April 16, 2025 • 16 mins
From diss tracks to Fortnite streams, politicians are trying everything to win over Gen Z voters this election - but are their attempts to be "down with the kids" actually working?
Plus, Chinese manufacturers are going viral on TikTok by exposing how much luxury goods really cost to make...
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Hosts: Taylah Strano & Grace Rovray
Guests: Cass Green, Mamamia's Morning Editor
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Audio Producer: Lu Hill
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
So you're listening to a Muma Mea podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Mumma Mea acknowledges the traditional owners of land and waters
that this podcast is recorded on.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Hey, I'm Taylor Strano. This is Mumma Mer's twice daily
news podcast. The Quickie politicians are pulling out all the
stops to win over Gen Z voters, from dropping disc
tracks to live streaming video games. But is it working? Plus?
Are you across tariff top? Why are Chinese manufacturers suddenly
exposing the luxury goods industry? Before we answer those questions,
(00:42):
here's Grace Rufe Ray were the latest from the Quickie
newsroom for Thursday, April seventeen.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Voters will have the final say on who came out
on top after Peter Dutton and Anthony Albinizi went head
to head in their second Leader's debate, revisiting familiar campaign themes.
Held at ABC's studios in Western Sydney and moderated by
David Spears, the debate was the second of four scheduled showdowns.
Unlike the first debate, where undecided voters chose the winner,
(01:10):
this round offered no immediate verdict, leaving the outcome to
be determined at the ballot box on May THREI. The
leaders tackled a broad range of issues, including housing, affordability,
international relations, and climate policy. Donald Trump made his way
into the debate, with mister Dutton distancing himself from the
US President while simultaneously claiming he could negotiate a tariff
(01:32):
exemption deal.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
We trust the United States and I don't know the president.
I've not met him.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
A prime minister obviously has been able to.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Mister Albanese took a more cautious stance, saying he had
no reason not to trust Trump, but described the US
tariffs as an act of economic self harm. Housing emerged
as a major talking point, with both leaders under pressure
to explain how their policies would avoid further inflating property prices.
Albanese leaned on Labour's housing supply plan, including building one
(02:03):
hundred thousand homes for first home buyers. Dutton outlined a
five point strategy that included allowing Australians to withdraw up
to fifty thousand dollars from their superannuation for home deposits,
slashing immigration, and banning foreign ownership of property. Neither leader
was willing to touch the political sensitive issues of negative
gearing or capital gains tax. When pressed, mister Alberzi denied
(02:26):
that the government had modeled the effect of removing negative gearing,
despite reports the Treasury had done so. On energy, mister
Alberze reaffirmed his commitment to renewables, but was unable to
specify when Australians could expect lower power bills.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
When do we see the bills come down? Well, what
we need to do is to roll out renewable to
make sure there's energy security, make sure it's backed up
by batteries, by hydro and by gas.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Mister Dutton acknowledged climate change Israel, but declined to comment
on the extent of its impact on Australia.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
Well that the water levels were up in Thargamunda's latest
flood as a result of climate change, and I think
the honest answer for most people is that they don't know.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Absent from this debate was any discussion on domestic violence,
with mister Albanesi referencing women's specific policies and funding only
briefly during his closing remarks. The first debate, hosted by
Sky News and The Daily Telegraph, ended with a narrow
win for mister Albanezi. Forty four percent of the undecided
voters in attendance deemed him the winner, though twenty one
percent remained unsure. With more debates ahead, the race for
(03:29):
the winner remains open. Seven nations across four continents have
expressed interest in hosting future Commonwealth Games, with Canada, India,
Nigeria and two undisclosed countries eyeing the Games for twenty thirty.
New Zealand is also in the mix, although looking ahead
to the twenty thirty four Games. This renewed interest follows
a tough period for the event after Victoria withdrew as
(03:52):
the twenty twenty six host due to costs. Scotland has
since stepped in, with Glasgow set to host in twenty
twenty six. Commonwealth Sports CEO Katie Sadleir called the global
response incredible, highlighting the shift to a more flexible, collaborative
host selection process launched in January. Detailed propositions will be
reviewed over the next five months, with a twenty to
(04:14):
thirty host expected to be chosen at the General Assembly
in Glasgow this November. Organizers hope the reimagined model, emphasizing
reduced costs, parisport inclusion and adaptable programming will open the
doors for more diverse hosts. A new study suggests that
installing electric vehicle charges at workplaces could encourage more Australians
(04:35):
to buy evs and return to the office. Released by
the Electric Vehicle Council and conducted by the University of Sydney,
the survey found that while most EV owners can charge
at home, fewer than one in three have access to
charges at work. Ev Council is calling on political partners
to offer tax breaks and incentives for charger installations ahead
(04:56):
of the May three election. There are now over three
hundred thousand evs on Australian roads, though sales have slowed recently.
