Why are Designer Products SO Expensive?
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- Опубліковано 14 бер 2023
- Does the higher price tag on designer goods actually translate to higher quality products? Why are people willing to spend so much money on luxury items in the first place? Here’s what we found out.
Brands doing some cool stuff:
(If you'd like to see a dedicated video for any of these companies, let us know in the comments below!)
www.4kinship.com/
christydawn.com/
www.nubianskin.com/
www.culthread.com/
botanicaworkshop.com/
girlfriend.com/
organicbasics.com/
kampos.com/
www.outerknown.com/
www.unspun.io/
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For further reading, check out the sources for this video here:
docs.google.com/document/d/e/...
Script: Caroline Eaton Pickard
Editor: Reid Valaitis
Lead Editor: Kirsten Stanley
Project Manager: Lurana McClure Rodríguez
Host: Levi Hildebrand
Want to work with Future Proof? Reach out to FutureProof@thecreatoratelier.com
Suggestions? Hate mail? Get in touch with the project manager, Lu: contact@befutureproof.ca
This video highlights exactly why I have my clothes made for me rather than shopping at luxury clothing stores. I’m in a very, very fortunate position to be able to do this, and I appreciate that I can. I just don’t understand why other people who spend far more than I do on clothes don’t do this!
I send my tailor photos of things I like for a few months. Then I go in, sit down with him, and we design 75% of my wardrobe (I do buy some things he can’t make, like specific knitwear and winter sport clothes etc.) Yes it’s expensive, but it’s WAY cheaper than luxury clothing store prices.
Having clothes made from scratch is also creative, fun and makes them unique. I took in a pair of grey jeans I didn’t wear anymore and the legs became the sleeves of a blazer my tailor made for me. You don’t get that kind of creativity or customization at Hermès or Armani unless you’re one of their billionaire customers (which I’m not).
There is absolutely no way I could be convinced to spend the obscene amounts of money people do for luxury off-the-rack clothes. I’d rather know the family that makes mine, be part of the design process, support a family business and have pieces that survive years and years (and many dry cleanings) and can be rejigged into something new when I’m bored of them. ✌️
(Also I don’t understand why people have forgotten that the logo goes on the inside of the garment, not the outside. It’s in such poor taste.)
A rare case of a wealthy person with both taste and social awareness. If I ever get rich, this is how I will upgrade upon my wardrobe.
Can I ask how you were able to find a tailor to do this what to look for when looking for one. I’m in a similar position where I too have the income for only problem is I can’t find much info on how to get started or any experience from people in the same position. Right now I’m just sticking to basic garments but most are from target or fast fashion brands as I dont feel it’s necessary to spend that much on big luxury brands I went through that faze already only to realize it’s useless. I’ve only had one good experience with a shirt I bought like 2 years ago and it still looks great due to the quality being amazing. But other than that the other garments were pretty much pathetic. My questions from your experience would probably be how do I find a tailor to do this are they specific or do I just pop in a mom and dad shop and telll them I have a project in mind and if they can make it ? Also do you source your materials form a department store store from Joans or do you go looking for them somewhere specific. I have a project in mind recently where I want to make a pair of slevedge jeans. How would I go ahead and start that project
I've found it difficult to find a tailor with such great capabilities. I have a few vintage dresses I'd like to have re-made, but I don't know who to trust with them
This is the exact reason I learned to sew. I can make the clothes how I like them and fix them and change them into other things.
I don't buy fabric as that's a whole other can of worms environmentally and socially, but people give me old curtains and bedsheets and I've made many things out of those, as well as second-hand clothes.
And as you said, the result is so unique and fun.
id love if tailored clothes became the norm again tbh ❤ you really living your best life Toby
One correction: Hermes is actually the last fashion house that actually still focuses on small quantities and craftsmanship - especially for their leather goods.
So we have been told! Shouldn’t have lumped them in with the others, ours mistake there!
@@FutureProofTV You make a lot of mistakes and assumptions which is why I can't be confident in the information given by your channel.
@@FutureProofTValso, please don’t pronounce Hermès like you’re trying to say herpes. It doesn’t sound right
To be able to make a birkin bag you have to actually learn the process at Hermes. It's like getting a degree in making Brikins. It's very different.
@@bejaouimobtagha1372 maybe for most, but not all. I highly doubt my country's corrupt ex PM's wife who had so many Birkins actually bothered to learn the process.
I was a piercer for 17 years, unfortunately piercing got overtaken by fast fashion 20 years ago, the jewelry that is actually safe to wear boils down to 10 manufacturers, mostly because of hot topic. Body jewelry should meet medical implant standards, surgical steel don't mean safe, it just means it's high polish, implant grade is what everyone should be wearing, I quit piercing because I got frustrated explaining it to tattoo artist shop owners. But if it ain't implant grade, you are likely to eventually encounter contact dermatitis.
Yea, you better go titanium or just don't
@@tydshiin5783 niobium is also pretty inert and works well for people that react to the vanadium or aluminum in astm 136 titanium
Is contact dermatitis that bad it's justified to pay higher price to avoid it? Can't one just endure a little pain in the belly button?
@@ldmtag definitely worth investing an extra $50 in better jewelry, piercings are puncture wounds, the development of a healthy fistula (the tunnel of tissue inside of a piercing) you don't want a bad polish or toxic metals leeching into an open wound.
316L Surgical steel is good for tools and cookware, that is about it.
As someone who is a fan of this channel and a few luxury brands, I think the explanation here is surface level. Not all luxury brands have let go of craftsmanship and paying low wages in Italy to adults is very different from paying low wages in Bangladesh to kids. You have Channel who is pretty much fast fashion and you have Dior who still making handmade clothes.
I agree, I've found Lacoste actually has pretty good quality for the price. Watches is another rabbit hole, you do get pretty high quality from the likes of Omega and Rolex but there are diminishing returns.
