Quality Of Designer Bags - Worse Now Than Before?

[BritBagLady]

I've been enjoying reading all the debate about fakes, but the subject of quality of fakes set me wondering. Does anyone feel that some designers of the AUTHENTIC bags are cutting corners with their accessories recently?
I'm thinking LV and Dior where some of the designs, IMO look pretty Even if I dont like a bag I usually can still appreciate its quality but a look round LV in Edinburgh didn't overly impress me and it seems like older bags I've seen were just made better.

 

[Missy44x]

On this board people have mentioned how things broke or fell off of either shoes or handbags...I hope people arent spending hundreds and thousands of dollars on handbags thinking they will last forever... Most people buy it for status and "style"...I know some of you say its the quality and craftmenship and history.. I really dont buy that ::: sorry ...or at least maybe it has to do with it a little bit.. but lets keep it real

 

[BritBagLady]

Originally posted by Missy44x@Apr 13th, 2004 - 10:32 am
Most people buy it for status and "style"...I know some of you say its the quality and craftmenship and history.. I really dont buy that ::: sorry ...or at least maybe it has to do with it a little bit.. but lets keep it real

I DO want my bags to last forever - so I'll go for Mulberry and the like because they do last and they age well. I haven't seen a Theda close up but it doesn't look it would last the course, for example....
I put up the post because, when I was a student I was lucky enough to find genuine Dior and Gucci in thrift shops and they had just lasted so well. It didn't seem that today's versions were as sturdy.
Although as a nod to what you've said I buy the bag because I love it and if I happened to fall apart (esp with heavy use) after a while I guess that would just be tough.
I would still be upset if this happened to my Bayswater tho...

 

[leyla m.]

al the designer bags ive bought and have broke... i got NEW ones in exchange. whether it was GUCCI or LV. so service is a big part that helps me trusting the designer bags in terms of quality

 

[tott]

Originally posted by leyla m.@Apr 13th, 2004 - 9:22 pm
al the designer bags ive bought and have broke... i got NEW ones in exchange. whether it was GUCCI or LV. so service is a big part that helps me trusting the designer bags in terms of quality

Absolutely!!

I bought a brown Mulberry bag, carried it everywhere; a year after I bought it I started wearing a sand coloured jacket instead of my standard issue black ones. The bag actually stained the jacket, and the sales people actually knew/realised something was wrong and offered me to choose a new bag! That's service!

 

[meowmix]

Originally posted by leyla m.@Apr 13th, 2004 - 4:22 pm
al the designer bags ive bought and have broke... i got NEW ones in exchange. whether it was GUCCI or LV. so service is a big part that helps me trusting the designer bags in terms of quality

how quickly did they break? up until how long will they provide such a service if the bag fails to hold up?

 

[leyla m.]

Originally posted by meowmix+Apr 14th, 2004 - 1:22 am--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(meowmix @ Apr 14th, 2004 - 1:22 am)</div><div class='quotemain'> <!--QuoteBegin-leyla m.@Apr 13th, 2004 - 4:22 pm
al the designer bags ive bought and have broke... i got NEW ones in exchange. whether it was GUCCI or LV. so service is a big part that helps me trusting the designer bags in terms of quality

how quickly did they break? up until how long will they provide such a service if the bag fails to hold up? [/b][/quote]
well theh gucci bag had a broken bamboo handle. and i even had not bought it off them. they still changed an dgave me a NEW one. it just broke cos someone stepped on it while clubbin

LV has a lifetime garanty

 

[Missy44x]

I thought lv had a 3 year one.. u sure?

 

[brian]

Originally posted by Missy44x@Apr 14th, 2004 - 9:29 am
I thought lv had a 3 year one.. u sure?

No, it's definitely lifetime. LV keeps the serial numbers of every single bag they make, and use that for future reference and repair and such. Hermes and a few others do the same.

 

[FashionFinn]

LV Guarantee

Are you sure? I've heard that you have to pay for every repair for your LV items and the repair service is pretty expensive and slow. So how about the lifetime guarantee?

 

[janissa]

The only brand I get bugged is with Gucci. I have one purse where the strap is peeling apart from the glue. Quite Upsetting.
The other is a Chanel purse I have where the strap chain will just come off the bag when it wants too.

Regardless, I've already come to grips that Chanel is a high maintenance purse with its supple leather. So I'm not complaining. I do like the style.

LV is pretty durable although I dont care much for the styles presently. :

Does anyone know if the Hermes Togo Leather scratches easily? I havent worn my Kelly yet. I need to know if its going to be a high maintenance bag.

 

[bagqueen]

No, it's definitely lifetime. LV keeps the serial numbers of every single bag they make, and use that for future reference and repair and such. Hermes and a few others do the same.

My bag broke after 1.5 years and I had to pay. It took 4 months to get my bag back being they send them to the factory in California. Also
the numbers inside the bags are dates of manufature. The letters in the beginning of the numbers is where it was manufactured.

 

[meowmix]

^ hmm i think that's true... i remember once i went into a boutique and there was a guy there with a chewed up ipod case (dog)... they told him that with the amt and time it would take to get it repaired, he's better off buying another one...
i think in terms of repairs and refurbishing and such, it also depends on your relationship with the store...
in terms of quality nowadays, i'm seeing more and more things manufactured in china, or made by machine rather than by hand... and yet the prices are going up up up. some designers have managed to uphold a certain level of quality, while with others it really varies, such as with balenciaga leathers and the fendi spy bags. however, even though some louis vuitton items are produced in united states or spain, i've never had any problems with any of my lv items... no matter what country they were produced in.

 

[jun3machina]

just curious for future reference....how do you go about an LV repair?? i just bought a croissant and a speedy this year and if anything goes wrong, god forbid, what does LV cover and what dont they cover?? like for example, do you have to pay them for a broken zipper or zipper pull? an info at all would be fantastic!

 

[Luna]

Quality has gone down, of course.. it's all about making the bags quicker...

There are so many vintage bags out there that are excellent quality... and so many modern bags that break...

Vicki Originals was a company of one of my professors.... he's in his 80's now.. his bags were awesome... i even bought a few off of ebay.

 

[phantasmagoric]

I've heard that the Chloe Paddingtons quality wasn't A+. I ordered one already so we shal see. If the Chloe scratches, I will still love my bag!

 

[LouiseyPeasey]

There's a relationship between quality of design and quality of construction, too. I think companies who were known for solid, traditional, classic bags seem to be putting more effort into designs that are ephemeral, that won't last more than a season or two. As long as people keep adopting the latest of-the-moment bag, and buying it in droves, I think quality will be a lower priority than speed and quantity of production. On top of that, there seem to be more bags that are inherently delicate, as if this increases the luxury factor - as in "I can afford to have a thousand-dollar bag that can't be exposed to air". Even a bag that appears to be designed for longevity, like the Novak McQueen - people are mentioning that the leather is so fragile it's marred as soon as you get it.

 

[kkesh]

i've taken pics of all my Vuitton bags and i will post back after 10 years with photos of their current state. yes, some people may be unfortunate enough to get lemons or are simply not respectful of their possessions. but i think that's the only way one would find out if quality has actually gone down. not by simply looking at them - obviously tainted by your dislike of the models/styles or even the brand itself - and automatically deciding that they're not as good as they used to. jmho.

 

[cheiby11]

Thank you all for your opinions, very interesting to me

 

[ambidextrous]

*bump* any ideas which designers still have quality that will last ages? favorably leather, I don't care for seasonal designs if they don't last...