Proposed changes to admission standards and penalties could also impact
the market, as the Coalition lemisses to roll back penalties
for high emission vehicles. Byron Bay's iconic Blues Fest may
not be ending after all. Despite earlier claims that this
(05:18):
year's twenty twenty five edition would be its last event,
Director Peter Noble initially announced that this year's festival, scaled
back to four days due to declining ticket sales, would
be the final one, which sparked a ticket buying frenzy
with ninety seven percent of tickets sold and camping spots gone.
The event is now one of the most successful since
the pandemic. Noble later admitted his last ever announcement was
(05:42):
aimed at prompting government support amid rising costs and a
wave of festival cancelations across Australia. While Byron's other major
music festival, Splendor in the Grass, canceled its twenty twenty
four and twenty twenty five events, blues Fest appears to
be powering ahead, with Noble already booking acts for twenty
twenty six. This year's star studded lineup, starting from Thursday,
(06:04):
includes Crowded House Tones and I Hilltop Hoods, Tom Morello and.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
Missy Higgins Grace Next. The unexpected ways politicians are trying
to woo young voters. Australia's politicians and their campaigns have
been put into overdrive as they desperately try to connect
with young voters. As we know this year, for the
(06:28):
first time ever, there'll be more young people voting than
ever before, with Gen Z and Millennials outnumbering Baby boomers
at the ballot box and so in an attempt to
gain the votes of this large group. The last Fortnight
has seen some truly wild attempts to woo gen Z,
from Adam Band spinning tracks as DJ Bant, to Peter
Dutton deploying his son as a campaign asset, and even
(06:52):
the Liberal Party dropping a disc track called Leaving Labor
Bring Down. This is what we need because our bull's
got to live. Our bulls lives, not to be outdown.
Anthony Albanezi has been peppering his speeches with gen Z slang,
recently calling opposition policies delulu. That's short for delusional in
(07:14):
cashon and up with the lingo.
Speaker 5 (07:16):
They are delulu with no salulu mister speakab. They are
completely delusion.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Meanwhile, Green Senator Nick McKim took a different approach. He's
been live streaming himself playing Fortnite while discussing climate policy
and housing affordability.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
We dropping in the forest. I want to say two things. One,
the forts are like my favorite biome on the planet.
And secondly, could we stop chopping them down? Please immediately
save the forests.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
There is a serious strategy behind these attempts, With more
than nine hundred thousand voters aged between eighteen to twenty
four eligible to cast their ballot for the first time
this election, gen Z could prove decisive in marginal seats.
So how do they actually feel about all these attempts
to capture their attention and votes. Well, I asked my
gen Z colleagues, I feel like.
Speaker 6 (08:08):
He's just so transparent where it comes from, like De
Lulu with some girlies giving albow a dare, And I
think because we just generally know more of his personality
throughout his term and campaign, it just feels authentic and funny.
But the distrack it read as jen Z maybe pitching
this idea, going through rounds of feedback and ultimately feeling
just so overproduced and inauthentic. And besides the fact that
(08:30):
you either get it or you don't, and yeah, sometimes
it just doesn't work.
Speaker 7 (08:35):
I think the Australian politicians who want us to vote
for them in the upcoming election are trying way too
hard to appeal to young people by using the language
they think we want to hear. The Opposition parties distrack
honestly made me cringe. It was laughable because it was
so ridiculous. It really does show how politicians aren't taking
young people seriously.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Of course, so funny De Lulu distrack is all amazing
and makes for great content. I think it does make
me a little bit concerned though, catering it too strongly
to gen zs, just because there are millennials, boomers gen
x's that still need to vote for him and trust
him and think that he is the best person to
(09:18):
be in parliament. So I think hopefully they can still
take him seriously even though he is catering his messaging
very much for us, which we.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
Love from politicians trying to win over gen Z to
gen Z's favored app becoming a battleground in the US
China trade war. If you've been on TikTok lately, you
might have noticed your feed being flooded with videos from
Chinese manufacturers exposing the luxury fashion industry.
