Is it worth more to you if it's from somewhere particular?

[kronik]

So...

Do you truly believe that the best artisans only reside in certain places, i.e. Italy / UK / USA? I'll be honest, I do, depending on the item.

The reason I ask.. I'm spending WAY TOO MUCH MONEY at the Saks Final Cut sale today (scored a 450 Brioni that I had been eyeing for 2 months, for 149.. woo) and I decided to get something for my mother's birthday. So, I make my way to the St. John section. Now, for those who aren't familiar, St. John makes mostly conservative business suits / eveningwear. They're a pretty expensive brand.. think like a Brioni / Kiton for women for the sake of brevity. So I'm looking.. and 3/4 of the sh*t (while nice) is made in China and Hong Kong? What the fooking hell? They had some stuff made in the US but I was appalled.

My question.. should I be? The stuff lasts, can be sized up and down (through some process they use), and can be absolutely gorgeous. I have a feeling of EG was made in China, less people would buy it for whatever reason.

 

[A Harris]

It's perception, backed by a huge amount of marketing (a lot of which is done directly by the nations themselves, ie Italy,) backed by some degree of reality. In the very top tier of the market (which are basically artisinal goods) there are very few capable makers outside of England, Italy, etc. that are currently producing a world class product. For mass produced items, the advantage is becoming less clear all the time.

Look at the universal notion that "made in italy" = a quality suit. Most of the lower priced Italian made suits are not superior in any way, their only advantage is in the eye of the buyer, who has bought into the marketing.

 

[odoreater]

Sure, but for every Zegna, Brioni and Isaia, there's a crapload of Zanetti, Rizolli and Palasso which is just as bad as the garbage that comes out of China.

 

[kronik]

Ironically, I haven't even heard of those 3 brands...

Now granted, I probably don't shop where they're sold but even still.

 

[kitonbrioni]

Most sweaters from Scotland are superior in quality. Most suits/***** from Italy are superior in quality and style. English shoes are generally well made. French leather (sold in the USA) is of high quality. Swiss made clothes are quality garments, and of course their watches are the highest quality. Most suits made in the USA/Canada are of decent quality. USA denim is of a good quality (though Japan is claimed to make the best denim). The few items I have from Japan are of high quality. Yes, every country has poor quality goods that attempt to over charge the customer, but then again look at the amount of Asian goods that claim to be made in Italy and France, for instance.

 

[Nantucket Red]

Thinking about this the other way around, how many people here would be buying Jantzen if they were made in England or Italy?

 

[kronik]

Originally Posted by Nantucket Red

Thinking about this the other way around, how many people here would be buying Jantzen if they were made in England or Italy?

Probably not as many because they'd inflate the prices ... why? Because they were made in England or Italy.

 

[matadorpoeta]

to answer the original question, yes. my first racing bicycle was a peugeot made in france. the saddle and components were italian, and the tires were german.

i bragged about my french racing bike for a long time.

 

[Tomasso]

Originally Posted by matadorpoeta

my first racing bicycle was a peugeot made in france. the saddle and components were italian, and the tires were german.

My first racer was also a Peugeot, a midget with a 15" frame, though it came with an Ideale(French) saddle.

 

[Vintage Gent]

Originally Posted by kronik

Probably not as many because they'd inflate the prices ... why? Because they were made in England or Italy.

Wouldn't that be more by necessity--the cost of labor in England and Italy being significantly higher?

 

[kronik]

Originally Posted by Vintage Gent

Wouldn't that be more by necessity--the cost of labor in England and Italy being significantly higher?

Quite possibly, yes - but do you truly think that only costs of operation would translate into price increases? In my mind, highly unlikely.

 

[Get Smart]

I used to have a prejudice against "Made in China", but over the last couple years I'm not so hatin em. My Jantzen shirts are fantastic, made in China. The new Vox AC-30cc guitar amp is no longer made in England, but made in China, and is imo a superior product to the older Voxes that were UK made. Maybe we'd all be better off if there were no "made in" tags since it's apparent that many of us are prejudiced towards and against certain origins rather than judging the product on its own merits or lack of.

 

[Nantucket Red]

Originally Posted by kronik

Probably not as many because they'd inflate the prices ... why? Because they were made in England or Italy.

This is essentially what I was pointing out by asking the question.

And I do think a premium is added above the increased cost of labor/materials.

Then again, you get what you pay for in some sense. I used to buy shirts from a certain maker that farmed labor out to places like Guatemala, Costa Rica, Taipei and similarly diverse locations. I found that the workmanship and sizing were often somewhat inconsistent. I'd be very surprised if you found the same inconsitencies in the better brands made in England or Italy, even if you're paying a premium for the cachet of the "made in" designation.

 

[acidboy]

Originally Posted by kronik

Probably not as many because they'd inflate the prices ... why? Because they were made in England or Italy.

all things considered equal, its more than that, imo. prices are different because all the inputs in determining the cost is different. if anyone here recalls the big mac index in basic economics, you'd know what i'm talking about: