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📹 Inside the fake luxury hype: What Aupen doesn’t want you to know?
This new bag brand has taken over social media, with celebrities flaunting their designs left and right. But something didn’t sit right …
📹 The Secret to Turn Your Car into a Luxury Car
The Secret to Turn Your Car into a Luxury Car, DIY and car repair with Scotty Kilmer. Car accessories that turn a car into a luxury …
As a born-and-bred Singaporean, I applaud your attempts to investigate Aupen’s true manufacturing origins. While I can’t be 100% sure, I’m fairly certain their bags aren’t manufactured in Singapore. Your research is accurate: the high standards of living here make it tricky to produce + sell a leather bag at that price point. If you look at Tocco Toscano (a popular local leather brand), their bags are in a similar price range – and are made in a factory in Guangzhou, China, as indicated on their FAQs page.
Great investigation! My thoughts are if Aupen didn’t specifically infiltrate the celebrities, they probably infiltrated the stylists. Everyone knows that celebrities rely on their style team for what is new/hot in the world of fashion. They could claim that the celebrities came upon it themselves if they plant the bags in the stylists closets. The stylists let the celebrities pick out what they want to wear, but the stylists can strategically place the Aupen bag where they know their client will see it and then its just a couple compliments of them with the bag before it’s on the A-lister’s arm.
I used to work in China and there’s no bags being made in Singapore like that, as you stated it would be cost prohibitive. I agree and know based on my experience that they’re made in Guangzhou and there’s more than likely a larger brand behind these shenanigans creating a new market for the money grab. You can find an almost similar shape and style in TJ Maxx made in PU. I only buy exotic skin bags now from smaller businesses in the countries I visit. Support smaller artisans!!!
The only brands that have access to celebrity stylists and by return A list celebrities are the big conglomerates. It’s sounds like LMVH have already bankrolled and used their production/ distribution networks in tandem with access to major fashion magazines, stylists to reverse engineer new product lines/ brands). Of course they would already have the production factories in place in China. “For its part, LVMH’s commitments include sourcing 70 percent of its materials from within a radius of 500 kilometers, along with measuring and tracking energy consumption at its stores.” So this would make sense given the “collaboration…”
If the brand is proud of where their product is made, they’re going to put a nice big “Made In Singapore!!!” tag inside. The fact they didn’t has to mean they couldn’t. No one goes that far out of their way to be vague and secretive unless they know people wouldn’t be happy if they found out the truth.
Plenty of brands do this kind of shady roundabout stuff to make it seem like they make their bags in developed countries with tighter working regulations so they trick you into thinking you’re supporting a brand with ethical labor practices. The EU law in particular is tailor made for this kind of predatory stuff, brands can say a bag was made in Italy, Spain or France when just one of the manufacturing processes was there, like the final assembly of the product or installing a tag. Meanwhile the bulk of the labor was still made in China by workers who get paid pennies per hour.
There actually is a leather company in Singapore which supposedly provides leather craftsmanship for brands like LV. They have a sub brand called Tresse, where their own products are all weaved leather pieces. I used to work as a retail assistant selling Tresse products, and that’s the brand background I was told of. Not sure whether they have any relationship with Aupen but Singapore is a small place, so I can’t think of any other suppliers.
You are so correct on your suspicion. From Trade Compliance standpoint, this raises a lot of red flags and made no sense why the product would be shipped from China if they are claiming it’s made in Singapore. If it was indeed made in China, I hope they are declaring the correct country of origin upon import.
So impressed with this article and the effort you put in! I was just as dubious seeing Aupen ads targetting me all over social media for all the same reasons. Honestly even if a bag seems nice quality for the price, the lack of transparency and suspicious business practices give me the ick lol. Keep up the excellent work – this is the kind of investigative journalism consumers need more of!!
I was very tempted to buy an Aupen bag, inspired by a couple of YouTubers more than half a year ago. I searched the Aupen website and found the address with a picture of the ‘factory.’ The address seemed to be shared by other businesses as well, felt more like co-working space. I felt very uncomfortable with the information and decided not to proceed with my purchase.
The brand indeed only started appearing a few years back here in Singapore, I honestly though it was a scam at first when they showed all the celebrities carrying their bags on their ads. I had not realized they were selling it for that price, the bag does looks good and has a nice design to it. As a leather craftsman in Singapore I do feel that at that pricing it is indeed suspicious, though not impossible, just with a low profit margin. Which brings up the point as you mentioned, they probably have a rich financier behind it to be able to start/sustain the business, or maybe they were just lucky. 🤣 ps: I can’t help but notice that on the photo of the craftsman from the Aupen site, the hardware on his table looks a lot like the hardware used by another singapore brand called “Abara” so I think you are right to say that Crockohdial was involved in the process at some point.
Such an awesome article. And no I dont believe its being manufactured in Singapore. Its a very expensive place to live and Singaporean cost of living is sky high. With just the materials alone if its locally source and artisan labour it be impossible. Also, celebrities stylish and personal shoppers have a web like network so I’m sure theres always this very smart middle man that pushed the brand to reach the social media. In my personal opinion shutting the brand down is a strategy to build up the hype. People that follow the new trend and these celebrities will always be the 1st victim.
The thing is there is no issue that their bags are made in China, they are a great deal and I love the minimalist no-label look. The problem is their deceptive business and marketing practices. The “going out of business” ploy is well known in marketing strategy and it was extremely obvious to everyone what they were doing. Their PR team would be wise to just remain silent, rather than put out a constant stream of lies.
1. no don’t believe the bags were made in Singapore. I don’t think I know anything that is made in Singapore 😅 it’s a beautiful and fascinating country but it’s expensive to live there. I only went there once as a kid so I can’t speak too much on the day to day but I think even s lot of things are imported from Malaysia, India or china. So a bag 300€ with made in Singapore label is so sketchy. 2. I never trust when something is over hyped among celebrities … it’s just too suspicious. So one of the conglomerates definitely paid big checks for the PR stunt. I don’t think Beyoncé or Taylor swift found these bags organically 😂😂 but Aupen the brand itself wouldn’t have so much financing without a big backer for these top celebrities sponsorship
Fascinating investigative work from an international legal intellectual property and trade practices viewpoint. It is conceivable that the so called ‘influencers and stars’ who show off these bags in public are either paid well to do so or the bags are pushed to them by their own agents who are skimming the cream off the top themselves, Whatever, the shallowness of the high fashion industry never fails to disappoint. In this instance their assumption that all consumers can easily be fooled has at least been proven wrong by your article.
Thank you for making this article! Definitely quenched my curiosity for a while now. Aupen is a highly suspicious brand and I just couldn’t pinpoint where and how it came about as a Singaporean myself. Even when the brand was featured on CNA, I was perplexed how the articles also shared very ‘politically correct’ and vague responses, I figured it’s probably similar because of how they receive the same set of answers from their PR team. The ‘Made in Singapore’ label is a huge misrepresentation. Will definitely stay away from this brand, they should be more transparent with their processes and communication!
This is phenomenal investigative work. Although you usually focus on reviewing quality of goods, you have an impressive talent for producing long length investigative documentaries. I am from Malaysia (a country situated next to Singapore) and was very surprised that luxury leather goods were able to be produced locally at that specific level of craftmanship and sold at that price point. Note that Singapore is an extremely small country with limited resources and as you mentioned, a high living wage (if one is to operate on a legal manner). However, I kept an open mind as Charles and Keith, is a popular mass market singaporean brand that has extreme global success so I thought things might have really changed to allow for a mature industry to develop overtime. But of course, the caveat here is that most C&K goods are faux and made of cheap hardware. So I am really glad this article was made and does support my scepticism.
Really interesting article. I visited their website a few days ago after hearing about the brand. I thought it strange they only had a couple of products. Something didn’t feel quite ‘right’. I was expecting a site that was maybe similar to Polene or Demellier based on the hype around the bags. Good to know the leather and quality are decent at least.
I have the Nirvana in white since almost 1 year in real leather, and I love it… used it a lot, and still like new. I have seen several bad reviews and people saying their vegan leather bags were bad, but the one I have is really nice, although a little small for my taste in general. But the company / website have always been a little strange and I realised after receiving the bag, that there was no possibility for return, to ensure you only order what you really want… not that I wanted to return, but still, strange… 😊
I got the raffia version of the nirvana bag recently and it was shipped from China. The unboxing was truly underwhelming (no Aupen gift box, only the dust bag and no thank you or brand introduction note etc) and I had to email customer service after 5 days before they even bothered to send me the bag. The bag itself is well made but the customer service and after sales was truly lacking. The bag is highly likely made in China.