Speaker 5 (09:46):
Some say, as long as there's a tag seeing medi
in China, the bag can never be luxury. However, in fact,
more than eighty percent of the luxury banks in the
world are meeting in China. We take almost to finish
the backs from China factories back to their own countries
and just to do the repackaging. That way, the banks
will appear as their bootiques. As meet in Italy or
(10:08):
meeting in front.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
These viral videos show factory workers creating high end bags, shoes,
and clothing for brands like Ermez, Lululemon, and Gucci, complete
with price breakdowns showing just how much these items actually
cost to make. It's no coincidence this content is appearing now.
It's a direct response to the US government's recent decision
to raise tariffs on Chinese imports by ten percent, and
(10:32):
then by eighty five percent, and then most recently to
one hundred and twenty five percent. China has returned the
courtesy by imposing one hundred and twenty five percent tariffs
to mirror their US counterparts, and they've also canceled a
bunch of beef and chicken imports from the United States.
But today we're talking about shoes and handbags. The manufacturers
(10:52):
are essentially saying, fine, we'll just go straight to the customers.
And they're not just showing how the sausage is made.
They're offering to sell these items directly to consumers at
a fraction of the retail price. One viral video shows
a worker making a bag nearly identical to a popular
air Mez design that retails for over fifteen thousand dollars.
The manufacturer claims they can sell it directly to customers
(11:15):
for just two hundred and eighty bucks. Another shows the
production of Lulu Lemon style activewear, with the factory offering
to ship directly to customers at about one tenth of
the retail price. But this isn't just about saving money.
It's raising serious questions about luxury pricing, manufacturing ethics, and
the future of global trade. Joining us now is Mumma
(11:37):
MEAs Morning editor Cascreen to help understand what's really going
on cas. What's the response been like from these big
fashion houses and the US.
Speaker 4 (11:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (11:46):
So, the European luxury labels like emmez Chanelle, Leverton and
Caring haven't directly responded to the trade war that's happening online,
but they have repeatedly said that they don't manufacture their
products in China and that they're bound by the laws
that dictate what it means to be a product made
in Italy or made in France. And other brands that
(12:06):
have been targeted by this online kind of social media
camp like Lilli Lemon have clarified that only three percent
of their goods are made in China. And they publish
a full list of authorized suppliers.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
But there's a bit of a loophole here, right, because
sometimes when things say made in Italy or made in
X country, the loophole is and this is what I've
come to understand, is that they're massively produced in one country,
maybe sands the label or sands a buckle or a
little finishing touch, and then they're shipped over to their
(12:38):
country where they're sold, like Italy or France. They're assembled
in those countries, and then that's how they get around
saying it's made in Italy or made in the US.
Speaker 8 (12:47):
Yeah, so that's what these tiktoks are claiming. How much
of that is true, we really don't know. But there
are a lot of rules around what it means to
be made in Italy or made in France, and these
labels say that they're fully made in Italy or fully
made in France, so really it shouldn't be that way.
But yeah, it's really hard to know is this.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Legal what these manufacturers are doing. It feels that they've
just gone, well, here you go, this is actually what
happens behind the scenes.
Speaker 8 (13:11):
Exactly, and it's really intriguing as a consumer. But a
lot of experts are warning that these TikTok videos from
the lacks of send Bags and Lunar sourcing China are
just marketing pushes, So we're unsure really if they're talking
about real luxury products or potentially counterfeit and jube products.
Whether that's true or not remains to be seen, But
counterfeit luxury goods are not legal at all. Two of
(13:33):
the things that could make this kind of content not
legal is if it's a trademark infringement, so that means
that the manufacturer is claiming to sell a genuine Lulu
or Louis Vuitton product, but it's actually selling unauthorized copies,
or if it's false advertising, so making misleading statements about
a product's origin.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
They make it look really legit, though, don't they.
Speaker 8 (13:51):
Like they've got the white.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
Gloves on, They've got their very nice showrooms almost within
these massive warehouses where these things are allegedly being produced,
and it all looks very legit. Like I can't say
either way, obviously I wouldn't try to, but I mean
one does wonder.
