Most Overpriced Designer?

[susseinmcswanny]

How far are they all gonna go before the bubble pops? I'm not a Chanel customer, but I'm beginning to lose interest in designer clothes altogether for various reasons. I've bscly cut ties with Prada lol. Pretty close to washing my hands of Margiela. Zero interest in paying thousands of dollars for the markup of just a name, with no quality in materials/construction. How long till the pipeline of cash gets cut off from the instagram/twitter idiots buying bucket hats instead of paying rent?

 

[Reggie63]

Speaking of ridiculously priced fashion brands, I've been tracing some publicly traded fashion companies, and the way a lot of equity reports gauge performance exposes how much of a farce all this industry is.

For example, Prada's good stock performance as of late can be attributed to four things. One, Prada increased the prices of mainstay items by 50% since the start of the pandemic, and pushed the pricing of special-release and fashion items to stratospheric levels (2,500€ Prada Sport nylon windbreakers anyone? 1,200€ polo shirts?). Two, TikTok and IG engagement statistics are being actively developed and monitored. These numbers are now a major indicator of share price performance in the luxury business world. Three, about 95% of Prada merchandise is now conspicuously branded. You would be hard-pressed to find anything without any sort of ostentatious or visible branding. Four, the Chinese market's high price insensitivity. They've been proving, quarter after quarter, that they simply just don't care how much anything costs as long as it's a "luxury good".

Transforming the brand into a "luxury" Tiktok clothing label has been proving quite a successful strategy. Financial indicators are improving. Sales across almost all regions increased significantly, specially in Asia and North America. The cheaply-produced yet expensively-priced-for-what-it-is re-issue bags, the holy grail of basic and tacky Zoomers everywhere, is the undisputed rain maker for the company during this time. That's well and good since it is a business and a lot of people rely on the company for salaries, but sorry, as far as i'm concerned, Prada is now just an extremely overpriced Shein.

 

[velvetandsilk]

How far are they all gonna go before the bubble pops? I'm not a Chanel customer, but I'm beginning to lose interest in designer clothes altogether for various reasons. I've bscly cut ties with Prada lol. Pretty close to washing my hands of Margiela. Zero interest in paying thousands of dollars for the markup of just a name, with no quality in materials/construction. How long till the pipeline of cash gets cut off from the instagram/twitter idiots buying bucket hats instead of paying rent?

People which desire quality and good design will starting lost interested high fashion industry.
They sell premium quality as luxury xd and production looks more and more like fast fashion.
I noted a lot of people which buy high fashion (instagram type of customers) set up that quality is good, their knowlage about textile and tailoring do not exist. All brands are very greedy and take advantage of ignorance.

 

[susseinmcswanny]

Just watched a vid of some shoe repair guys restoring their customer's ysl Chelsea boots, and while they were taking them apart, you could see they are extremely cheaply made. A thousand dollars for a fake stacked heel and shoddy construction. I honestly was kind of surprised. I shouldn't be. They must think "hmm since this is so expensive, no one is actually gonna destroy it taking it apart to look if it's really well made". Is there any label that actually makes real deal clothes and shoes anymore? It's like really embarrassing wearing the emperors new clothes!!

I want to know if there is anyone who
-is capable of coming up with fresh and exciting designs
-isn't looking rob people
-has a CLEAR supply chain
-doesn't use slave labor to maximize profit
-has actual integrity to create real quality clothes/shoes

Cannot really think of any

 

[helmutnotdead]

Just watched a vid of some shoe repair guys restoring their customer's ysl Chelsea boots, and while they were taking them apart, you could see they are extremely cheaply made. A thousand dollars for a fake stacked heel and shoddy construction. I honestly was kind of surprised. I shouldn't be. They must think "hmm since this is so expensive, no one is actually gonna destroy it taking it apart to look if it's really well made". Is there any label that actually makes real deal clothes and shoes anymore? It's like really embarrassing wearing the emperors new clothes!!

I want to know if there is anyone who
-is capable of coming up with fresh and exciting designs
-isn't looking rob people
-has a CLEAR supply chain
-doesn't use slave labor to maximize profit
-has actual integrity to create real quality clothes/shoes

Cannot really think of any

I spend a few minutes today looking at Haider collections and I have to say that although he might not be fresh sometimes, his clothes are beautifully designed and very well made. I mean, looking through these clothes I was thinking: damn, that's the kind of clothes that I'd love to have in my wardrobe if I were rich.

 

[YohjiAddict]

I want to know if there is anyone who
-is capable of coming up with fresh and exciting designs
-isn't looking rob people
-has a CLEAR supply chain
-doesn't use slave labor to maximize profit
-has actual integrity to create real quality clothes/shoes

Cannot really think of any

Geoffrey B. Small?

 

[bc collector]

I want to know if there is anyone who
-is capable of coming up with fresh and exciting designs
-isn't looking rob people
-has a CLEAR supply chain
-doesn't use slave labor to maximize profit
-has actual integrity to create real quality clothes/shoes

Cannot really think of any

Two or three years ago I would have said Dries or Rick, to name two who are known outside the fashion circle...today I would have some qualms about naming them for "fresh ideas", as much as I still respect them 100%, even when I do not like some particular collection of theirs.
As for today, apart from a bunch of Japanese, which constitutes a group apart, there are just super niche designers like Geoffrey B Small or Maurizio Altieri or Carol Christian Poell, but again they are so niche I do not even know if they make any difference in the big scheme of things.

 

[Phuel]

Just watched a vid of some shoe repair guys restoring their customer's ysl Chelsea boots, and while they were taking them apart, you could see they are extremely cheaply made. A thousand dollars for a fake stacked heel and shoddy construction. I honestly was kind of surprised. I shouldn't be. They must think "hmm since this is so expensive, no one is actually gonna destroy it taking it apart to look if it's really well made". Is there any label that actually makes real deal clothes and shoes anymore? It's like really embarrassing wearing the emperors new clothes!!

Trenton and Heath.



Not at all surprised that the crap boot has a hollow, plastic heel held together with glue… The even more hilarious revelation was that when contacted about such an expose, the marketing department gave these talented cobblers some typical trendy excuse about "sustainability and pro-environment" nonsense being the reason the heels are hollow plastic with a phoney textured sticker to sucker the buyer into believing that it’s a stacked heel. (Stacked heel isn't anything luxurious-- just the standard, once.)

I take all my boots to my cobbler to have the heels redone the classic artisanal way. And I take older designer pieces bought through resales to my tailor to have them redesigned to my specifications and refitted with genuine luxury hardware exactly the way I want. There is absolutely nothing luxurious let alone artisanal about any of these high-profile corporate brands these days.

 

[susseinmcswanny]

Trenton and Heath.

Yes this video! I saw that comment about like aerospace material and sustainability and was lol.

I agree professional cobblers and tailors are the best. There just aren't many of them right now. I want to meet someone with these skills that's excited about being pushed out of their comfort zones to create new designs. I don't know many that wanna like go there. I wish those talented people in fashion house ateliers and workshops weren't behind the corporate brands that want to jack up prices to the moon.

In the meantime I don't think I'm gonna pay retail for any brand ever again lol

 

[Phuel]

^^^ Trenton and Heath are awesome.

Yes, coming to terms how insulting and offensive “designer” prices have become, all the while quality/construction/investment into the actual designs have blatantly spiralled into such cheapness, is the simple revelation we all need to confront and overcome.

It is a hassle and an effort to seek out local cobblers/tailors/seamstresses etc of whom possess the skills and experience to take your older pieces to the next level. But once you do find them, it’s such a liberating feeling to not care anymore about that label attached to your garment— or stamped on the sole of your footwear. I’d highly recommend it.

 

[jeanclaude]

Yes this video! I saw that comment about like aerospace material and sustainability and was lol.

I agree professional cobblers and tailors are the best. There just aren't many of them right now. I want to meet someone with these skills that's excited about being pushed out of their comfort zones to create new designs. I don't know many that wanna like go there. I wish those talented people in fashion house ateliers and workshops weren't behind the corporate brands that want to jack up prices to the moon.

