When brand-name handbag mania strikes Jakarta<\/p>\n
By Dini S. Djalal<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): It's a wedding reception, and the guests are
\nscrambling over the desserts. A woman reaching for an eclair sees
\nthe woman on her right and spots a superior object of desire.<\/p>\n
How smooth the black leather, how gleaming the gold chain, she
\nthinks. Then she smiles and strokes the identical Chanel bag
\nhanging on her shoulder, content that she too is part of the
\nclique.<\/p>\n
She's not alone. Arrive at any society event in Jakarta and at
\nleast a dozen identical Chanel bags will vie for attention. In
\nthis city of conspicuous consumption, the brand-name handbag is
\nthe fashionable woman's ultimate status symbol.<\/p>\n
\"If you want to judge how fashionable a person is, first you
\nlook at their shoes, then their bag,\" says Winnie, a 27-year-old
\nmarketing executive.<\/p>\n
Actually, at times fashion has little to do with it.<\/p>\n
\"Handbags are like handphones. They're near eye-level, so
\nthey're an easily-seen status symbol,\" Winnie explains.<\/p>\n
Status symbols are, by definition, more about conformity than
\nstyle.<\/p>\n
\"A lot of women will do anything for a Chanel bag,\" says
\nWinnie.<\/p>\n
But what about other brands or designs? Don't these
\nfashionable women want something a little more individual and
\noriginal?<\/p>\n
\"That is what they call original,\" Winnie retorts.<\/p>\n
Loco for Logos<\/p>\n
The 1980s have often been labeled \"the Designer Decade\".
\nHalfway through the 1990s, however, designer brands show little
\nsign of disappearing, especially in Asia.<\/p>\n
Exaggerated logos may have shrunk over the years, but Chanel's
\ninterlocking C's and Louis Vuitton's signature LV are still
\nfashion's most coveted consonants.<\/p>\n
Nowhere is the all-important logo more prominent than at
\nGucci, where Tom Ford's design renaissance has rescued the gold
\nhorse-shoe trademark from establishment doldrums. Now every
\nvictim de la mode, young and old, wants Gucci's signature on
\neverything from bathrobes to flip-flops.<\/p>\n
Even supposedly anti-fashion Prada is enjoying the popularity
\nof their discreet triangle trademark. One can spot this hippiest
\nof cachets on nylon backpacks, wallets and other luggage
\nparaphernalia.<\/p>\n
Less privileged shoppers, however, cannot afford too many
\nlabeled accessories -- hence the handbag mania.<\/p>\n
\"Handbags definitely sell the most. We report a 12 percent
\nsales increase every year,\" said Inca Utan, Indonesia's
\ndistributor of leather goods labels Louis Vuitton, Charles
\nJourdan, and Loewe, which celebrated its 150th anniversary last
\nweek with a show at Plaza Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"Handbags are popular because you can see the logo right away.
\nFor younger customers, the bigger the logo the better,\" Inca
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The market is responding to this Asian fetish for logos.
\nGerman leather-goods label Escada is considering placing their
\nbrand names on the outside of bags headed for Asian markets.<\/p>\n
That's good news for those who treat handbags like
\ninvestments.<\/p>\n
\"It's not difficult to spend too much money on clothes,
\nbecause you may only wear it once or twice,\" explains 26-year-old
\nmodel Luna. \"But bags are different. You wear them often,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Louis Vuitton is the preferred brand name among models, said
\nLuna, although the more senior models can afford Chanel, which
\nsells for up to Rp 7 million (US$3,111).<\/p>\n
Social climbing<\/p>\n
There are few things the true social climber cannot afford.
\nOnce the merchandise has been chosen, money is often no object
\nfor the resolute customer.<\/p>\n
\"If they want something, Indonesians will save up to buy it,
\neven if they can't afford it,\" Winnie explained. She herself
\nsaved for months to buy a Nina Ricci evening bag for $1,000.<\/p>\n
Was it worth it? \"I don't go to many big parties, but when I
\ndo, I have to be presentable,\" she replied. Winnie may have only
\none evening bag, but her bag collection is substantial enough
\nthat she divides it into three categories: work, casual and
\nevening.<\/p>\n
How does she pay for all these purchases? \"Credit,\" she
\nanswered. And not necessarily the plastic kind either. Winnie
\nsometimes buys from friends returning from overseas shopping
\nsprees.<\/p>\n
\"They'll let you pay up to six times, without interest,\" said
\nWinnie. \"If I had to pay the whole sum immediately, I would think
\ntwice,\" she added.<\/p>\n
Yovie, also a marketing executive, stumbled into this
\nunderground business accidentally. \"A friend of a friend lives
\noverseas, and every two months she sends us new handbags,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
A shipment usually consists of ten bags, six of which are
\noften sold by the end of the week.<\/p>\n
\"I give the other four to someone else to sell for a
\ncommission. This business turns over earnings for a lot of
\npeople,\" said Yovie.<\/p>\n
Being a third person in the sales chain, Yovie receives 5
\npercent commission for every sale. She contends that the other
\nmiddlemen make more.<\/p>\n
\"I don't make much, but enough to buy myself a new bag,\" she
\nsaid, with a laugh.<\/p>\n
Even with all these people cashing in, the products they sell
\nare still considerably cheaper than those in stores. \"We can sell
\na bag with a retail price of Rp 1.2 million for only Rp 700,000,
\nand that's after profit,\" said Yovie.<\/p>\n
Do her sales pitches disrupt her office?<\/p>\n
\"No, I only do it outside of office hours, maybe at lunch,\"
\nsaid Yovie. Both Yovie and Winnie insist that these sales are
\nalmost routine. \"In every office, there's always two ladies
\nselling handbags and belts,\" said Winnie.<\/p>\n
\"It happens all the time,\" said Yovie, \"It's good business.\"<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/when-brand-name-handbag-mania-strikes-jakarta-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }