Great Opportunity for Leathercrafters
All the name brands have outsourced to developing countries such as China. Even if the bag says “Made in Italy,” this only means one or more of the following:
1- Made in China, where they also kindly produced the “Made in Italy” label.
2-Made in China, India or some other country where the workers get $3 a day, and brought to Italy for final construction – which means that they sewed the buttons and buckles on in Italy (and even that was likely done by cheap imported labor).
3- Made in China, but the label saying so is placed in a very discreet location, such as the bottom of an inside pocket.
4-It might also mean that it is mostly made in Italy, though this is very rare.
The leather brands of Gucci, Vuitton and Hermes were built on the hard work of their leather artisan founders, who produced hand-made works of leather beauty, utility and quality. In recent years, with the availability of outsourcing, coupled with the desire of every survival wage earner to own a brand bag, they have gone down-market.
The names now guarantee nothing but a high price, and that you will look like everyone else who was silly enough to pay too much for their leather accessories.
While this is awful for those tarnished, once grand names, it is a great opportunity for leathercrafters. There is already grumbling from those with money and a modicum of taste, and they will be clamoring for unique and high-quality handmade leather goods.
Who knows, maybe someday in the future, your rich ancestors will be using your name and heritage to sell overpriced brand junk!