Photo: Shang Xia website
When one thinks of the origin of luxury goods, two countries come to mind without hesitation - Italy and France - they are the top two countries that originate the most high-end luxury brands for apparel and accessories. Even for non-luxury brands such as J. Crew, marketing an item to the public as "Made in Italy" creates a sense that it was made with superior craftsmanship and higher quality materials which comes along with premium pricing, of course.
Meanwhile, "Made in China" has always been synonymous with cheap materials and poorly constructed goods made with sweatshop labor. That has been the case for decades with no Chinese labels ever catching on internationally as a luxury label. However, as China continues to rise and the Chinese nouveau riche quench their insatiable thirst for luxury, a few Chinese brands are trying to change that - one even has the help of Hermès.
