So, like, you see all this fancy stuff, right? Wallets, bags that cost more than my car (and probably yours too, no offense), and then you find snippets online, scattered like confetti after a parade. There’s the official Hermès website talking about stores in Beijing, like the one in the China World Mall. They even reopened one in SKP Mall! Fancy schmancy. It’s all about “traditional art” and “surrounding nature,” which sounds lovely, but doesn’t exactly answer the burning question.
Then you see stuff about “secret suppliers to the world’s top designers.” That’s where things get murky. Are they *actually* saying they have factories in China? Well, no, not directly. But… *hint hint, nudge nudge*. The official narrative is all about “traditional craftsmanship” and being “loyal to tradition,” which kinda implies stuff being made in France, right? That’s the brand image, after all.
But let’s be real. Labor costs are a thing. And China’s got… you know… a lot of skilled labor. I mean, even if Hermès *doesn’t* have a full-blown factory churning out Birkins (and let’s be honest, they probably don’t, that would kinda cheapen the whole thing), it’s not crazy to think some of the components, maybe the leather finishing, or even some of the less “prestige” items, are being made (or at least *partially* made) in China. Just a thought.
And the Spring-Summer 2025 and Fall-Winter 2024 collections being promoted in the Beijing stores… well, they gotta come from somewhere. They ain’t magically appearing, are they? Plus, they’re selling poker cards for $190 and chromatic storage baskets for $8,700 in Beijing’s China World store. Honestly, at those prices, they could be made by actual unicorns, for all I know.