Most Overpriced Designer?

[Lola701]

source: vogue.com
this one right?

I'm happy to pay for the price they asked because of the technology and innovation they put into the garment. And we both know that between a basic t-shirt with some embroideries and a tweed down jacket with a dedicated weaving motif, which one will advertise the house technique best, certainly not the t-shirt.

It's crazy how the thing has changed for the worse in terms of pricing in just 5 years. I guessed because Chanel used to sell fashion now they're selling luxury.

And it's funny we talk about quality over quantity, because the quality of designs, textiles innovation, and pushing the savoir-faire techniques has gone down since Karl's death, only the prices go up.

I have no problem with the prices they asked for Karl's pieces, but when it comes to Virginie, thanks but no thanks.

Yes that’s the one. And today the same piece would probably cost 15000 euros.

But there’s a dicrease in quality in general. The number of brands that sells long sleeves jersey skin tight dresses over 1k. We talk about tshirts…There’s no density in the cotton brands used in their tshirts.

Rick Owens
Rick Owens
Rick Owens
Rick Owens.....



Rick Owens.

Given the increasing popularity of the brand, it was a matter of time for them to be more expensive.

 

[yslforever]

For the price of that tshirt you can buy a classic simple gold and diamond Camélia necklace or a pair of classic gold and diamond Camélia earrings.
It’s almost insane to think that the most expensive piece I bought from Chanel, which is tweed down jackets from Metiers D’Arts is almost 2k away from a t-shirt.

The same for the jumpsuit. I know there’s inflation but when I think about the jumpsuits from the supermarket show and the prices of those of this collection…I wanna cry.

Of course there are still bags, shoes and some knitwear that are somehow reasonable in prices but neither the quality or the design justify the prices. And it’s insane to see that in the prism of the war they are doing with Hermes. Hermes RTW, while unappealing is more than reasonable compared to Chanel.

Also Loro Piana RTW is now more expensive than Hermès RTW, which makes absolutely no sense at all, Hermès having the better quality and at least they are trying with their designs....

 

[Lola701]

Also Loro Piana RTW is now more expensive than Hermès RTW, which makes absolutely no sense at all, Hermès having the better quality and at least they are trying with their designs....

But that I don’t mind. Loro Piana has always been renowned for their fabrics, in particular. It’s a very specific brand with a very specific clientele in a way.
I take Loro Piana RTW over Hermès simply because we know what to expect and get from there. They don’t have to play tricks to have people buying their RTW.

If Hermès had a better RTW offering (comparable to the one they had during Gaultier’s era), they wouldn’t have to make people « play the game » in order to get a bag.
That being said, Hermes menswear is definitely stronger than Loro Piana and I’m sure the positioning of Hermes has helped them maintaining a loyal customer base.


That being said, the Loro Piana / Hermès situation is a bit similar to the Vuitton / Goyard one. Goyard is definitely overpriced compared to Vuitton but at the same time they have a more exclusive positioning even if in terms of quality Vuitton is slightly better imo.

 

[LadyJunon]

That being said, the Loro Piana / Hermès situation is a bit similar to the Vuitton / Goyard one. Goyard is definitely overpriced compared to Vuitton but at the same time they have a more exclusive positioning even if in terms of quality Vuitton is slightly better imo.

Oh really? I always that it'd be the other way around because Hermès and Vuitton have a more aggressive, direct marketing strategy (fashion shows, artsy campaigns, etc.) that keeps them in the fashion diaspora, while Piana and Goyard are more quiet and pragmatic.

 

[susseinmcswanny]

source: vogue.com

That looks sooooooo delish Lola I'm so jelly

 

[Lola701]

Oh really? I always that it'd be the other way around because Hermès and Vuitton have a more aggressive, direct marketing strategy (fashion shows, artsy campaigns, etc.) that keeps them in the fashion diaspora, while Piana and Goyard are more quiet and pragmatic.

It’s a matter of personal taste also. Goyard does great travel bags but in terms of everyday bags and longevity of the canvas, I take the monogram over the goyardine. And Vuitton is a little bit more innovative in terms of designs. The monogram can be tacky on some models but can actually be appealing on some others.
And I feel like in general Vuitton bags ages better. I hate the idea of high maintenance bags and obviously, people who spent fortunes even on canvas bags usually baby them. That’s maybe why I have never been tempted by the Kelly and Birkin.