In the meantime I don't think I'm gonna pay retail for any brand ever again lol

The best thing you could do nowadays is buy vintage. You mentioned Prada...well, you can easily get a nice collection of 90s Prada on vintage online shops (and way cheaper than buying any new crap from Miuccia´s minion Raf).

And from a sustainable point of view (god, I hate the stupid concept of "sustainability"...lame marketing to lure dumb customers!) buying vintage is the best option from an eco point of view.

 

[susseinmcswanny]

The best thing you could do nowadays is buy vintage. You mentioned Prada...well, you can easily get a nice collection of 90s Prada on vintage online shops (and way cheaper than buying any new crap from Miuccia´s minion Raf).

Buying 2nd hand is totally the way to go. My problem is my jacket size is 56IT. Very very very very rarely do I find anything like that in my size 2nd hand. Not even in the retail shops either. For like any designer. So if I ever see something I really like it's usually pre-order paying full price or nothing. Altho I don't gotta worry about that with Prada anymore because Raf/Miuccia sucks lol

 

[andrew]

Trenton and Heath.



Not at all surprised that the crap boot has a hollow, plastic heel held together with glue… The even more hilarious revelation was that when contacted about such an expose, the marketing department gave these talented cobblers some typical trendy excuse about "sustainability and pro-environment" nonsense being the reason the heels are hollow plastic with a phoney textured sticker to sucker the buyer into believing that it’s a stacked heel. (Stacked heel isn't anything luxurious-- just the standard, once.)

That's... pretty damn bad. I don't have beef with designer shoe markups and underbaked construction for the price, I get it, and I don't expect artisanal quality, but the total lack of effort here is absymal. it's a cuban heel ffs, nothing remarkable. at least blake rapid the damn thing.

Also who the hell rides in wyatts? seems dumb to me but whatever.

 

[Phuel]

^^^ Absolutely. if people are willing to pay for such subpar wastes at such ridiculous prices all driven by marketing delusions of “luxury” (LOL), I don’t blame these corporations one bit. None of these designer offerings are “worth” their pricetags.

The best thing you could do nowadays is buy vintage. You mentioned Prada...well, you can easily get a nice collection of 90s Prada on vintage online shops (and way cheaper than buying any new crap from Miuccia´s minion Raf).

And from a sustainable point of view (god, I hate the stupid concept of "sustainability"...lame marketing to lure dumb customers!) buying vintage is the best option from an eco point of view.

Yes and no.

Some of the 2nd hand crap that people attempt to hustle are absolutely gross: mangled footwear; moth-ridden coats; stained suits with decomposing crotch; bags and wallets so misshapen and rotting I wouldn’t give it to a stray dog for a chew toy etc etc I empathize with the utter lack of patience to weed out such garbage to finally, possibly uncover a gem if one can easily buy new at retail. Then the likelihood that your newly rediscovered piece will need to be taken to a tailor/seamstress for further reconstruction and alteration.

If you’re blessed with the good fortune of generous wealth and being able to buy retail, then buy what makes you happy (especially if your size is one of the rarer availability). Just be sensible about your spending but don’t feel guilty about it at all: As long are people are still driving/flying/consuming energy, it’s all contributing to pollution and destruction of the environment. If Miuccia produced something that I really like these days, and I can afford it, I’m buying it; that label still means something even if the current-era offerings isn’t anything. And as long as these corporate brands keep churning out 50 collections a year, they need to shut up about sustainability.

 

[jeanclaude]

Some of the 2nd hand crap that people attempt to hustle are absolutely gross: mangled footwear; moth-ridden coats; stained suits with decomposing crotch; bags and wallets so misshapen and rotting I wouldn’t give it to a stray dog for a chew toy etc etc I empathize with the utter lack of patience to weed out such garbage to finally, possibly uncover a gem if one can easily buy new at retail. Then the likelihood that your newly rediscovered piece will need to be taken to a tailor/seamstress for further reconstruction and alteration.