I've recently been buying from small independent brands where everything is still mostly hand made. Also if I can get made in Japan, the cost is higher but it's worth it.
Come on. They have chinese sweatshops in Milan just for the sake of the made in italy tag 😢
@@elinat2414 I also prefer to get more bespoke made things and support the people who are making things with high quality materials and quality construction. Although many people would consider that luxury since in their mind you can get the same thing for much less.
Also, think brands the channel loves do much like Patagonia and Arc'teryx have also turned into fashion brands.
@@Nicholas-V But Future Proof has and still criticizes those brands for becoming more fast fashion oriented
@@geroni211 like most things, it's not black and white.
Designer brands are expensive, and that's a universally accepted fact. That's why people take out a huge loan to be able to afford them.
Ain't that the truth 👀👀
It’s bonkers that people go into debt to look like billboards. If Gucci wants to put a logo on my chest, that shirt had better be free-and I want to be paid $5k/week to wear it.
@@tobybartlett Literally. I'd always pay more to have unbranded clothing than have someone else take credit for my look.
@@cat-le1hf 🙌
many wealthy people are paying less for what you would think of as an expensive item compared to how much they actually own. if you consider it i percentage terms, you buying a $90 bag is way more of the percentage of your bank balance and a millionaire spending $4000 on a bag
I'm Italian and therefore I feel deeply involved as half of all those luxury brands are indeed Italian. Or were. WERE.
Because right now they all belong to a handful of gray corporations that don't mean anything anymore and you know what?
Even if I were a billionnaire with not a care in the world, I wouldn't buy that sh*t anymore.
Buying an Armani, a Valentino, a Prada fifty years ago meant buying the effort of real geniuses. Now it means you're flexing to your peers by wearing a nondescript item produced by who knows whom and sold at a price that it is no longer indicative of real quality and creativity.
If I were dirty rich, I would find myself a couple of talented tailors I can trust and I'd have them creating bespoke clothing for me.
You are so right! Either a handmade or vintage secondhand item is the way to go. By the way, I love Italy and won’t hold Gucci against you. Can’t wait to visit Italia again. Ciao!
Preach. I fucking hate how those genuine, high quality, classy European family brands became synonymous with mumble rap, vanity and corpo culture.
Very right, I completely agree. Good to know there’s good people in the world who think like you do!
My cousin makes Hermes bags and this is why they are so expensive : She had to train for months just to work on single pieces of a bag. When she mastered that she was able to train for few months to make a whole bag by herself. Last year she got to train especially for the Birkin and now she's a "specialist" of this range. She can work any piece with any material and each piece has to be sewn a specific way. A bag can only go to the stores if it's perfectly made, one tiny error and it goes back to manufacturing to be done all over again. Also each bag has the reference of the maker which is why the people who make it have to work flawlessly, because it can traced back to them. And you can add to the cost the type of skin you want to get. And of course the brand itself. But as far as Hermes is concerned, the craftsmanship is incredible and Hermes makes a point to sell flawless items.
Wow so interesting & yes i agree!
Are they payed well? And do they pay for their training in the beginning??
@@sarvinyari6622 yes they are paid really well and they're paid extra depending on the volume they make/month. Hermes knows the waiting list is super long so they encourage the workers to work extra or faster. So if you're willing to do more hours and on top of that you work fast you earn very well. My cousin was trained in-house and she did not pay for it.
@@NatalyF17 yes it's a nice job actually, before getting into it she didn't know what to do with her life and it taught her that she could build, make something from scratch and she's really into craftsmanship and appreciate anything done well. I guess it teaches you excellence in a way, it makes you careful about how you do things. Hope my English was clear.
Some years ago I went to an Hermes exhibition in Thailand where a bunch of the artisans and crafts-people showed you how things were made, how materials were selected and some of the machinery they used. I get the feeling that some brands, particularly Hermes, are more dedicated to high levels of craftsmanship. That said, many of these companies NEED the faster elements of fashion (ready to wear, perfumes, homewares) to keep the company profitable and for the brand to continue to be desirable. Its a shame that so many of these beautiful Italian and French brands have been degraded to the cheap influencer and the dirty-money set which means if you are really discerning, you probably shop elsewhere or buy products that have the brand name INSIDE!
The Birkin Bag "waiting list" is exactly the same as the Rolex "waiting list". Scummy authorized dealers have the watch you're looking to purchase in their safe right now, along with 20 others of the same model, but they're not going to sell one to you until you've become a regular customer of their store and dropped a dozen grands in other watches you were never interested in to increase their margin. Yet some people still buy into this bs behaviour because they want to earn the priviledge of wearing "the flex". Or is the flex actually wearing you?
I disagree. Because buying a Rolex at retail price is as good as getting free money. Imagine, anyone that walks in and tells a story that "I am a genuine watch collector and enthusiast, I will never sell the watch" and just buys a Daytona with no purchase history and walks out of the store, and goes to a grey market dealer and flip it? Yes, it can be irritating for real genuine buyers who wants a Rolex to wear it, just one... But on the other hand, the Authorized Dealer cannot be seen selling watches to flippers, either. ADs have to filter out the genuine buyers to the flippers.
So one has to build relationships with purchase history to actually get one. If anyone could have walked in and buy any Rolex, i would have quit my job, walk in any max my credit cards and buy every single Daytonas and GMT Masters and just flip it, I can easily earn a month's salary in less than a day. I can even do this full time and buy all the Patek Phillippe And AP Royal Oak and just flip it for a profit. My Credit Cards will rack enough points to get free airline travel too, and banks will be very happy with my "huge spending". So i do not see anything wrong with this pratice.
Of course, there are indeed scummy ADs that plays out their customers.. Making them to buy other watches that "loses money" and "promises to allocate a Rolex" but fails to do so because... Those are the worst.
