie, This video is inspiring.
Think of all the people who have been employed to make these items (and might be suffering), your videos might be increasing awareness and improving their lives. Most importantly recognizing that they are people and deserve to be treated fairly.
What the luxury brands have been allegedly doing is not your fault. Stay steady. ❤
Make LVMH on the whole step up and show their labor conditions. You KNOW this is not just Dior, which I also love - just bought a necklace BTW, this is LVMH and the other clothing conglomerates.
I try to buy most things direct from the original producer, if I can. Etsy has lots of independent workshops and seamstresses who are putting their work online. Sometimes the older design houses put out something I really like, though, so I pick it up. Don’t burn your Dior unless you are getting rid of all LVMH. And every other major manufacturer. Just like pushing to get rid of PABA out of make up, brands need to be pushed to make their labor practices transparent.
I feel your pain through this video, I've seen your videos over the years and Dior has been your most favorite brand. It is a let down to find out the unfair practices they chose to do. Hopefully they can make positive changes. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
I think its great you made the video. Its important news to those who buy from these brands. Fast fashion brands get it in the neck (and so they should) over this stuff all the time, lux fashion brands need to be held accountable to the same if not higher standards and should equally get it in the neck & shamed publicly in the same way for these terrible working practises and treating humans in apauling ways. Some of these luxury companies are getting greedier & greedier they deserve to loose sales and customers. They dont care about customer service and quality any more
I grew up in Los Angeles- and there’s so many shops carrying LVMH products. (Aside from title stores, there’s Bloomingdale’s, Sak’s, Neimans etc. Times that by all the major cities in the world/ airports/ etc and you realize how many of these products are made. It would be incredibly difficult to keep up the quality for HUNDREDS of stores/retailers.
They’re nice to look at, but I don’t think they’ve upheld quality for a long time.
Goes for all products really. Most products cost almost nothing to produce. For example, make-up costs nothing to produce at all and still, we are willing to pay eg £30 pounds for a face cream. Yesterday I saw a hair oil which costs £110 pounds (Sisley hair) for 60ml. This is absolutely ridiculous as the cost of producing a product like that is more likely under £1 pound.
Such a good point!!xx
I really respect you for speaking up about this. Your kindness, thoughtfulnes, and sincerity shines through Sophie!
We love David 😄 well done to him for supporting you and for also putting some perspective on what you said. Well done Sophie for covering this. I understand why you were apprehensive and wanted to take your post down but as you said ethically it was right that you did speak on it. Love ALL of your content x
It's been known for years that luxury houses have used factories in Tuscany to produce items. Not just bags but silk Hermes scarves. If u have contacts u can buy a dozen scarves for less than the price of one in boutique.
Ugh.. that makes me quite frustrated 😤 I feel as though we (the consumers) are being hoodwinked.
I buy preloved and vintage. It keeps the price more reasonable for my pocketbook.
Also, I watched that video of the leather worker that was bullied by LV. Shame on anyone trying to leverage the court system against people unfairly.
Been hearing about this for over the last week. Even though I don’t agree with what is happening if it is true, Dior is my favorite brand and I don’t believe that they are the only luxury brand doing this. If people are going to burn Dior, they might as well start burning all of the luxury brands. They all have there dark closets. If I am going to stop carrying my Dior, I might as well stop carrying all luxury brands. I will continue to carry all of the items I paid my hard earned money for. I have already decreased the amount of luxury items I purchase. They are all out of control.
We need to unity and call this BS out. It doesn’t matter what funding someone owns. Everyone is buying is being robbed legally illegally. And truly unfair. I don’t think the founders of these brands would be proud to know this.
I was so glad to see your initial video on this topic. I think that difficult topics are worth discussing even when it makes us uncomfortable. Perhaps, the discomfort makes it even more important to be vocal. Thanks for being vulnerable!
There is no use in burning anything. It’s like burning the Harry Potter books, it has no tangible use. Also, you’re the only one I’ve heard about the scandal from and it’s that kind of integrity I like so much about you.
Its really good to watch making this video and dont feel bad of speaking up ! Your not the one whos in the wrong , you enjoy the brand. Its disrespectful for your hard earned money to destroy the items … just be as truthful as you are .. im so proud that i am one of your subscriber xx ❤❤❤ much love and respect
Much respect! I saw about this on Canadian News. I don't know what I would do regarding wearing merchandise from Dior. I think I would put aside the bags for this season until the issue is resolved. I would not get rid of anything as they are lovely. There is a lot of finger pointing going on beyond Dior ( Government agencies and the like) .
It makes no sense to destroy something hard earned money was already spent on. It’s even crazier when people buy something during a protest/boycott to film themselves destroying it. Idk why people even ask this question, it’s so nonsensical
Thank you for your honest commentary about the recent Dior scandal. I have one Lady Dior handbag and a few SLG's, which I dearly love. Hopefully, I will continue to use them in the future. With that being said, I have been saving my money to purchase another Lady Dior handbag in the fall. However, after reading about the labor issues in Italy, now I am questioning whether I will do it. I am greatly saddened to think about those Chinese laborers being abused, working in horrible conditions. Another question I have is what other luxury brands are guilty of following the same practices? Take care, Sophie! 💜 P.S. You look absolutely beautiful today!😍
Thank you for sharing Sophie! Very brave and needed…
Love the blazer you are wearing, you look great as always. Would you mind sharing the brand name?
