Louis Vuitton Leather

[billymac814]

It definitely is because the cases are far too cheap and they don't even mention LV, probably because they don't want to draw attention to it. I see they also have "Gucci" ones and a few others. If they were made from used (or new)genuine ones and sold as such it would be different. They are also made in china where you can probably buy rolls of fake LV monogram canvas and all the fake hardware you desire.

Used and damaged LV bags sell for a minimum of 100.00- 300.00 depending on how bad they are. You'd only get a few cases out of each so they would have to be more expensive. Those cases are cool looking though and if they were made from a genuine LV bag I'd probably have a pending order right now even if they were more expensive.

[billymac814]

I don't think anyone said that knockoffs are better than genuine. Most knockoffs are junk and you can tell from 15' away they are fake. The genuine LV ones are perfect in every way, if they are not they don't leave the factory and they don't EVER sell "Seconds". A lot of knockoff LV bags use vinyl instead of leather on the handles which always rip and they never get darker like a real one. Most fake ones don't last more than a few months of daily use. I despise them and I always charge more to fix a fake one, usually hoping they will pass on the repair. The junk materials are harder to work with.

That being said though some knockoff manufactures are making ones that are of pretty high quality and very difficult to tell whether they are real or not. I would be very cautious buying any LV product on the used market unless I really knew where it came from no matter how good it looks. Some of the manufactures go to great lengths to try to fool people, they copy the tags, the dust covers and even receipts.

My wife owns a few high end bags including LV. The quality of knockoffs are definitely not better than LW. She has has pointed out to me the quality difference based on shoddy construction and low quality parts.

Based on this thread I noticed today my wife was carrying an LV wallet. I asked her thoughts on the quality and she pointed out that particular wallet had little wear and she has owned and used it for 15 years. I doubt many Chinatown knockoff (where most New Yorkers get their knockoffs) will last that long.

[glockanator]

Thanks for all the replies. I have taken everyones opinions into consideration. I was able to find dome fake LV products and informed the client he would need to purchase one so I could use part if it on the holster. Once he found out the holster would be closed to $200 he backed out. I was kinda looking forward to doing this project but its not my style of holster so it will not be done at this current time.

[Mijo]

the stuff by Vuitton is not leather . It's in fact plastic. Only leather is used to make straps & so forth & it's veg leather & it's coated these days with polyurethane so it wont turn color

That's not true, LV has several lines that are all leather and not treated canvas with leather trim. Their all leather products have less branding all over them and tend to cost more, which is probably why they're less prevalent.

[Beaverslayer]

Well, I sent Louis Vuitton an email in regards to "Re-purposing" their products, this is the reply I got back.

Dear Mr. Clark,

Thank you for contacting Louis Vuitton. Due to an e-mail issue, we were unable to reply earlier to your message. We would like to apologize for this delay.

In order to preserve the luxury and discretion of the brand, Louis Vuitton does not sell any of our proprietary materials, or authorize re-purposing of these materials for other uses. We thank you for your interest in Louis Vuitton, and apologize for any disappointment this may cause your client.

For further assistance, please contact Client Services at 866-VUITTON (866-884-8866) or visit us at www.louisvuitton.com.

Best regards,

Stacy C.

Client Services

LOUIS VUITTON

866-VUITTON

contact_us@louisvuitton.com

www.louisvuitton.com

By their answer, I take it they will not "Authorize" but do not say it it would be considered an infringement on their "Trade Mark" . I'd still not want to take the chance of receiving a letter from their lawyers though....that cost would far surpass any profit made from re-purposing any of their products.

[humperdingle]

I suppose the problem is not the customising or 'repurposing' in itself, but rather, the intention to sell on the refinished article.

Then again... If I was lucky enough to be able to afford an Aston Martin, decided to fit a few other bits and pieces which were non standard... And then sold it... Is that an issue?

[madisonO]

Thailand is a good choice if you got the money to transport but if not, I think it would be hard to get one.

[Feraud]

I suppose the problem is not the customising or 'repurposing' in itself, but rather, the intention to sell on the refinished article.

That is generally the sentiment with regards to trademark issues.

I participate in the movie prop hobby and this frequently comes up. Making a "one off" is not an issue as is taking intellectually owned property and attempting to sell.

If you paint Mickey Mouse on a child's shirt the Disney company will likely not bother you about it. However, if you start painting Mickey Mouse shirts and selling them... that's a different story.

[cmantz]

I see horse tack made with LV material...I assume it is fake. So it is available for purchase somewhere.

[jimmy eng]

The main LV logo products (the monogram and damier check) are a waterproofed canvas. They do have a few leather lines such as the Epi line, which has tight ridges/slubs on the surface.

You most likely would get it in Thailand but it's very hard to procure a roll of the material. When I went to a few south east Asian countries on holidays with my family, they'd be a few badly made fakes at the markets in Thailand (ones with the wrong symbol on the monogram etc) but I think it was in Malaysia/ Laos where we got driven literally to a place in the middle of nowhere, it was a barren landscape, and they had a warehouse full of higher quality fakes. I wasn't paying attention to how we got there or why unfortunately. It was a bit frightening, you could feel the nervous and secrective tension in the air.