Viral videos claim luxury brands are made in China, retailers respond

Chinese manufacturers and influencers claim high-end items aren’t quite what they seem.

As the trade war between China and the United States heats up, some Chinese manufacturers and influencers have gone viral claiming many high-end brands are made in China, then re-packaged abroad and sold at sky-high prices.

“They sell you leggings or pants for $100, and guess what? Here in these two factories, you can get them for around five to six bucks,” said one influencer in a video that has received roughly nine million views.

In Sydney, N.S., Rick Jessome, who has owned a thrift shop on Charlotte Street for 25 years, doesn’t find the claims difficult to believe.

“I’ve heard it before, and I actually believe it’s true”, he said, adding that in some cases people are simply better off buying second-hand.

Retail analyst Bruce Winder said the videos – which urge people to buy directly from the manufacturers in China amid Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs – should be taken with a grain of salt.

“I think this is probably a little bit of posturing, politically,” Winder said. “Because I just can’t believe that a factory that would do business with LuLuLemon or all these big places would jeopardize their relationship by coming forward. It doesn’t make sense.

“Some of what they say is not wrong, though. The markup on luxury products is incredible.”

Still, his instinct is that politics may be at play and that this might have more to do with the trade war between the U.S. and China than with exposing secrets of the luxury item trade.

“I think the Chinese government (has probably) tried talking to the U.S. administration but now is using influencers to try and talk to the people directly - to get the people to create a movement to stop the tariffs,” Winder said.

Some of the brands cited in the social media videos have denied the claims being made.

Louis Vuitton has released a statement saying it does not manufacture products in China and LuLuLemon has posted a full list of its manufacturing partners on its website.