The TikTok Algorithm Knows Your Bag is Fake

TikTok did not ruin luxury. It just showed too much of it — and still, not enough.

There was a time when you saw a $30,000 Hermès Birkin and wondered how much does it cost to make one? Now, you scroll through TikTok and hear: “This costs $1,400 to make.”

A fake factory tour. A cost breakdown. Maybe a DHgate link to buy a knockoff. It is all there — stitch by stitch, buckles, zippers, leather codes. An entire industry working to “cancel” luxury by explaining it.

But here is the irony: Luxury never lived in the explanation.

We are not here to defend markups or romanticize price tags. Yes — the margins are high.
Yes — some materials might surprise you. But if that is all it takes to destroy a brand, then it was never a brand to begin with. Because a brand is not just what it sells. It is what it means — and who it means it to.

They Think They Have Cracked the Code

The goal? To demystify the product and undermine its value. In their dreams.

Some TikTokers show Chinese factories and claim: “See? This is where your Hermes Birkin, Prada Re-Edition bag comes from.” But here is the catch — it is not. A true “Made in Italy” or “Made in France” product is not just a label — it is a legal certification. To earn it, brands must follow strict production rules, often involving specific materials, craftspeople, and quality checks inside the country.

It is about cultural pride. In Italy, they say there are two religions: Catholicism and Ferrari. It is a symbol of who they are. They do protect that no matter what. And here is the part the algorithm does not understand: Luxury is not just expensive leather. Luxury is the atmosphere surrounding this expensive leather —the history, the hands it passed through, and the people who wore it before it became “influential.”

You can not fake that. And you cannot explain that in a 60-second clip.

Not Everyone Who Carries One, Can

A Birkin still says something — even if everyone recognizes it. Not because it is rare. But because it only works when it fits the wearer’s story.

The bag and the person become one. If the story does not fit, the product will never belong. A counterfeit Birkin does not whisper “I am here.” It screams “misplaced.” Take the so-called Walmart Birkin —or as we prefer, the “Firkin”. An $80 tote with a lock does not decode the success of Hermès. It only proves that symbols can be copied, but meaning can not.

That is what TikTokers missed. And that is why showing how it is made will not change who it is made for.

Why the Teardown Videos Are Trending?

There is also something else in the background —a geopolitical pride. As U.S.–China trade tensions grow, tariffs rise, and luxury brands recalibrate their supply chains, a new subtext has emerged.

Even if China builds the bag, Milan and Paris built the dream. And you cannot fake that.

Luxury Has Nothing to Hide — And Everything to Create Curiosity

At Gallemar, we do not mind if you know how it is made. We mind if it was made without meaning. We mind if you critique a brand without understanding what you are looking at.
We mind when abstraction is mistaken for markup — and illusion is confused for fraud.

Expecting transparency is fine. But do not forget: secrecy is what built the luxury brands. Curiosity is what made people chase them.

And now, the question is not whether your bag is fake. It is whether the algorithm knows enough to tell the difference.

📸 Unsplash @ Zoshua Colah