For the price of some Goyard bags, you can actually buy leather bags from Vuitton.

The irony is that LVMH bought Moynat which has the cachet of both Hermes and Goyard.

 

[gallianostan]

And besides this, obviously it all works, because there is no brand on the level of Chanel today in terms of exclusivity and prestige.

dior?

 

[yslforever]

dior?

Prestige and exclusivity depend a lot from the country of origin. From a French Parisian POV, I'd put Dior below Chanel. Especially about the exclusivity facto; there are a lot, maybe too much, Dior boutiques in Paris and we see also a lot of Dior logos on mens' feet because Dior sells mens-wear and sneakers while Chanel don't.

 

[LadyJunon]

Prestige and exclusivity depend a lot from the country of origin. From a French Parisian POV, I'd put Dior below Chanel. Especially about the exclusivity facto; there are a lot, maybe too much, Dior boutiques in Paris and we see also a lot of Dior logos on mens' feet because Dior sells mens-wear and sneakers while Chanel don't.

Thanks Kim...

 

[Lola701]

Thanks Kim...

In a way I find it great that it’s not expensive to the point of being unattainable but at the same time, it’s insane to see the amount of young people with very expensive designer stuff. I have seen student going to the university with a Dior or Vuitton bag or Dior sneakers. It’s insane for me…

 

[Frederic01]

dior?

Dior is not at the level of Chanel for endless reasons. First of all, after Raf left, they went aggressive on distribution and accessibility and therefore ended up going for the whole mass-market strategy, which looked great on paper for people like Pietro Beccari and Maria Grazia Chiuri, but in effect, ruined the prestige of the brand overall.

Second of all, they have far too many categories that in effect lowers their luxury positioning. Menswear, Homewares, Childrenswear, etc. They are selling cheap paper notebooks and pencils at pop up stores in Bali. There is no exclusivity whatsoever. Chanel has pop up boutiques but in very strategic locations like St. Tropez, Courcheval, Aspen, etc. And they are not selling tourist trash in those stores.

LVMH wants desperately for Dior to be at the level of Chanel in terms of revenue and profit, but in terms of equal prestige? I don't think they could care less...

 

[Frederic01]

I get the strategy but in a way it’s really a pity. I was talking to someone recently about the fact that the kind of profile of clients similar to mines wouldn’t exist today. I started buying Chanel in like 2004/2005. I started with shoes and then quickly jumped into RTW. I remember I saved to buy a piece a season and I bought things on sales. Of course working in fashion helped me but it was possible to raise your profile by being a loyal customer in the right store. That’s how I went from sneaking into shows to be invited. Today to have the same sort of privileges or extras, you literally have to spend like 1M a year.

It is such a pity, I agree with you. They have lost a lot of clients in the process of pushing their prices so high but in saying that I believe this is their strategy though.

My understanding from hearing from people that work there is that Chanel is wanting to develop more of those client relationships where you have loyal clients spending a lot (hundreds of thousands to a million), rather than a lot of clients spending little. They want to slow down the pace of how it is now and invest more into cultivating relationships and spending time with their clients.

It's an interesting business strategy and I am curious to see if it works out for them...

 

[LadyJunon]

Dior is not at the level of Chanel for endless reasons. First of all, after Raf left, they went aggressive on distribution and accessibility and therefore ended up going for the whole mass-market strategy, which looked great on paper for people like Pietro Beccari and Maria Grazia Chiuri, but in effect, ruined the prestige of the brand overall.

Second of all, they have far too many categories that in effect lowers their luxury positioning. Menswear, Homewares, Childrenswear, etc. They are selling cheap paper notebooks and pencils at pop up stores in Bali. There is no exclusivity whatsoever. Chanel has pop up boutiques but in very strategic locations like St. Tropez, Courcheval, Aspen, etc. And they are not selling tourist trash in those stores.

LVMH wants desperately for Dior to be at the level of Chanel in terms of revenue and profit, but in terms of equal prestige? I don't think they could care less...

