According to the designer, "when I looked at the brand, the website crashed immediately". Was that thumbs up for the Singaporean brand?
Taylor Swift carrying the Aupen Nirvana in Noir handbag while out on a date with boyfriend Travis Kelce. Photo: Getty Images
More unsolicited, but good publicity for Aupen. The Singaporean bag brand, recently called out by blogger Tanner Leatherstein for their lack of transparency with regards to their place of manufacture, was mentioned just days ago in a lower Manhattan courthouse. No, the brand was not in a legal tussle in the US. It was a case that the Financial Times called "the (US)$8.5 million legal battle shaking the US fashion industry". In a nutshell, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has sued to prevent Tapestry Inc, the owner of Coach and Kate Spade, from acquiring rival Capri Holdings, the umbrella holding behind Michael Kors and Versace on antitrust grounds, essentially ensuring that the the potential merger does not form a monopoly. If the multi-billion merger were to be successful, it would form a stable of some of the most recognisable brands in the US—six exactly—under one roof. The primary concern among regulators was the "accessible luxury handbag market". That generally covers Michael Kors and Kate Spade, a brand once adored by a former MP.
Michael Kors was in court to testify. His presence brought "jet-set glamour" to the proceedings, according to WWD, even when it was the man, not the brand on the witness stand. According to the FTC, Tapestry's proposed acquisition of Capri should be cause for worry as it would "eliminate direct head-to-head competition between Tapestry's and Capri's brands" and allow Tapestry to have "dominant share" of the valuable market for accessible luxury handbags. There is also fear that the accessibility would be diminished as one massive company would be able to unfairly raise prices for consumers. There was no mention of conversely inordinate dips in pricing. Presently, prices for bags that are pitched in this category fall between US$200 to US$600 (or S$260 to S$780).
Mr Kors told the court that his eponymous brand is not faring that well. He said to the federal judge, "sometimes you'll be the hottest thing on the block. Sometimes you'll be lukewarm. Sometimes you'll be cold." and admitted that the label Michael Kors has "reached the point of brand fatigue". It is, therefore, cold. He blamed social media and attendant marketing for how it has impacted his bags in particular. He cited what Taylor Swift has carried and shared on social media as an example. He singled out the bag brand Aupen. Intrigued, he had apparently checked the brand's website. According to him, it "crashed immediately". (To be certain, we have never had that experience.) He added, "it shows you the power of women like this." But made no mention of the mysterious marketing might of Aupen that allowed their bags to become searing hot seemingly overnight.
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