And Rolex isn't worth it... in the 1980's it was already a boring watch... and it still is...
It always fascinates me when i walk past their stores…there are like two customers inside a huge store but there is line waiting to get in and two bouncers 😂. Definitely milking the illusion of exclusivity rather than quality.
Money laundering.
That’s not an illusion at all; it’s about customer service and privacy for those people.
Yes, one customer can even ask for the store to be closed for an extended period of time, so that he or she can have all the employees at his or her feet.
If that customer happily spends 100k+ at the end, then why not?
There is one more factor, that often excluded from conversation about luxury brands: marketing(extravagant runways, celebrity models with ridiculously high wages, classic advertising) and celebrity designers. Why noone even mentions this?
The marketing budgets of luxury fashion houses is INSANE. That’s why so many are under one big gigantic corporate umbrella, like LVMH. If one of their brands doesn’t hit at fashion week, usually four others will, so it evens out the risk for expensive marketing campaigns.
I mean that's definitely true though... maybe a bit predictable but I guess it falls under the "swag tax" column. Thanks for this comment!
Accurate. Who do you think is paying for all this marketing?! Ahem. We are.
@@FrOsTyBeArKiDit actually works the other way too. the high price point means they have more cash flow and can afford more marketing. it’s circular, not linear. and marketing works, so why not do more of it.
Hermès is its own kettle of fish. It's that ridiculously expensive because they decided that would be the basis of their brand (a Birkin is easier to carry than a private island and classier than a flashing neon sign reading "MY ACCOUNTANT IS BETTER AT TAX EVASION THAN YOURS"). Reading about how Sex and the City created our modern understanding of luxury goods and the original Gossip Girl curated that relationship was fascinating and helpful as to why the brands are nearly unavoidable at this point.
Wish more rich people had those neon signs on them not gonna lie, you're super right. These brands are unanimous with people signaling that they have money, not necessarily quality or durability or anything else. Thanks for sharing here, Carina!
Found an Hermes tie in a goodwill bin and lemme tell you, that's the best ugly tie I own.
If you "like" Hermès you should watch the video Gittemary Johansen did on them. She's a zero waste vlogger and her piece on them was excellent.
I was surprised that Levi did not mention the multiple, insane price increases of most designer brands throughout the past three years during the pandemic.
Yeah, I was looking at a Ralph Lauren polo shirt: over the last 3 years in the UK, the price is now crazy
We must have missed that! Thanks for mentioning it 🙏🏻👍🏻
I happen to own a few designer things which I bought 12 years ago in a ‘gold collar’ period. The shoes are still perfect. The bags have all held up well. The designer wool goods are so well made they will last for generations. I can no longer afford ‘slow fashion’, but if you are buying for quality (not just some logo), the cost actually seems equitable. Now, I can’t afford to buy quality…but I would if I could.
What brands are the best quality in your opinion
Another sneaky thing designer brands do is that they have cheaper items specially made for places like TK MAXX (TJ MAXX if you're American). So that Calvin Klein/Ralph Lauren etc that you think you are getting fir a bargain is of significantly lesser quality then what they sell in their main lines of goods. It's like their fast fashion line really
I am French, and your way of pronouncing the Arnaults and the Pinaults is priceless! thank you for that 😂
And Hermès lol.
For a guy who speaks french fluently I feel like Levi could have done better with that one lol
Hermès bags are double hand-stitched in France and take 20-25 HOURS to construct.
The cost of labor & materials is then marked up for retail.
Birkins and Kelly's are then marked up on second market due to scarcity.
Himalayan Birkins retail for $70-90K, not $300K.
$300K is the auction price for Himalayas.
Yeah, kind of wild that he would specifically highlight the Birkin and then allege that it’s made exactly the same as a Shein purse. I’m not telling ANYONE that they should spend $10,000 on a handbag, and it is true that the a lot of designer clothing is cheaply stitched together polyester now, but Birkin bags still famously require significant craftsmanship from skilled craftsman.
@@aisling7244 The point is, that if you want a good quality product, don't buy the 'high fashion', yes, some may employ real people with real skills, but not as much as people would like to believe.
Don't buy from Shein either as you will need a new item in no time. If you can at all afford it, go to small shops who will make you an item that is 100 times better than the luxury brand one and 100 times cheaper.
Check out this guy: ua-cam.com/video/CNHVsnfACRM/v-deo.html&ab_channel=TannerLeatherstein
That’s something I don’t like about these types of videos. Yes, it’s an obscene amount of money, but if you’re into luxury you know off the bat a Birkin’s starting cost is not $300k, very misleading. I’ll probably never afford Hermés, but I love my luxury pieces that I do have and the quality is definitely heads above that of brands I bought when I was younger, like Kate Spade.
@@aisling7244
Exactly!
Hermès is truly the only luxury brand that can justify their prices due to double hand stitching their bags.
Imagine paying 300K for something to put your keys inside of
I bought a leather wallet by Mulberry in 1997 for £57 & about 11 years later the same wallet was over £200. What happened in that time? The CEO of Mulberry was replaced by the former the head of Hermes in 2012, Bruno Guillon - he hiked the prices
You can buy a suit for $1,000 with a full canvas which, if you take care of it, could last a lifetime. You can also buy jeans for $1,200 with a designer label on them which will last the same as any other pair.
One of the points that I'd say was missed is also because as you said, it's buying "fashion" from the source. So it's like paying for the research and time spent on trying to find what will be "fashionable". It's paying for the research that leads to the items they make. Now is that actually worth the money? That's for the buyers to decide
It's also paying marketing teams to put them on the right celebrities and tv shows and movies and adverts and sponsoring events in order to be considered fashionable. Like how Apple MacBooks cannot be used by villains in movies/tv shows. Money is also used to pay for the most expensive retail stores in terms of rent and looks. And they often stay fashionable by buying out the competition, so there is also that overhead which I guess is part of research, why pay for a patent (and give them exposure) when it's cheaper to buy the entire company. The problem is as a company becomes larger and larger they often have money they don't know what to do with so they become inefficient, but that's not always a bad thing as efficiency is what lead to chinese manufacturing for the world due to lower costs and now also due to better engineers as skills have become depreciated in the countries that were once the manufacturers of the past.
