Everyone admires the elegant luxury pieces from modern fashion brands such as Louis Vuitton, but we mistakenly conclude that their handbags last forever. The thought that our grandchildren get to inherit this quality has been used as justification for spending a fortune on a Chanel or Louis Vuitton handbag. But is this the reality today? Does Louis Vuitton have any quality issues or problems that you should know about?
The decision to purchase a Louis Vuitton bag or not is still yours to make, but we think that you should be able to make an informed decision about your purchase if you are aware of some of their defects.
Let’s proceed!
1. Louis Vuitton’s quality is on the decline.
Have you noticed how some monogram pieces turn out to be?
With monogram canvas becoming a recognizable famous print, the most popular handbags are in this color scheme. There is a version of all Louis Vuitton handbags you can possibly imagine in this print (including Neverfull, Metis, and Speedy) and they add up to a nice percentage of the total sales.
Louis Vuitton Canvas is different from leather. However, their handbags are priced at an average of $1,000. The brand used to account for this by claiming that the canvas has more durability than regular leather. Leather gets worn and scratched, but the canvas lasts for many more years, outperforming the costlier leather.
This is how things were before. If for instance, you own a vintage Speedy, you know how unbelievably thick the canvas is. While modern Speedy bags are saggy, the vintage models are better at maintaining their structure and hardly even require an organizer.
However, the canvas is now a shadow of what it used to be.
Just check out some videos on YouTube about modern Louis Vuitton canvas, and you’ll find many video examples of how a $2,000 handbag you buy may later turn out.
There’s good news, as well as bad news. The good news is that the Louis Vuitton guarantee covers cracks. If there are cracks in your item within two years from the time it was purchased, you will either be given a new one to replace it or you get store credit from Louis Vuitton to buy a new item. We are not sure if the item you bought with this store credit will be replaced. If you have a related experience, tell us about it in the comment section.
Now for the bad news. Cracks can’t be fixed. They can be sealed unofficially (not in a Louis Vuitton boutique) with a particular kind of glue, but for items that are more than two years old and have cracks, the situation is worse.
Nevertheless, their policy varies in different places all over the world. Even though they declare a 2-year guarantee timeframe, they sometimes offer to replace items that are older than two years.
2. Louis Vuitton costly leather and hardware wear off like regular leather
Let’s take a minute to discuss Louis Vuitton leather handbags. The 4 most common Louis Vuitton types of leather are:
- Mahina
- Taiga
- Epi
- Empreinte
Empreinte is among the priciest leathers. Look at the price difference between a model in Empreinte and Monogram prints:
The average price of Empreinte is at least 20% of the value of the monogram canvas version of the same bag.
Empreinte leather has a few issues, but we’ll begin with the major one.
If the canvas does not age outrightly, the Empreinte definitely does. The corners rub away and the embossing gets faded. If you are considering buying an Empreinte handbag to use on a daily basis, reconsider it because it won’t look the same in the next year or two.
A new Empreinte handbag vs an old one: the old has lost shape, and the embossment is faded. It is not as attractive as it once looked.
As far as Louis Vuitton handbags are concerned, there is one simple rule. If the leather is going to get only a little rubbing and maintain its shape, the bag must be small. In other words, a smaller purse maintains its shape and embossing better. A small purse is also far less likely to get rubbed.
A good example of a Louis Vuitton handbag in the small/medium-sized category that maintains its shape and embossing well is the Pochette Metis.
On the other hand, take a Melie or Bastille for instance; their corners rub off easily and this can happen within one year if you use the bag on a daily basis.
Therefore, it’s up to you to decide whether you’re going to take care of your bag as a baby or you’ll opt for a less expensive choice.
If you get rubs on your Empreinte handbag, this can be fixed easily.
3. Glazing issues with Louis Vuitton Empreinte bags
This is another defect of Louis Vuitton Empreinte handbags. Depending on the product, their glazing tends to melt or crack. We must mention that bags that were released around 2013 to 2014 typically have this issue, so check the production years and glazing if you’re going to buy a preloved Empreinte handbag.