Speaker 8 (14:07):
Yeah, And I think it speaks to a point that
there are actual are a lot of really brilliant manufacturers
around the world. There are some great Chinese manufacturers. Lots
of brands do use really skilled artisans there. Just because
something's made in China doesn't mean it's not a worthwhile product.
It's just that it might not be a Luvton product.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
I've seen a lot of creators as well who are Chinese,
and they've been saying, well, we've known about this for years, Like,
I can't believe it's taking you this long to cotton
onto how good quality that we are producing in this country.
How is this going to change? Or is this going
to change and have an impact on these big luxury
fashion houses.
Speaker 8 (14:41):
I mean, I would sound quite traditional in this sense.
I don't think it's going to really change the way
people see luxury brands. They buy them for the label,
they buy them for the status, and I think that's
not going to change. But people are cottoning onto the
fact that these materials lots of people use them. I
would say the luxury brands will find more competition in
the mid range labels popping up that are also made
(15:02):
to really high standards like Poland and Leu and Hyde
and things like that.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
Okay, so we keep seeing these videos online people keep
going like, oh cool, Well, if I can buy a
Selene bag for half the price or a fraction of
the price and a burkin like, sign me up. But
where are people actually doing it, because it's not like
you can buy it just from a TikTok video.
Speaker 4 (15:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (15:19):
So there are a series of online websites that do
sell these products, but I do have to flag that
a lot of them are counterfeit, so that is completely
not legal to buy from. You'll see people talking on
TikTok about the yellow app that refers to something called
dh Gate. There's another one that I've heard of but
don't know much about, called Taobao. A lot of them
are counterfeit goods, So yeah, probably wouldn't recommend it.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
And obviously this has all come off the back of
the US China trade relationship or strange relationship, I should say.
They've been throwing back and forth these tariffs they've been
upping over the last couple of weeks. I think we're
currently sitting at one hundred and twenty five percent both ways.
Is it likely to continue impacting this if they continue
exposing the luxury fashion industry.
Speaker 8 (16:01):
I'd say we have a lot to go. Yeah, so
China has said it won't back down on its war
against Trump's tariffs. Trump seems pretty stuck in them mud
on his decision, so I think it's a bit of
a thing of waiting to see who blinks.
Speaker 3 (16:14):
Thanks for taking some time to feed your mind with
us today. The Quikie is produced by me Taylor Strano,
and Grace Rufree, with audio production by Lou Hill.
So you're listening to a Muma Mea podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Mumma Mea acknowledges the traditional owners of land and waters
that this podcast is recorded on.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Hey, I'm Taylor Strano. This is Mumma Mer's twice daily
news podcast. The Quickie politicians are pulling out all the
stops to win over Gen Z voters, from dropping disc
tracks to live streaming video games. But is it working? Plus?
Are you across tariff top? Why are Chinese manufacturers suddenly
exposing the luxury goods industry? Before we answer those questions,
(00:42):
here's Grace Rufe Ray were the latest from the Quickie
newsroom for Thursday, April seventeen.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Voters will have the final say on who came out
on top after Peter Dutton and Anthony Albinizi went head
to head in their second Leader's debate, revisiting familiar campaign themes.
Held at ABC's studios in Western Sydney and moderated by
David Spears, the debate was the second of four scheduled showdowns.
Unlike the first debate, where undecided voters chose the winner,
(01:10):
this round offered no immediate verdict, leaving the outcome to
be determined at the ballot box on May THREI. The
leaders tackled a broad range of issues, including housing, affordability,
international relations, and climate policy. Donald Trump made his way
into the debate, with mister Dutton distancing himself from the
US President while simultaneously claiming he could negotiate a tariff
(01:32):
exemption deal.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
We trust the United States and I don't know the president.
I've not met him.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
A prime minister obviously has been able to.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Mister Albanese took a more cautious stance, saying he had
no reason not to trust Trump, but described the US
tariffs as an act of economic self harm. Housing emerged
as a major talking point, with both leaders under pressure
to explain how their policies would avoid further inflating property prices.
