Sarah Kent, Chief Sustainability Correspondent for BoF, dives deep into the viral TikTok trend questioning luxury branding authenticity. She discusses how videos claiming 'superfakes' are made in the same factories as genuine goods have warped public perception and eroded trust. Kent highlights the implications of U.S.-China tariffs on luxury pricing and explores how misinformation spreads in the age of social media. This conversation reveals how brands must navigate a landscape fueled by skepticism, counterfeits, and shifting consumer attitudes.
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insights INSIGHT
Luxury's Transparency Problem
TikTok videos claim luxury "superfake" bags are made in the same factories as real ones, but few make this claim explicitly.
However, this narrative spreads widely, reflecting luxury brands' transparency issues and consumer confusion.
insights INSIGHT
Globalized Luxury Production
Luxury goods often have components made globally, not solely in Europe.
Countries like China, Vietnam, and Cambodia now house top-tier manufacturing for products like sneakers.
insights INSIGHT
Consumer Skepticism on Luxury
Many consumers don't care about product origin but judge quality and value.
The rise of TikTok videos reflects doubts about luxury quality and pricing, impacting brand trust.
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A strange new genre of TikTok videos is challenging long-held assumptions about how luxury products are made. Often shot in anonymous Chinese factories, these videos claim that the so-called "superfakes" flooding the market are indistinguishable from, and sometimes made in the same factories as, high-end bags from the likes of Chanel or Louis Vuitton.
While all evidence points to these claims being false, the repetition of these videos has amplified a growing narrative: that luxury pricing is inflated, quality is slipping and production secrets are being exposed. Fuelled further by the U.S.-China tariff dispute and the allure of buying a $10,000 bag for $300, this narrative is resonating with a social media audience increasingly disillusioned with luxury’s mystique.
In this episode, BoF's chief sustainability correspondent Sarah Kent joins hosts Sheena Butler-Young and Brian Baskin to break down what’s really happening behind the scenes – and why silence might not be a viable strategy for brands much longer.
Key Insights:
TikTok's "superfake" narrative may be fiction, but it's feeding real consumer doubt. While only a few viral TikTok videos explicitly claim to produce fakes in the same factories as luxury goods, that idea has travelled widely and taken root. "It is supremely unlikely that any factory that had a real relationship with any luxury brand would go on TikTok to market superfakes," Kent notes. Yet the repetition of these claims underscores luxury's ongoing transparency issue. In the absence of accessible facts, falsehoods thrive.
Today’s best craftsmanship isn’t always in Europe as high-quality manufacturing has shifted globally. “For instance, if you were making performance footwear or sneakers in particular, China, Cambodia, and Vietnam are probably the best factories you can find in the world to do that,” Kent explains. “If you want to make a luxury product of that quality, you probably don’t want to make that in France or Italy."
The fake bag narrative is irresistible but damaging to luxury. Even those who know the claims are likely untrue find them hard to shake. "It's a delicious narrative," Kent says. One that plays into an existing story of overpricing, declining quality, and aloofness in luxury. Brands have long relied on mythology and mystique. But as Kent notes, that strategy is less effective in a social media age, where misinformation travels fast and reputations can erode overnight.
Consumers are questioning whether luxury is worth the price and Kent says consumer doubt "isn’t going away". Luxury brands need to explain more clearly why their products carry such high price tags to slow this erosion of trust that has accelerated since the pandemic, as prices rose and quality concerns mounted. "If brands aren't giving compelling information that explains where their stuff is made and why it’s valued in this manner then those questions aren't going to fade," Kent warns.
The Business of Fashion Podcast