Your pronunciation of Hermès made me think of the clip from Princess Diaries when Mia asks why she's using a scarf as a training tool, and Queen Clarice replies, "It's pronounced 'Ehrmehz'."
Personally I am willing to spend a bit more on an item if it is very good quality. I want durable items that hold up well and serve me for a very long time. I don’t like having to replace garments that I love because they fell apart too easily.
In particular, I will definitely spend more on bras and shoes. I spend more on bras because only a few companies even make my size, therefore I have to pay more for the scarcity. They do make nice quality products that last longer than cheap bras, and I do at least feel like I get my money’s worth from them. I am also willing to spend more on quality shoes, especially for good work shoes. I’m a bit heavy, and I need a strong, supportive work shoe for long days at work. The right shoe makes the difference between my feet being a little tired at the end of the shift and me fantasizing about cutting my feet off because I’m in literal agony. Trust me. The right shoe can be totally worth it.
I'm frugal and I try to avoid buying cheaply made things. Shoes I generally spend $200-300 because that's how much well made footwear costs. More than that you are paying more for a name, fancy features or to get shoes custom made(whether out of want or necessity).
Not sure if you've done a video on luxury makeup and skincare products, but that would be super interesting! People pay HUNDREDS of dollars for a moisturizer. There is just no way the ingredients are that much better. I want to know where the price threshold is for when products are actually higher quality.
I second this as a video idea!
btw, the ordinary is a fantastic place to get high quality skincare products without any junk. Purely science based and very inexpensive because they don't spend on fragrance, dye, product branding and advertising like most other skincare companies. If you aren't familiar you should check it out! They recently discontinued the foundation that was my holy grail because they weren't making enough money and it - it was the HIGHEST quality and they were selling it for $4.90 at bottle ;(
I love James Welsh's skincare videos and as he explains it luxury skincare is all about the presentation. I agree it's got to be the least useful luxury item to buy. No one's gonna be able to know you used a Louis Vuitton lipstick unless you literally walk around with the tube out. Someone will notice if you're wearing a Loro Piana jacket which cost about the same as a new car 😭
Man I thought I was the only one who wore clothes that lasted for years. I only shop for what I need and when I need it.
It is worth distinguishing between designer haute couture and designer ready to wear. Haute couture truly does live up to all the standards you are talking about. The pieces are made to order for each individual person, often implement intricate techniques like hand beading and embroidery, and uses only the finest fabrics, leathers, and furs. The pieces are generally assembled by highly skilled artisans (sometimes even the designers themselves) paid healthy wages. These pieces are ultra expensive, ultra exclusive, and made in very low quantities. Designer ready to wear, however, is all over the map on quality, construction, and worker wages. The piece could be high quality, well made, and put together by well compensated sewers or it could be a basic t-shirt with a logo slapped on in a sweatshop. Most designer brands have both a haute couture line (to maintain the prestige and mystique of the brand) and a ready to wear line (to take in the dough).
Thrifting old designer clothes is my jam. The vintage stuff especially is usually better quality (made of nicer fabrics/materials and made to last).
ETA: it’s “ERR-MEZZ” haha. Pronunciation unlocked a memory of a wealthy college classmate sneering at me when I pronounced it like we do the Greek god. Also, I think the 300K Birkin is the most expensive (so far) and only offered to VVIP clients. Most other Birkins are in the 5-digit price range last I checked. Also also, not sure how true it still is but at least for the Kelly and the Birkin, they are supposedly handmade by just a few artisans. Also also also, wish you tackled haute couture, which, if the clothes weren’t flown back and forth from atelier to client, are still made ethically while preserving craftsmanship skills passed down generations and innovating fabrics/materials/methods of constructoon.
I really enjoy buying clothes but I’ve started to morph into my dad. now research the brands, examine stitching and I always read the label. 🤓
Sounds like your dad knows what he's doing 🤘
Great video! Would've been interesting to talk about how different generations (Gen X, Millennials, etc.) perceive luxury items. I think Gen X as a whole cares a lot more about status (brand name, luxury stuff) than millennials
That's super interesting, we might have to make a part 2 or Short on the subject. Assuming so much of that has to do with the economy and general social awareness around these things...
I disagree. We're the generation who wore ratty flannels from thrift stores and combat boots from the military surplus. The Yuppies of the time, however, probably fit into the category you describe.
Interesting, from what I’ve read it’s a fight between millennials and GenZ with a push from these younger generations coming out of China.
Spot on gen z couldn’t give 2 sh!ts
@@angieemm Word up, I definitely wouldn't put you gen Xers in a one basket. Imo, in terms of brand slavery it only gets worse the younger you get in generations.
A good friend of mine works for the UN, in the department that investigates fair working conditions and she told me that H&M was one of the better mainstream companies, which really isn't a flex. Just like McDonald's they had come under fire due to the sheer size of their company, so they had to make sure to be OK. She said Kering and LVMH were really problematic and it was largely due to a lack of public scrutiny.
UN is the antichrist
In where I live, some employees for H&M went for a strike, they were underpaid, their salaries were under the mimimun SMI (salario mínimo interprofesional) in Spain, they went for moths until they came to an agreement of rise of their salaries.
Could you do a guide, how to buy responsibly? It's hard to find good, long-lasting clothes, from ethical companies, especially if you can't spend 150 dollars for a T-shirt.
invest in buying vintage. its ethical, made to last, and very stylish
buy ethical fabric and make your own clothes
@@latenbargestin5918 what is vintage, actually? Most second hand shops in my area sell used H&M. It’s not realistic for people to buy 50 year old clothes
@@madeliner1682 I work a full time job and study, as well. I’m not going to learn how to saw and buy a sawing machine, so I can get a pair of jeans…
@@Tharrel fair enough. I have school and a job as well, but I'm also autistic and have an abnormally high drive to do random shit the caveman way. It is not reasonable to expect people who are not me to act like me.
Not gonna lie, I've been seriously considering weaving my own fabric with my own handspun yarn and then hand sewing a shirt here recently. The only reason I'm not growing my own cotton or raising my own fiber animal is that I don't have a yard lmao
luxury brands feed on the fact that people won't admit to themselves that they are trying to impress people they don't like or even know.
Ok i love fashion and there’s a difference between the people that love fashion, the people that wanna look cool and random wealthy people that buy it for status. People that partake in fashion don’t care for price maybe exclusivity but not price, its more of the art and cuts and just how different the clothes are if you buy a random pair of Levi’s you aren’t gonna get a particular look. The way i dress you could say i like to incorporate fictional story telling like in my outfits and that’s something that the more complex and unique garments give me diferente shapes cuts and sizes ill pay 500 for a jacket or if i find one randomly or by digging around for a look in particular find a cheaper one ill get it but the same way two people will never be the same to garments will never be the same. The more ready to wear logo pieces are there to fund the main lines of clothing and take money from wealthy people that just want to have expensive stuff, the reason people that like fashion pay such obscene prices for things is because of story telling and the fact that nothing you could buy would give you a similar look and coming from someone that makes clothes the amount of time and experiment it takes to come up with these cuts and ideas not to mención money from textiles making it oneself is way to difficult and time consuming for the consumer also takes away the story telling aspect. People that buy fakes fall in to the just wanna look cool camp they want the look of the logos and expensive yet basic pieces that in the fashion houses eyes are just cash grabs to make Better things with. Factory’s don’t make the more complex pieces cause that doesn’t sell to the general public but fake buyers will buy some screen print tee that cost 500 to get a flex but pay 10$ fake buyers and wealthy people that buy random stuff do the same thing the difference is one was the resources to buy real random medium to low quality expensive stuff and the other wants hype exclusive things for the low to look cool. nether do it for passion or interest they just wanna look like what they think is cool. Sorry for writing allat prolly fina make a video on this
yeah, you get it, people who never tried head-to-toe designer looks never experience this crazy fashion magic, and how mind bending it is. It's so expensive because of the amount of R&D which goes to create, tweak and manufacture those almost magical items that morph your body. The whole shit is just pure textile coke, JayZ was right about TOM FORD, one you try it its hard to go back, and you WILL find money to get new stuff.
For European customers I’d also recommend Asket. They have a clear environmental focus, and are really successful when it comes to some of their items, having both the raw material and all of the construction occur in Europe (albeit at different places, meaning shipping back and forth). Others aren’t as great, but still better than the average fast fashion brand. Especially love their wool items and linen shirts.
Haven’t ever ran any discounts and are pretty unapologetic about being expensive: completely transparent about the costs of producing, and what their markup is.
@@nicoleheron I think you’re mixing Asket up with Arket!
Not luxury but definitely a cool brand in the premium segment!
@@Thrark Yeah, not in the luxury segment, but I figure most wouldn't want that anyway. Sort of fits pretty well with the organicbasics recommendation from the video, so figured I'd mention it :)
A $3k shirt is never going to be 100 times better than a $30 shirt, as even with quality items that are outside mainstream luxury considerations, there’s always a law of diminishing returns. But you still expect it be better made from better materials with better labor standards, etc…
Most items have a sweet spot that will depend on the person buying and the item, but as an example, with button up shirts marketed to men, for me, it’s around $150 - 200 USD. That’s still a lot of money if you’re used to paying $40 at Gap, but if you’re buying a shirt from a small designer for $200, it may very well be 5 times better. But beyond that subjective sweet spot, you get into the land diminishing returns and you’re just paying for status.
I was cross shopping between a 100usd vs a 20usd shirt. Bought them both and used them at the same pace.
Both got worn out the same speed and amount so I'm buying the 20usd one 5 more times then
Great video as always! It feels like nowadays high fashion brands have "entry level" slap a logo/ do a trendy collab to appeal to people into fast fashion and bring them to try the brand... Even if it is not a justifiable price.
Also that's the wrong Louis portrait, it's the grandfather of the one who got shiiiing :D
Because they are a visual representation of the difference between the haves and have nots. It’s most apparent in jewelry - a Cartier bangle without the “Cartier” mark is worth 90% less. Louis Vuitton is charging $2,000 for coated canvas. Chanel raises prices constantly. I could go on.
Regarding the competition for luxury brands, I actually think the greater competition is - at least for people looking for quality - is coming from places like Etsy and indie shops where you can buy an expensive (but comparatively reasonably priced) product that is actually well-manufactured but does not include the label flex. I’d also much rather spend money on high-quality vintage than on mid-priced fast fashion.
Super true, there's definitely a big market for handcrafted quality goods without all the luxury branding. The greatest part is, if you buy these items from local artisans, you contribute to your local economy and still end up spending less than if you'd paid attention to the high end stuff. Thanks for taking the time to share here!
Also Pinterest is full of those clothes. Of course most of them are edgy as heck, but you can find some tasteful ones as well.
I remember when I was younger I really wanted a pair of Gucci horsebit loafers, the classic ones not the newer jordaan ones. I've been disappointed because I found out that they reduced the quality on them so much that they're not even worth getting.
Similar story with Burberry and their coats, quality of their newer coats are kinda rubbish now.
You can't even carry a Louis Vuitton or a Gucci in SF or on the Peninsula. It's a kiss of death. You're gonna be attacked and robbed in a heartbeat.