Albanese leaned on Labour's housing supply plan, including building one
(02:03):
hundred thousand homes for first home buyers. Dutton outlined a
five point strategy that included allowing Australians to withdraw up
to fifty thousand dollars from their superannuation for home deposits,
slashing immigration, and banning foreign ownership of property. Neither leader
was willing to touch the political sensitive issues of negative
gearing or capital gains tax. When pressed, mister Alberzi denied
(02:26):
that the government had modeled the effect of removing negative gearing,
despite reports the Treasury had done so. On energy, mister
Alberze reaffirmed his commitment to renewables, but was unable to
specify when Australians could expect lower power bills.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
When do we see the bills come down? Well, what
we need to do is to roll out renewable to
make sure there's energy security, make sure it's backed up
by batteries, by hydro and by gas.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Mister Dutton acknowledged climate change Israel, but declined to comment
on the extent of its impact on Australia.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
Well that the water levels were up in Thargamunda's latest
flood as a result of climate change, and I think
the honest answer for most people is that they don't know.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Absent from this debate was any discussion on domestic violence,
with mister Albanesi referencing women's specific policies and funding only
briefly during his closing remarks. The first debate, hosted by
Sky News and The Daily Telegraph, ended with a narrow
win for mister Albanezi. Forty four percent of the undecided
voters in attendance deemed him the winner, though twenty one
percent remained unsure. With more debates ahead, the race for
(03:29):
the winner remains open. Seven nations across four continents have
expressed interest in hosting future Commonwealth Games, with Canada, India,
Nigeria and two undisclosed countries eyeing the Games for twenty thirty.
New Zealand is also in the mix, although looking ahead
to the twenty thirty four Games. This renewed interest follows
a tough period for the event after Victoria withdrew as
(03:52):
the twenty twenty six host due to costs. Scotland has
since stepped in, with Glasgow set to host in twenty
twenty six. Commonwealth Sports CEO Katie Sadleir called the global
response incredible, highlighting the shift to a more flexible, collaborative
host selection process launched in January. Detailed propositions will be
reviewed over the next five months, with a twenty to
(04:14):
thirty host expected to be chosen at the General Assembly
in Glasgow this November. Organizers hope the reimagined model, emphasizing
reduced costs, parisport inclusion and adaptable programming will open the
doors for more diverse hosts. A new study suggests that
installing electric vehicle charges at workplaces could encourage more Australians
(04:35):
to buy evs and return to the office. Released by
the Electric Vehicle Council and conducted by the University of Sydney,
the survey found that while most EV owners can charge
at home, fewer than one in three have access to
charges at work. Ev Council is calling on political partners
to offer tax breaks and incentives for charger installations ahead
(04:56):
of the May three election. There are now over three
hundred thousand evs on Australian roads, though sales have slowed recently.
Proposed changes to admission standards and penalties could also impact
the market, as the Coalition lemisses to roll back penalties
for high emission vehicles. Byron Bay's iconic Blues Fest may
not be ending after all. Despite earlier claims that this
(05:18):
year's twenty twenty five edition would be its last event,
Director Peter Noble initially announced that this year's festival, scaled
back to four days due to declining ticket sales, would
be the final one, which sparked a ticket buying frenzy
with ninety seven percent of tickets sold and camping spots gone.
The event is now one of the most successful since
the pandemic. Noble later admitted his last ever announcement was
(05:42):
aimed at prompting government support amid rising costs and a
wave of festival cancelations across Australia. While Byron's other major
music festival, Splendor in the Grass, canceled its twenty twenty
four and twenty twenty five events, blues Fest appears to
be powering ahead, with Noble already booking acts for twenty
twenty six. This year's star studded lineup, starting from Thursday,
(06:04):
includes Crowded House Tones and I Hilltop Hoods, Tom Morello and.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
Missy Higgins Grace Next. The unexpected ways politicians are trying
to woo young voters. Australia's politicians and their campaigns have
been put into overdrive as they desperately try to connect
with young voters. As we know this year, for the
(06:28):
first time ever, there'll be more young people voting than
ever before, with Gen Z and Millennials outnumbering Baby boomers
at the ballot box and so in an attempt to
gain the votes of this large group. The last Fortnight
has seen some truly wild attempts to woo gen Z,
from Adam Band spinning tracks as DJ Bant, to Peter
Dutton deploying his son as a campaign asset, and even
(06:52):
the Liberal Party dropping a disc track called Leaving Labor
Bring Down. This is what we need because our bull's
got to live. Our bulls lives, not to be outdown.
Anthony Albanezi has been peppering his speeches with gen Z slang,
recently calling opposition policies delulu. That's short for delusional in
(07:14):
cashon and up with the lingo.