That depends where you are shopping. If you search at Ebay, chances are that what you are describing here is going to happen...but there are shops like 1stdibs which only sell iconic pieces in mint or nearly mint state.

 

[Lola701]

The YSL boots situation is not surprising…I mean Balenciaga’s infamous Triple S sneakers are for some time now made in China.
Anyway, no matter what with those big brand there’s always one rule as a shopper: when the brand is very big and some products are produced in super high quantities…It usually means that quality is inconsistent.

I think there was thread sometime ago on here about someone hesitating between YSL and Louboutin for this kind of shoes…I would have advised him to go for the latter or maybe a smaller brand in size to YSL.

RTW is in general the category where there’s some kind of consistency in terms of quality. And when I say RTW, I don’t talk about t-shirts and sweatshirts or jeans.

When it comes to those giant brands, seasonal pieces are always the safer bet.

 

[susseinmcswanny]

1stdibs is in the running for "most overpriced website". It's like grailed for a different demographic. I enjoy browsing it to snag detailed pics of dreamy garments, but it's just like more people arbitrarily upping the price because xyz is "iconic" and "rare". I often see a garment go straight from an auction house lot to 1stdibs with a like 70000% markup. I suggest keeping tabs on auction houses if you like hard to find vintage stuff because sometimes the prices things go for are sooooo crazy cheap. Altho reselling is becoming more and more popular so beware : - (

 

[jeanclaude]

1stdibs is in the running for "most overpriced website". It's like grailed for a different demographic. I enjoy browsing it to snag detailed pics of dreamy garments, but it's just like more people arbitrarily upping the price because xyz is "iconic" and "rare". I often see a garment go straight from an auction house lot to 1stdibs with a like 70000% markup. I suggest keeping tabs on auction houses if you like hard to find vintage stuff because sometimes the prices things go for are sooooo crazy cheap. Altho reselling is becoming more and more popular so beware : - (

Sometimes you can find bargains, like 60s Cristóbal Balenciaga night dresses for around 3000 euros...it´s a question of luck and hard searching!
Have you tried Vestiaire Collective? To my mind also come Augusta Auctions and Didier Ludot...and "The way we wore" and "Decades" in USA.

 

[Fulton St Critique]

That's... pretty damn bad. I don't have beef with designer shoe markups and underbaked construction for the price, I get it, and I don't expect artisanal quality, but the total lack of effort here is absymal. it's a cuban heel ffs, nothing remarkable. at least blake rapid the damn thing.

Also who the hell rides in wyatts? seems dumb to me but whatever.

How can anyone seriously justify this type of markup for this bad of a make? It is thievery and unbelievably cheap of the company to have these boots made in this way. Money aside and forget about profit for a second, these people must have lost their integrity and appreciation for their craft. Also I would love to see the markup percentage of the YSL footwear compared to the cost, I can only imagine what they are getting away with.

If the suede quality was there and the heel was in fact made from a stacked leather (pardon my ignorance on this if I am wrong, I am not a cobbler or expert in this field exactly) the durability would not be in question- I for one would love to see a moto rider driving around in these, some Dior Homme denim and a Celine moto jacket. I would only hope to be so cool one day, honestly.

Lastly, I loved the look on the artisans face when he saw the hollowed out, synthetic heel. It’s hysterical and a good reminded that “luxury” prices do not always justify the items quality.

 

[Kite]

Trenton and Heath.



.

Nah, these boots have been abused.

I have several pairs of they Wyatt boots in all fabrications and they're totally fine, having been worn hundreds and hundreds of times over several years (almost daily). they're not badly made if you just look after them.

They're expensive but this guy has not looked after them, even riding boots would be completely screwed being looked after like this. I think when you take most things apart they'll all be similar, apart from a pair of John Lobbs etc.

Im not a Kerring defender, I think all of their leather goods (Bags across the entire group) are extremely cheaply made and feeling. But the hollow heel is to stop the boot being so heavy, I also have vintage boots with solid wooden heels and they're exhausting to wear! haha!