London Gang, London Gang, London Gang, London Gang
you keep it out, and you''ll receive no future blanks
I had enough of wearing fast fashion and garbagey shoes 10 years ago and spent average $150 to $300 on a new pair. I still own those shoes after 10 years because they were made well, and the sole/heel could be replaced. My friends who were obsessed with fast fashion thought I was a snob for spending so much, but I think there’s a sweet spot for quality, no need to spend thousands per pair. I don’t own tons of shoes either, I’ve seen my friends’ closets where they have 100 pairs of bad shoes. A well made hand bag is nice to have as well but I don’t personally care about the name on the bag, as long as it’s built well, again not necessary to have too many or spend thousands per bag…
There's definitely a sweet spot for quality, especially when it comes to everyday items like shoes. Plenty of handcrafted and well-made items cost waaaay less than designer goods purely because they're not associated with the luxury labels. Thanks for your input here, really appreciate you adding to the conversation!
I prefer the experience in such shops. They are not crowded, they have limited offers and you get a personal staff to bring you what you are looking for while you drink coffee and the changing room is already prepared for you. I pay for quality and shopping experience because I get huge headache shopping in Zara through floors of different cloth, with huge waiting lines to changing room and searching for the staff for minutes to ask about size or something. Also not everything is that expensive in thous shops, I got great shoes for 200€ which I wear to work daily for 5 years now.
A lot of what you said is mainly true for streetwear parts of these brands. If you look at items that actually take time to create it is a different story. Suits, leather jackets etc
"I just wear what I bought 4 years ago."
😂 Can relate!
Birkin Bags do not cost $300k they cost that on resale. They cost in the 10's of thousands not cheap but not house level.
I still remember my first day of university and one of my flat mates decided he wanted to show off his wardrobe to me. I'm standing there in some baggy skater gear which maybe cost about £100 in total, while he shows me his Armani and Versace clothes. I'm surprised he thought I'd find that impressive considering what I was wearing.
Levi, i thank you. this was the best one yet. looking forward to part 2 & iam going re-watch SHEIN.
"'Ault' that is left" nailed it!
I buy designer items at Goodwill and other places for next to nothing. It's not the name or just the quality, I like the look of what I'm buying. Also, I'll tell anyone what I paid because I don't give a crap about what anyone thinks.
When he said Hermes like that I actually choked
I clicked on the links in the description box and oh boy, a basic flannel shirt for 170€
So I haven't watched the video completely, yet I hope that some people would read this and tell me their point of view. Lux brands are very divisive, modern brands owned by LMVH and others will always be about profit. That is why sunglasses and other goods are made, but between those lines, there is a form of art from couture to modern-day wear. Things are to be said and seen by design clothes can talk and express people in so many different ways. Yet with the advent of ready-to-wear clothes, I personally believe that we see an increase in consumerism compared to the expression. LV is a great example, we see people fawn over the idea of a monograph print with a brown color and a vachetta handle. The bottom line is that product has to move so people can make money, and sadly to increase margins the quality can also be diminished. Apparently, brands like Kenzo (I don't own vintage Kenzo) were about well-made high-quality products, and with the acquisition of the name by LMVH the label has seen a downturn. I believe there needs to be a bigger emphasis on "design" in designer brands, too and there are many great examples like Kansai Yamamoto whose work was extremely expressive.
I am not trying to justify unethical practices, poor quality, or consumerism. I just think that there needs to be a cultural shift toward the artistic side of fashion once again. People who are interested in the world of designers may see it that way much as I do, yet the consequences of such large names are felt and delt with by everyone from workers to easily impressionable young adults who value name and price over design and expression.
Really great and useful end. Thank you!
Hermès prounounced as Hermees was unexpected
Fascinating watch as always 👊🏿
Great content! Keep it up
I love how you combined “we all understand this game” with stock footage of Cricket, a game that I do not understand. :)
I know this is an old video but in regards to high fashion design I would recommend the fashion roadman and bliss Foster's channels here in youtube, they go deeper within the artistic and quality focus sides of fashion, in response to the flex culture that's mentioned, totally understandable but is good to keep both perspectives! Been loving the content btw 👌🏼
I'm an "old" millenial (born in 83) and from a UK perspective, I really think obtaining luxury brands as something regular people could aspire to - and a shift in quality - is a feature of the past 20 years. In my childhood, adults on television were more likely to say their clothes were from mail order catalogues or department stores - whereas in the past 20 years, it's seemed a point of embarassment for people with a public profile to not wear designer labels. The 90s was definitely the start of designer label aspiration (Calvin Klein and Armani stick out in this period, flogging their perfume and underwear) - but it was more mass-market manufacturers that really exemplify that period for me, such as Vans, Doc Marten, Adidas etc.
The emergence of social media really changed things, because I'm aware of people who lived in messy, low quality London flat shares who would take photos posing with designer watches and clothing to appear as if they were living a luxury brand lifestyle, whilst their actual living circumstances were insecure and not always very safe.
Well you need to get in Japanice high/higher end stuff that is totally made by hand or old mashines that ask for a lot of hand work in it. Next to luxury houses of the west droping 2k on Clinch or White Klouds boots seems like a bargain
Japan is different world of craft, Bruno. You're absolutely right! When people understand what goes into making a pair of White Kloud boots, not only will $2K (or $5K!) seem like a bargain, but that same $2K for a European designer brand, even Berlutti, will start to look like a ripoff.
@10:58 I like when Levi goes on rants, it gets the point across
Woops, that's not the right king Louis that you put in there. Here is Louis XIV instead of XVI
The only king I see here is Levi 👑 hahha no but seriously, thank you for letting us know!
Who ironically had way better drip than his grandson and was still beloved. He’s *still* all over Paris.
