As we all fall in love with glamorous luxury pieces from modern designer houses like Louis Vuitton, we often assume that their handbags are everlasting. We used to justify spending thousands of dollars on a handbag from Louis Vuitton or Chanel by a thought that this is the quality that you pass on to your grandchildren. But does this hold true today? Are there any issues or problems with Louis Vuitton's quality you should be aware of?
It's still your decision whether to buy or not to buy a Louis Vuitton handbag. We just feel that you must know some of their issues before you buy just for your decision to be informed.
Let's start!
1. Louis Vuitton canvas quality has gone down
As Monogram Canvas has become a recognizable iconic print, handbags in this color scheme are the most popular. Every Louis Vuitton handbag you can think of - Speedy, Metis, Neverfull - has been released in this print and makes a nice share of the total sales.
Louis Vuitton canvas is not leather. However, an average price of their handbag is over $1,000. The fashion house used to justify it by saying that the canvas is more durable than just regular leather. Leather will be rubbed and scratched, still the canvas will serve you for years to come, outperforming more expensive leather.
It used to be like this. If you have a vintage Speedy, for instance, you know that the canvas is unbelievably thick. Though modern Speedy purses sag, the vintage ones hold their shape much better and don't even need an organizer.
However, the canvas is not what is used to be anymore.
Just watch a few videos on YouTube regarding new Louis Vuitton canvas and you'll get a lot of video examples of what might happen after you purchase a $2,000 handbag.
Here are some good news and bad news. The good news is cracks are covered by the Louis Vuitton guarantee. If your item happens to crack within 2 year period after you purchased it, LV will either replace it with a new one or give you store credit to purchase another item. Not sure if they will replace the item you've purchased for this store credit. Let us know in the comments if you've nad such an experience.
Remember about the bad news? Cracks can't be repaired. There are ways to seal them unofficially (not in the Louis Vuitton store) with a specific type of glue, however, if your item is over 2 years and it has cracks, bad for you.
However, their policy is different across the globe and even though they claim the guarantee timeframe is 2 years, sometimes they're willing to replace items that are over 2 years.
2. Louis Vuitton Expensive Leather/hardware wears off just like any other leather
Let's talk leather Louis Vuitton handbags for a minute. There are 4 most popular Louis Vuitton leathers:
- Empreinte
- Epi
- Taiga
- Mahina
Empreinte is one of the most expensive leathers. Check out the price difference between one style in Monogram and Empreinte prints:
On average, Empreinte is at least plus 20% to the price of the same handbag in monogram canvas.
There are a few issues with empreinte leather but we'll start with the main one.
If the canvas doesn't straightforwardly age, the Empreinte leather certainly does. The embossing fades, the corners get rubbed. If you plan to purchase an Empreinte handbag as your daily piece of style, think again because it'll look different in a year or two.
There's a simple rule when it comes to Louis Vuitton Empreinte handbags. For the leather to keep the shape and get minimal rubs, the purse has to be small. In other words, the smaller the purse, the better it keeps the embossing and the shape. It's also much less likely to get any kind of rubs when it's small.
Pochette Metis is a great example of a small / medium-sized Louis Vuitton handbag that keeps the embossing and the shape good.
Alternatively, if we take a Bastille or a Melie, for instance, theier corners do get rubbed easily and that'll probably happen within a year if that's your daily handbag.
Thus, you have to decide for yourself if you're ready to baby your bag, change it for something not that expensive.
If your Empreinte handbag got some rubs, it's quite easy to fix them though.
3. Glazing problems with LV Empreinte handbags
Here's another problem with Louis Vuitton Empreinte handbags. Their glazing is very prone to melting or cracking depending on the item. We must say that this issue was typical for a handbag released in 2013-2014 so if you're buying a preloved Empreinte handbag, check its glazing and production years.
Have something to share? Leave us a comment. We are sure everyone must know about the potential issues prior to buying an expensive piece.
