Hermes seems to have suffered of overexposure at such point that recent trends observers have declared that Hermes handbags are not the coolest bags to own and to show anymore! Surprised? – read on!
The people of the Internet have spoken and, during a survey which took over 2 years and included media outlets, forums and blogs, the analysts have concluded that although Hermes still remains one of the most legendary bag-brands, their trend-power is no longer overwhelming, like it was the case some 7 years ago! Could the it-bag trend be finally over – the answer to that question and much more after the jump!
It’s probably just a temporary diversification in tastes and buying habits. Over the past years, whether they came to terms with it or not, the blogosphere was a gamechanging reality not many established brands were willing to accept or embrace. Those who did, however, took advantage of it like surfers riding the high winds: much of the 2-year consumer survey focused on online brand-chatter (trending topics, tags, comments, likes).
The study, however, is not a random act of curiosity trying to establish a bag supremacy for sport. It’s a fine tuned, focused mean machine getting to the bottom of people’s tastes and buying habits, orchestrated by a bank (Credit Suisse) and an online media&social monitoring group (NetBase). However, in the (apparently) chaotic internetverse, this study has the impact of a butterfly effect: its conclusions, although only published by a handful of websites, could actually influence potential customers into buying the ‘new hot’ brands and turning their back to the declining ones!
What happens with Hermes, though?
Birkins and Kellys, are they now doomed to dark closets? There’s more to the sad truth behind their downgrading in customers tastes (on a 6-month span, the brand has registered, according to the said study, a 8% decrease in growth index momentum, whereas Fendi showed a 117% increase). Over the past years, Hermes has fought counterfeiting, took legal action both in and out of the virtual counters but regardless of the official rulings, fake Hermes bags still get sold&bought&showed off! (some of the celebrities who are famously wearing fake Hermes bags: Joan Rivers, Olivia Palermo, Taylor Armstrong, Brandi Glanville, Kyle Richards, Bethenny Frankel) Most recently, Dr. Tara Allmen, a respected gynecologist (who also appears regularly on TV) filed legal action against Tisha Colette, a store in which she bought a Hermes replica for over $3,400 in 2013.
numerous celebrities have admitted wearing Hermes replica bags: (from L to R) Joan Rivers Olivia Palermo Taylor Armstrong Brandi Glanville Kyle Richards Bethenny Frankel
See also: How to recognize a fake Hermes bag?
Louis Vuitton, a bag-brand which fuels the replicas-market with constant inspiration and work (arguably more than Hermes’ 2-3 counterfeited models), seems to be on a steady growth, though, outpacing Burberry (9%), Chanel (10%) and Prada (20%). However, in a negative commentary chart, Hermes is clearly leading the pack with 22%, followed closely by Prada with 21% and with 13% each, Chanel and Louis Vuitton (Fendi and Burberry come last with 7%). The study in question being internet-oriented, it’s both interesting and most relevant to observe how ‘hate’ rules the bag world.
Which bag is now wearing the ‘it crown’ then?
Calvin Klein
How? There are two possible answers to that:
(1) Calvin Klein’s marketing team is brilliant (although the Calvin Klein website doesn’t reflect the work of a genius team – it’s one of the most annoying, ill-functioning and crumpled interfaces I’ve ever come across)
(2) Customers are so afraid of replicas, they’d rather go for an average but safe buy instead of chasing unicorns and getting donkeys instead.
Calvin Klein bags are customers favorite right now: (L) $198 leather tote, (R) $375 Saffiano leather tote
Whichever the answer, the truth is obvious: customers interest is shifting. Customers get smarter and opinionated but Internet gets to them anyway. Hold the key to the Internet and you’ll hold the key to customers hearts!
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