It's not the first time I hear a story like this when it comes to luxury brands. I don't know why this is shocking to people. It is very sad indeed and wrong and criminal, but not a shocker to me.
I'm glad I never buy from luxurious brands, I genuinely never like their style anyways...
You didn't do anything wrong like you said, you were just reporting the news and the people need to know that this is happening.
I work for a small company, our product are made either from china or eastern Europe. The part made in China can’t be made in Europe as we don’t have our the industry to make it in one go here. We have to have a team in HK to help us contact Chinese suppliers, and I am
Our customer (big stores) now are asking us to show them some proof of auditing in the factory, and that makes them panic every time.
Communication is already difficult because of different business cultures (which is fair and why we do need intermediaries) but god it feels like we are all working with shady businesses when we need quality controls.
I am not sure but i think LV is opening new factories in France, so there is hope to have better wage and working conditions. All luxury brands are going to manufacture again in western countries, sooner or later. Nobody wants luxury products manufactured in the same cheap factories than your groceries store brand.
But as somebody said, even if the workers have better working condition, selling a bag $5k that is worth $53 to make is unethical. Only a FOOL will still choose to procure such “alleged” luxury items.
I keep thinking how disappointed Lady Diana would be.😢 She was a fan of Dior and I know if this is true she would be so disappointed.
These are quite old findings. I remember watching a documentary about this years ago
Hi lovely Sophie. I think it will die off soon and I’m convinced there are other luxury brands out there who are doing exactly the same. I don’t think you have any reason to be afraid of your SA’s, it has more than likely been a shock to them also, many who are selling the products, will be embarrassed too. Luv E xx
At this point, it’s better to buy a fake than the real deal. They are probably made in the same conditions, but the fake won’t have the insane mark-up
Thank you for your hard work and your courage in speaking up about these issues.
What do you mean by alleged? Was it the Italy government’s own court who released the report and evidences?
Alleged is so UA-camrs cannot be sued for libel if they don’t have evidence or if they get any facts wrong
Support you all the way from Japan. You shouldn't be fear to speak up about this alleged news about Dior. In fact, Dior or LVMH should be ashamed of and start reviewing their ethics.
Sophia you should not apologize for being honest. You are a very authentic person and we all admire you for that. You just told the total truth!
Anyone who buys something simply to show off a logo is mad. That's all.
Why will luxury brands be held to higher standards? They are still businesses and businesses look to maximizing profit.
I just bought a new bag few months ago. Can I return it and get a refund?
I’m glad you posted the video. I know free speech is viewed differently around the world, but it’s so important to me. Thank you for your work on this.
I truly appreciate you talking about this
I’ve watched your content for years and you’re a good person❤
Sophie,
Great and insightful video. The issue that I am having as a whole is the following: people/human beings have a short-term memory. Let’s take a few steps back here:
- Coco Chanel “allegedly” was involved with the Nazis. And all we care about today is the outrageous price increases left right and center (don’t even get me started with the departure of their former Creative Director). Did we stop buying the brand?
- Nike was the very 1st brand put on the radar was kids exploitation to reduce their costs. And every now and then, they even sponsor the Olympic Games.Did we stop wearing the brand?
- Skims - Kim Kardashian brand is now a brand used to support athletes for worldwide events. I mean, what the hell is going on?
- The Balenciaga campaign is another one: most YT influencers are like: I stop wearing the brand. Good for you when you have 20+ different ones seating in your closet.
- Karl Lagerfeld was fat shaming people;
- I believe is it the CEO or founder of LuluLemon that had the audacity to say that their brand was not designed for fat people (something f around those lines) etc.; etc.
The list goes on and on and on !
As a consumer, where do we draw the line? Why don’t companies simply file for bankruptcy due to lack of integrity?
Why don’t the UN/ European Commission or any other global institutions put in place proper painful fines / sanctions for e.g. for all these corporations?
Dear Sophie, thank you for your sincerety and sharing the video!🌼🌼🌼
Hi sophie❤ i have been a sub since u had 1k subs and ive always known dior is ur fav brand ur the reason i got my dior bag..its gotta be heartbreaking for u Sophie and to be honest u are the perfect person to have brought this out urve always been so caring and honest to ur followers and subs who u consider friends in a lot of ur vlogs thats why we love ya❤ just keep being u sophie🫶🙌to u and david.
Designer bags cost crazy amounts of money and we all know we pay mostly for the name but don't we like to fool ourselves into thinking that with the prices we're paying we could at least be halfway sure to get somewhat good quality material and workers were being paid somewhat okay wages? Hahaha, obviously not so much 😂😂😂 Thank you for speaking about the issue.