Since a chunk of the buyers who previously purchased high ends brands are now purchasing less know middle range bags like Aester Eekme, Little liffner, Franlaurer etc I’ve noticed that several Chinese companies are trying to pass for “London based” “Singapore based” companies etc trying to enter that market. However, I don’t know why but their webpage seems always to miss authenticity in terms of story and value proposition.
With what happened with Dior in Milan, for Aupen bags the workers actually have better environment and rights… and creating better quality bags lol Made in China discrimination needs to stop if so much things people like are actually just things made in China but put under another country in PR to make people feel better
Celebrities get paid to wear certain brands. They get paid for social influence. You may find a rare star wearing/using something they bought on their own, but it’s rare. Their fame and influence is something they take serious, and cash in on. Brands make money on the brand. People who buy for the brand are idiots IMO. Buying a purse simply for the brand ignores that brands are using materials that are availible to any other crafter. Italian leather, Naphtha leather, etc., are all available to any crafter who wants to work with them. This company, is definitely pulling a sham. You know it, and we know it. It’s all about money. It’s not going to shift the buying habits of people though. Too many buyers want to buy happiness or the appearance of wealth they don’t have by sporting brands like these. It’s not about buying a quality purse for these buyers, it’s about having a purse like someone famous they saw. Fools and their money, are soon parted. Real fools, who go into real credit card debt, to appear to be someone they are not. While this brand is deceptive, I say these buyers are getting what they deserve. Had they really cared about quality and honesty, then they would have looked to have a purse made by someone who makes purses one by one. From a small crafter who would give them quality at a fair price.
Wonderful article! I agree with you because, based on what I have observed, Singaporean companies typically outsource the manufacturing process for the reasons you stated. For example, the cat food I buy is a brand from Singapore and is only headquartered in Singapore, and they disclose that their products are indeed manufactured in other countries, such as Thailand.
I do not quite understand why people so “pantang” about bags being made in China. As a Malaysian I know very well that Singapore’s cheap resources comes mostly from Malaysia and it’s for sound commercial reasons. Also, I wonder would people rather have their bags made in Malaysia or in China where at least there is a higher chance of better quality scrutiny 😂 but in terms of labour compensation rates both countries equally bad lah 😅
It would be so much better if they went with Grant Stone way. Being open about it and passionate, people get excited about it being made in china rather than hating on it. The bag you had is one of better designs and to hear leather and craftsmanship is on the high level makes me almost want to get it right away, but hearing that there is shade business happening makes me want to avoid it
Love your articles! I bought the Nirvana bag in calf skin, but it feels and smells like plastic! I wonder if I have been scammed. Wrote to customer service but did not get a reply. Would be great to have your opinion on the quality of the Nirvana bag’s “leather”. But perhaps you will have to order it annoymously so that you get a bag of the same quality that regular buyers receive.
You’re doing God’s work!!! 🤣 I loved the design of those bags and wanted to get one. I remember when they announced they quit which was odd since they gave no explanation… and then after a few months they announced the new partnership. When they do a restock is sells out in 15′ which is so odd… thank you for your article, I wont be purchasing….
I believe KwanPen (a Singapore luxury brand) manufactures their crocodile pieces in Singapore. I also know there are a few independent exotic leather craftsmen/women who make watch straps. But from your description, it can’t be these guys as the quantity of bags would be too high. Very curious indeed.
So, my takeaway from all this is that they make great products at an affordable price range. You’re not deceived about the quality of the product, and there’s no exorbitant mark up. Their marketing might not be ideal, but at the end of the day, you’re getting quality for the money you pay for (much higher quality than you expect as a customer). Like, am I missing something?
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I did similarly to what Scotty said to my 2005 Taco with 105k miles: OEM headlights and taillights with aftermarket parts, OEM radio with Android radio with CarPlay and backup camera, new faux leather seat covers, LED light bulbs in cabin, cool knobs, and decals. Total cost was around $1,200. And my truck looks amazing now! Why pay $45k-50k for a new one?
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