As an adjunct to this, can you also talk about the business of designer watches and their also insanely high prices?
We actually have a whole episode on Rolex which pretty well covers this!
some treat it like a sort of expensive hobby like gaming, motorcycle riding/buidling, cars, cosplay, etc. which are arguably pointless, but we get joy out of it anyway... (except for the birkin bag tax evasion argument, that's valid haha)
Honestly I mostly buy good quality vintage clothes nowadays, since I got tired of finding clothes I love and having to watch them fall apart with little to no option of mending due to the way clothes are often constructed nowadays. It takes a lot of time with a small budget, but also feels like going on a treasure hunt every time!
yes please, we would like to see a video about the brands you mentioned at the end of the video!
Levi, you are 100% right it's all crazy ( but I'm about to put my foot in my month ). l love looking at the shows. Some of the clothing is amazing, the Kim Jones Winter Men's Dior 23-24 collection loved it . Can they do better? Yes, should they do better, yes, it should not be this crazy.
4:04 “now maybe I don’t have biggest appreciation for this stuff…”
This..”stuff”? *Miranda Preastly death stare*
😂
That’s why I value the value of a product not just showy design stuff. Well most of the time
hermes makes everything in france
This video is great but it really depends on the luxury brand your buying from as many artisanal luxury brands still make items that are infinitely better than the fast fashion counterpart. But if your just looking at a T-shirt for example then they’re almost indistinguishable
That's a great point, but once you understand craft and material a little better, you start to look at those T-shirts through a different lens. For instance, weight: a 6-oz cotton isn't going to be as sturdy as 10-oz, no matter what logo is stamped across the chest. Or construction: Loop-wheeled construction can't be rushed out as fast as the usual side-stitched. Even composition: Pima cotton or some generic cotton-poly-Spandex blend? Even production location matters (the big contract manufacturers tend to locate wherever labor is cheapest and industry least regulated). Labels can tell the story of an entire industry, not just a single garment. They tell you what corners a company is cutting and give you an idea of the calculations that went into putting a shirt on the shelf for $8.99-and why it's not worth it to buy such a cheap shirt.
I’m curious about whether there’s a connection between fast fashion and thrifting clothing. Have you guys looked into this? I may have missed that one. Thanks!
I'd also like to add that for the price of any luxury good, you can get something handmade just for you by an artist. I follow several other fiber/leather artists whose works are significantly cheaper than any luxury brand and they will customize it to look like whatever you want and be in your exact measurements. You can find many clothes artists online who take these types of commissions! Not everything has to be from a "brand". It's the reason why I learned to knit since I wanted custom clothes without worrying about where the labor comes from, at least for the garment making process I don't make my own yarn ^^'
👌video articles 👌
In the topic of visual quality, kerning is off, fi at 1:08 and fl at 7:51 roundness of F and letter spacing works much better at tighter type.
many luxury items are about signalling to an in-group. by definition there has to be an out-group. the more the out-group dislikes the in-group, the more the in-group doubles down. that’s why Porsche are still selling cars. none of this has much to do with the craftsmanship of any given item necessarily.
appreciate your channel, but as a high-end fashion enthusiast and someone who works in the field i have a few clarifications:
1) not all luxury brands are not sustainable, it really depends. hermes that you mentioned does pay people fair wages and only employs few people in france-in fact they have their own workshop. same for brunello cucinelli
2) a lot of italian brands are not owned by those groups eg prada
3) the point made about the real authentic trend isn't really true. a lot of these luxury brands will send their people to fashion school graduate shows and small brands fairs and will order from independent designers then proceed to copy and appropriate. this is perfectly legal as there is no copyright on fashion design. dietprada used to call out a lot of these things.
4) it's not really true that people who want to buy luxury fashion want to buy at full price at all costs. a lot of fashion enthusiasts will still want the iconic piece without the iconic price tag. i am one of those people. that's why people buy at outlets, during sale from reseller shops or second hand (you guys should research vestiaire collective).
5) also, it's not true that there aren't sales in the luxury fashion world. it's just that you rarely see 'sales' written on the shop windows and they reserve their sale to their customers or just for a few days, password protected/mailing list links only pages on their website, etc. there are brands who never put anything on sale in their flagship stores, but even most of those brands have outlet shops where you literally find the last season things half price or more. not to mention all resellers like selfridges who do have sales anyway and do sell some of the flagship store products. or the insider sale, like sample sale where pieces used in photoshoots or showrooms as sold marked down. there are literally a million ways to access luxury products without paying luxury prices.
6) you don't even take into account all the staff working at these shops or reseller shops who have up to 50% off the items in the shop and may even get substantial store credit to purchase outfits for working at the shop or will simply receive authentic items of the brand for them to wear on the job. or end of the season / sample sales that they have priority to access as a 'family sale'
7) another element that makes luxury items so expensive is also the fact that when you are a regular client of a boutique you will have a specific salesperson contact and they can prepare selections of items ready at the shop for you to try and other bespoke services that are very useful to busy and rich people.
Thanks for the clarification! Honestly I think I (Levi) really did learn that the fashion world at the level that you're talking about is pretty incredible but sadly this new chapter of it seems to have gone down the toilet. I appreciate you taking the time to share a more "in the know" perspective 🙏🏻👍🏻
Hermes is pronouced ermaze.
No. It’s ehrmess.
@@joesavag No, ermahgerd its expensive
@@jasonwojcik you’re a fan of berks I see
another well done video.
Thanks for joining us here!!
One point to add is that other than materials and capitalistic reasons, is that the design process of the items are unironically made by people who do nothing but design items. Just like any kind of artist or art mediums, the value of something will increase if the design is “better”. There are many abstract art ideas that can be objectively measured to argue why some designer items are better to generic items. The same way we can compare two painters and objectively argue why one painter is better than the other
I wish you would’ve mentioned actual designs from Luxury goods a little bit more😕 but yeah I also do understand that to the average person designer just means logomania & status
Fan of your channel and having worked in the luxury industry for the past decade I have a lot of criticisms of the industry, some you even mentioned in your video. Overall I feel you missed the overside of the argument on what is supposed to make up “Luxury” beside materials.