Speaker 5 (07:16):
They are delulu with no salulu mister speakab. They are
completely delusion.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Meanwhile, Green Senator Nick McKim took a different approach. He's
been live streaming himself playing Fortnite while discussing climate policy
and housing affordability.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
We dropping in the forest. I want to say two things. One,
the forts are like my favorite biome on the planet.
And secondly, could we stop chopping them down? Please immediately
save the forests.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
There is a serious strategy behind these attempts, With more
than nine hundred thousand voters aged between eighteen to twenty
four eligible to cast their ballot for the first time
this election, gen Z could prove decisive in marginal seats.
So how do they actually feel about all these attempts
to capture their attention and votes. Well, I asked my
gen Z colleagues, I feel like.
Speaker 6 (08:08):
He's just so transparent where it comes from, like De
Lulu with some girlies giving albow a dare, And I
think because we just generally know more of his personality
throughout his term and campaign, it just feels authentic and funny.
But the distrack it read as jen Z maybe pitching
this idea, going through rounds of feedback and ultimately feeling
just so overproduced and inauthentic. And besides the fact that
(08:30):
you either get it or you don't, and yeah, sometimes
it just doesn't work.
Speaker 7 (08:35):
I think the Australian politicians who want us to vote
for them in the upcoming election are trying way too
hard to appeal to young people by using the language
they think we want to hear. The Opposition parties distrack
honestly made me cringe. It was laughable because it was
so ridiculous. It really does show how politicians aren't taking
young people seriously.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Of course, so funny De Lulu distrack is all amazing
and makes for great content. I think it does make
me a little bit concerned though, catering it too strongly
to gen zs, just because there are millennials, boomers gen
x's that still need to vote for him and trust
him and think that he is the best person to
(09:18):
be in parliament. So I think hopefully they can still
take him seriously even though he is catering his messaging
very much for us, which we.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
Love from politicians trying to win over gen Z to
gen Z's favored app becoming a battleground in the US
China trade war. If you've been on TikTok lately, you
might have noticed your feed being flooded with videos from
Chinese manufacturers exposing the luxury fashion industry.
Speaker 5 (09:46):
Some say, as long as there's a tag seeing medi
in China, the bag can never be luxury. However, in fact,
more than eighty percent of the luxury banks in the
world are meeting in China. We take almost to finish
the backs from China factories back to their own countries
and just to do the repackaging. That way, the banks
will appear as their bootiques. As meet in Italy or
(10:08):
meeting in front.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
These viral videos show factory workers creating high end bags, shoes,
and clothing for brands like Ermez, Lululemon, and Gucci, complete
with price breakdowns showing just how much these items actually
cost to make. It's no coincidence this content is appearing now.
It's a direct response to the US government's recent decision
to raise tariffs on Chinese imports by ten percent, and
(10:32):
then by eighty five percent, and then most recently to
one hundred and twenty five percent. China has returned the
courtesy by imposing one hundred and twenty five percent tariffs
to mirror their US counterparts, and they've also canceled a
bunch of beef and chicken imports from the United States.
But today we're talking about shoes and handbags. The manufacturers
(10:52):
are essentially saying, fine, we'll just go straight to the customers.
And they're not just showing how the sausage is made.
They're offering to sell these items directly to consumers at
a fraction of the retail price. One viral video shows
a worker making a bag nearly identical to a popular
air Mez design that retails for over fifteen thousand dollars.
The manufacturer claims they can sell it directly to customers
(11:15):
for just two hundred and eighty bucks. Another shows the
production of Lulu Lemon style activewear, with the factory offering
to ship directly to customers at about one tenth of
the retail price. But this isn't just about saving money.
It's raising serious questions about luxury pricing, manufacturing ethics, and
the future of global trade. Joining us now is Mumma
(11:37):
MEAs Morning editor Cascreen to help understand what's really going
on cas. What's the response been like from these big
fashion houses and the US.
