Louis Vuitton Malletier Ad Campaign
I don’t even know where to begin with the images from the Louis Vuitton Malletier ad campaign, which some have called dishonest for portraying the idea that everything at Louis Vuitton is indeed hand-made, which is definitely not the case.
But Mark (of Freshmess fame), sums it up most aptly by saying this…
‘And every now and then, we need a little stroke of romance behind the products we buy. That at one point or another, the bag we carry or the shoe we put on has been touched, hand-finished and brushed by a skilled artisan at a workshop in a French countryside.
After all, when we buy a Louis Vuitton, we buy a dream, a love story. And at other times, more than we’d like to admit, we buy an illusion.’
I couldn’t agree more. And Mark, if you’re reading this, let it be known that I’m officially smitten with the Louis Vuitton New Taiga Cabas Zippé. I saw it today, fell in love with it and almost brought it home.
Almost.
Images: Louis Vuitton
it is out in the stores now?!?!? wow. i seriously can’t wait to see the new taiga collection! hehe. is it REALLY that nice? hehehe…
and yes, i so agree with mark over that statement.
I got quoted, woot. Thanks, alvin!
And now I’m scared about the Zippé. Yikes!
why do you say all is not handmade? I thought all was…do find out out different?
Because truthfully not everything at LV is 100% hand-made… sometimes machines are used to speed up or ease the process.
I beg to differ, due to spoken facts, informative fact sheets provided by LV and watched videos of construction….
unless you have proof to contradict? hand-made is what makes it so expensive, not the actual canvas used.
Dude, not everything at LV is 100% hand-made, it is just not economically possible. Did you read the report from Business Week?
‘There’s just one tiny detail missing. Hardly any Vuitton bags or wallets are handmade. While reporting an article on Vuitton in 2004, I visited one of its factories in the village of Ducey near Mont St. Michel. There I saw rows of workers seated at sewing machines, stitching together machine-cut pieces of canvas and leather. The partially finished bags were rolled from one workstation to the next on metal carts.’
The main point to remember is it’s made in it’s birthplace – France – they have never sold their souls to higher profits and turned their manufacturing over to China (are you reading this Burberry?)
Thanks for that reminder and I wouldn’t believe what freelancer (Carol Matlack) who works for Business Week in Russia and before that worked as an editor for a journal, writes.
She writes in a narrative style with fun loose jumping words to attract and favor those who are bitter over the LVMH profits. To each its’ own. I’m just a die hard LV fan!
I know it’s not 100% hand-made, but some parts still have the “hand-stitched” look. Like how the handles attach to the bag? Most of the Vuitton bags have that stitching that looks like the “2-needle/saddle” technique (as seen on Hermès Products) seen in the third photo.
Are those stitched by hand or the machines can actually do it now?
i don’t think its fair to say that LV items aren’t hand made at all. these things do not come out of a machine fully formed. human hands still held the pieces together guiding it through the sewing machine, it is still human hands that painted the red sealant on the edges of the leathers, it is still human hands that hammers the brass rivets in place.
Richard, go and read a book called “How Luxury Lost its Lustre”…All die hard LV fans should get their facts straight. Brand fanatics know about this too.
And I personally find the ad somewhat mesmerizing, but it doesn’t portray the truth after all…
That Dana Thomas is extremely bias. Birkins aren’t as exclusive or elusive as it used to be either.
DD, please enlighten me by telling me the facts about LV. As far as I know, tPFers and Bryanboy also read the book and they agree to what is said. Cheers.
If all artisans are that good looking, then I will believe in this series of ads. But ads sells dream… it’s what motivates us to make a purchase. Ad people are good ‘seductress’. They use beauty to lure in the big bucks…
Wow, I had no idea such dedicated, gorgeous models were spending such time on my handbags.
It is an ad, to serve its marketing purposes. Deal with it!
The ad is good, but at the same time, it is quite deceiving too.
At the end of the day, I personally believe that nothing is 100% hand-made anymore, luxury or otherwise.
I just feel that it’s good to know the origins of every item you buy, and whether you choose to support any brand in the end is really up to you.
Celine for example, is made in China. Shocking? Yes.
But I still choose to spend my money on the bag that I love.
most of Coach and some Burberry items are made in China too.
Yes. Many parts of famous luxury brands (buckles, zips and other assorted pieces) are also made in China or India.
actually making a leather product is not an easy task ..many different process, so it is difficult to be 100% handmade.
but u still need the human hands, eyes and knowledge/skills to help to achieve the creations… so with the help of machinery or even special tool… these will refine the workmanship and the quality of the products.
Take it easy ppl. Lv items are hand crafted with machine assistance. That is the right way to put it. Putting it bluntly it is a very fine line, the fact remains, an artisan is still needed at each step to guide the machine and to counter check works of the previous artisan. Imagine to produce a speedy 10 artisan are involved. A pass on to B, tham B to C, than C to D, along the way B counter checks A, C checks B and A work, and so on.
As a matter of fact we shld be glad things are machine assisted, how else can you get stitching ever so neat and even, and i bet you machine assistance give stitching stronger than human stitching. What worst to fully hand stitch, i think you will face a constant shortage of gooda in the stores lol.
sigh… the evil of industrialization… for the good/nature of the brand is forgotten