When you buy a luxury product you are also buying the brand.
Luxury brands tend to have stores in the most wealthy area of major cities. This real estate is extraordinarily expensive. The architecture and design of the stores also tend to be a lot more expensive than say UNIQLO.
Staff wages tend to be higher than fast fashion brands and advertising in comparison to conversion works out to be a lot more expensive than traditional retail and then add in Runway shows etc.
All of this is part of the brand DNA and what makes it appealing to customers. As a business you have one way to recoup those cost of this and that’s Goods and Services. You’re paying for all of this.
A lot of luxury brands still produce in Europe (predominately Italy & Portugal). I would say the majority of LVMH and Kering do, this is partly due to the stigma that comes with “Made in China/India” Etc.
There are still definitely issues with pay with some brand but paying minimum in Portugal is very different to paying minimum in India.
You’re also missing that the design process is very different to fast fashion.
The creation process is far more intensive and costly. I remember reading of GAP complaining when they first started to work with Kanye on how long it took for his team to create anything and costly it was doing 7-8 different sample pieces. GAP were used to 1-2 max.
Fast fashion doesn’t have to go through all this because they’re business model is producing thing they know people will want, so taking less risk and letting the Luxury industry set trends.
The design team also tend to have gone to best art schools in London, New York, Paris, Berlin and Antwerp. This labour is far more costly as they are literally scouting the best of the best.
Hey love the content and effort that goes into each of your videos that help me learn a bit more. I was hoping you guys would do an "Essential" vid since thats another brand I see float around recently like the video you did on Canada Goose. Cheers, keep it up!!
Thrifting isn’t really that sustainable. I mean the only reason there’s a market for thrift stores is because people have such an excessive amount of stuff in the first place.
The first thrift stores opened shortly after things started being mass produced.
Also most of the things donated to a thrift store end up in the garbage anyways.
It’s more sustainable to buy an actual high quality piece of clothing that’s built to last a long time
Median of sales price of existing homes in the Midwest Census Region was a bit over 250k for January of 2023. So you'd still have a bit left over if you chose the house over the bag. Lol
I so look forward to hearing levi's ranting every wendsays lol
Great video
Interesting fashion company, with an interesting philosophy and story, is Origin USA.
They care about quality, sourced and made in the US, real jobs with good wages.
(I'm Dutch, have 2 of their T-shirts, they're nice.)
There’s a point missing and that is the cost to produce the initial prototypes is through the roof, protos go back and forth between designer and vendor and take sometimes weeks of design work from some of the best in the business in design, development, factory workers, then considering their wages and the fabric qualities, the cost then looks a little more justified (on some of the garments).
Also, devils advocate, unsure how some new start up designers can charge through mega for garments from a brand they started last year, you’re usually paying for the cost of being able to have whatever big designer have an influence in designing your product you’re wearing but some start ups completely overvalue their work too early on imo
The way you pronounce every consonant in those family names makes me think you dropped French in grade 10 like it was a block of lead, lol.
Luxury brands are way superior quality and well made compared to fast fashion. A Gucci basic t-shirt isn't simply an Old Navy t-shirt with Gucci slapped on it. Saying that they are the same is like saying a Ferrari is the same as a Toyota. They're not.
What you are specifically paying for is exclusivity, quality, craftsmanship, heritage, service and name, as well as, ability to pass down as heirlooms
For plus sized women thrifting often doesn’t work too well. I don’t buy luxury brands, but the pronunciation of the them was hilariously charming!
High fashion brands usually have a minimum of four seasons, some up to ten, or more, so almost all have more than two new releases of product a year, driven by consumerism.
this video is quite an over simplification of higher value, luxury and marketing works and what it’s all for.
I would disagree that ppl who buy designer brands are just flexing. Sure some are but im sure a lot of people who like designer products for the abstract qualities such as of craftsmanship, aesthetic. The true cost of a bag is probably only 100 the extra 900 is for the unique design and the heritage of the brand. There’s a cap to the level high quality of any product, makers of them need to come up with other abstract ways to price them higher.
The thumbnail has changed at least 3 times lol
I gotta say it’s working, wasn’t planning on watching this vid, but clicked cause I got curious abt the thumbnail change
But like you can't really buy certain fashion items, that are unique at H&M or any other fast fashion brand. For example I haven't seen any pants resembling the look of the iconic Maharishi snopants with a dragon. But i agree on the shirts part that is absolutely a steal.
I read some of the comments that said some brands actually still care about craftsmanship. I think, as they should care about craftsmanship, art, and quality since they have higher prices, it kinda makes sense. But did all their customers really care about that? Of course I would appreciate it if someone bought a luxury bag because they found the bag actually has better quality than the cheaper bag. But the thing is, a lot of people don't care at all about quality, they just want to flex.
you've made a video on fjällräven, now we need a video on lundhags
Ha you gotta love an MJF reference in the middle of a future proof video. Lol can't help but wonder now if anyone on the team is an AEW fan or if his character has just become popular enough that he's now synonymous with snoot asshat 😆
"luxury goods were seen as sinful" doesn't mean they weren't also seen as prestigious. The various laws against dressing "above your station" or condemnations of luxury goods is mostly proof that people were using those goods as status symbols regularly enough for the church to get annoyed at them (and also that being able to tell a person's status at a glance was important to people at that time and place)
I'm actually more into a local non famous brands made locally rather than big brands from Europe or America that are made in China or Vietnam. I still have a leather goods that are made in Ireland, Italy, and Portugal, they don't even have a website, just a simple phone number and address