Speaker 4 (11:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (11:46):
So, the European luxury labels like emmez Chanelle, Leverton and
Caring haven't directly responded to the trade war that's happening online,
but they have repeatedly said that they don't manufacture their
products in China and that they're bound by the laws
that dictate what it means to be a product made
in Italy or made in France. And other brands that
(12:06):
have been targeted by this online kind of social media
camp like Lilli Lemon have clarified that only three percent
of their goods are made in China. And they publish
a full list of authorized suppliers.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
But there's a bit of a loophole here, right, because
sometimes when things say made in Italy or made in
X country, the loophole is and this is what I've
come to understand, is that they're massively produced in one country,
maybe sands the label or sands a buckle or a
little finishing touch, and then they're shipped over to their
(12:38):
country where they're sold, like Italy or France. They're assembled
in those countries, and then that's how they get around
saying it's made in Italy or made in the US.
Speaker 8 (12:47):
Yeah, so that's what these tiktoks are claiming. How much
of that is true, we really don't know. But there
are a lot of rules around what it means to
be made in Italy or made in France, and these
labels say that they're fully made in Italy or fully
made in France, so really it shouldn't be that way.
But yeah, it's really hard to know is this.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Legal what these manufacturers are doing. It feels that they've
just gone, well, here you go, this is actually what
happens behind the scenes.
Speaker 8 (13:11):
Exactly, and it's really intriguing as a consumer. But a
lot of experts are warning that these TikTok videos from
the lacks of send Bags and Lunar sourcing China are
just marketing pushes, So we're unsure really if they're talking
about real luxury products or potentially counterfeit and jube products.
Whether that's true or not remains to be seen, But
counterfeit luxury goods are not legal at all. Two of
(13:33):
the things that could make this kind of content not
legal is if it's a trademark infringement, so that means
that the manufacturer is claiming to sell a genuine Lulu
or Louis Vuitton product, but it's actually selling unauthorized copies,
or if it's false advertising, so making misleading statements about
a product's origin.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
They make it look really legit, though, don't they.
Speaker 8 (13:51):
Like they've got the white.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
Gloves on, They've got their very nice showrooms almost within
these massive warehouses where these things are allegedly being produced,
and it all looks very legit. Like I can't say
either way, obviously I wouldn't try to, but I mean
one does wonder.
Speaker 8 (14:07):
Yeah, And I think it speaks to a point that
there are actual are a lot of really brilliant manufacturers
around the world. There are some great Chinese manufacturers. Lots
of brands do use really skilled artisans there. Just because
something's made in China doesn't mean it's not a worthwhile product.
It's just that it might not be a Luvton product.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
I've seen a lot of creators as well who are Chinese,
and they've been saying, well, we've known about this for years, Like,
I can't believe it's taking you this long to cotton
onto how good quality that we are producing in this country.
How is this going to change? Or is this going
to change and have an impact on these big luxury
fashion houses.
Speaker 8 (14:41):
I mean, I would sound quite traditional in this sense.
I don't think it's going to really change the way
people see luxury brands. They buy them for the label,
they buy them for the status, and I think that's
not going to change. But people are cottoning onto the
fact that these materials lots of people use them. I
would say the luxury brands will find more competition in
the mid range labels popping up that are also made
(15:02):
to really high standards like Poland and Leu and Hyde
and things like that.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
Okay, so we keep seeing these videos online people keep
going like, oh cool, Well, if I can buy a
Selene bag for half the price or a fraction of
the price and a burkin like, sign me up. But
where are people actually doing it, because it's not like
you can buy it just from a TikTok video.
Speaker 4 (15:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (15:19):
So there are a series of online websites that do
sell these products, but I do have to flag that
a lot of them are counterfeit, so that is completely
not legal to buy from. You'll see people talking on
TikTok about the yellow app that refers to something called
dh Gate. There's another one that I've heard of but
don't know much about, called Taobao. A lot of them
are counterfeit goods, So yeah, probably wouldn't recommend it.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
And obviously this has all come off the back of
the US China trade relationship or strange relationship, I should say.
They've been throwing back and forth these tariffs they've been
upping over the last couple of weeks. I think we're
currently sitting at one hundred and twenty five percent both ways.
Is it likely to continue impacting this if they continue
exposing the luxury fashion industry.
Speaker 8 (16:01):
I'd say we have a lot to go. Yeah, so
China has said it won't back down on its war
against Trump's tariffs. Trump seems pretty stuck in them mud
on his decision, so I think it's a bit of
a thing of waiting to see who blinks.
Speaker 3 (16:14):
Thanks for taking some time to feed your mind with
us today. The Quikie is produced by me Taylor Strano,
and Grace Rufree, with audio production by Lou Hill.
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