It is such a pity, I agree with you. They have lost a lot of clients in the process of pushing their prices so high but in saying that I believe this is their strategy though.

My understanding from hearing from people that work there is that Chanel is wanting to develop more of those client relationships where you have loyal clients spending a lot (hundreds of thousands to a million), rather than a lot of clients spending little. They want to slow down the pace of how it is now and invest more into cultivating relationships and spending time with their clients.

It's an interesting business strategy and I am curious to see if it works out for them...

I think the reason for that is because Chanel is still a independent house, like Hermès and Ferragamo, where a family has run/co-run that house for 100 - 150+ years. They have their own suppliers, mills and factories and are completely self sufficient in their operations and separated from other houses or conglomerates. This means that they can "allow" themselves to occasionally make mistakes and underperform, meaning that they take risks with creative directors, production distribution and business strategies. This freedom is a rare luxury that neither small independent labels or large conglomerated houses can afford.

 

[jeanclaude]

If Chanel wants to keep rising the prices, they need first to rise their design level.

Virginie must be replaced ASAP.
You can´t have someone who makes so much expensive clothes look so cheap. Lagerfeld could make a t-shirt look luxurious, but she is unable to make a night gown look luxurious...

 

[gallianostan]

If Chanel wants to keep rising the prices, they need first to rise their design level.

Virginie must be replaced ASAP.
You can´t have someone who makes so much expensive clothes look so cheap. Lagerfeld could make a t-shirt look luxurious, but she is unable to make a night gown look luxurious...

agreed. the house has everything it needs or could want except an interesting design vision. you can only remake a tweed jacket so many times before it gets mind-numbingly monotonous (which it has been for ages now, even with karl).

 

[fashionista-ta]

^^ That's funny, because I dry clean virtually everything I wear out of the house

 

[Frederic01]

If Chanel wants to keep rising the prices, they need first to rise their design level.

Virginie must be replaced ASAP.
You can´t have someone who makes so much expensive clothes look so cheap. Lagerfeld could make a t-shirt look luxurious, but she is unable to make a night gown look luxurious...

Surprisingly, Virginie's RTW outperforms Karl's by almost double. They are selling such high quantities of her stuff that a replacement is truly not needed in Chanel's eyes.

 

[jeanclaude]

Surprisingly, Virginie's RTW outperforms Karl's by almost double. They are selling such high quantities of her stuff that a replacement is truly not needed in Chanel's eyes.

"the business strategy has moved in recent years towards scarcity and on trying to discourage their clientele from buying quantity, and instead invest in quality and more special/unique pieces. That is why they are pushing all the Metiers d'Art and embroidered pieces so much."

I am lost here...so if they want quality over quantity...why keeping someone who design generic clothes with tons of logos (but which are selling very good because they connect with the rich masses); instead of hiring someone who could give the brand a boost in terms of design quality (and get a more "elite" kind of customer)???

They want the cake and eat it: to keep the Chanel brand exclusive, while at the same time selling tons of branded items.

 

[LadyJunon]

"the business strategy has moved in recent years towards scarcity and on trying to discourage their clientele from buying quantity, and instead invest in quality and more special/unique pieces. That is why they are pushing all the Metiers d'Art and embroidered pieces so much."

I am lost here...so if they want quality over quantity...why keeping someone who design generic clothes with tons of logos (but which are selling very good because they connect with the rich masses); instead of hiring someone who could give the brand a boost in terms of design quality (and get a more "elite" kind of customer)???

They want the cake and eat it: to keep the Chanel brand exclusive, while at the same time selling tons of branded items.

That concept won't work for long with elitism finally shows itself and the "richer" customers start shifting elsewhere.

 

[YohjiAddict]

The number of fashion victims and Real Housewives-types that I’ve seen wearing Chanel on social media has definitely sky-rocketed. I’m not surprised that profits are up when they charge four figures for a simple sweater with logos or a t-shirt; but Chanel has definitely cheapened its image, it doesn’t help that the Haute Couture and Metiers d’Art fail to evoke the grandeur of Lagerfeld’s day and now look more like an afterthought put together by a confused group of amateurs that have proved how useless the best craftsmanship in dressmaking is when there’s nothing in the way of direction.