Chinese manufacturers are exposing their significant role in the production of luxury goods in what is perceived by social media users to be a direct response to the mounting US-China tariff war. A series of viral TikTok and Instagram videos have shown Chinese factory workers and business owners sharing behind-the-scenes footage into the world of luxury goods manufacturing.
One TikTok video included a bold claim that 80 percent of luxury bags are made in China. The video also claims that while foreign nations tried to move their manufacturing out of China, they were unable to because “they don’t have any supply chain. They always have trouble getting leather or zippers or any accessories.”
Reaching over six million users online before the account was taken down, the viral video has left consumers questioning the reputation of luxury designers. Some have even said that the videos are shining a light on a long-whispered secret of the luxury industry. One Instagram user writes: “I’m surprised people didn’t think they weren’t just paying for the name. Thought that was common knowledge”.
With confusion and frustration increasingly mounting, one well-regarded leather expert has weighed in. Volkan Yilmaz, the pro behind the TikTok account @tanner.leatherstein, grew up in a family with a leather tannery and was exposed to the intricacies of leather manufacturing from a young age.
Yilmaz has built up a significant following on social media – by testing the quality of leather goods and educating consumers on how to make quality leather purchases. In past videos, Yilmaz has graded luxury bags for their craftsmanship, unafraid to call out major labels for the quality of their leather and craft.
Yilmaz is most notorious for his willingness to literally dissect thousands of dollars worth of designer bags. He has become an authority on leather good and well-regarded for treating both no-name brands and luxury designers on the same playing field.
Sharing his thoughts on the recent viral videos, Yilmaz says some bags are most definitely “Made in Chitaly” – a combination of the typical ‘Made in China’ and ‘Made in Italy’ labels found on products. According to Yilmaz: “Some brands get real creative when it comes to ‘Made In’ labels.”
In his TikTok video, Yilmaz explains that Chinese manufacturing is a cost-cutting strategy many brands use to their advantage. He says: “Bringing Chinese labour to European land protects the fancy labels – while cutting costs everywhere else.”
In the same video, the expert goes on to say that, ‘Made In’ labels should not have as much weight in our consumer decisions as they so often do. “I’ve seen leather goods from all over the world and honestly the country name on the label means almost nothing to me. It’s who made it and how,” Yilmaz says.
The reality that consumers make snap judgments on products based on where they are produced is the reason brands go to great lengths to hide any connections to Chinese manufacturing. Yilmaz says many brands even attempt to hide the ‘Made in China’ labels by creating them in dark fonts and placing them deep within a bag.
But the expert says that products crafted in China should not be stereotyped as poor quality, just as all products made in Italy should not be assumed to be of superior quality. In fact, Yilmaz says decades of intense manufacturing have allowed Chinese craftspeople to develop their skillset. “World-class work is also coming out of China – in smaller quantities,” explains Yilmaz.
Yilmaz encourages consumers to use their eyes and hands to judge the quality of the goods put before them. “Labels do not guarantee quality,” says Yilmaz, “judge the craft, not the country”.
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