Friday, March 30, 2012

Letter from a Reader: Fierce and Fashionable?

Image courtesy of www.diytrade.com

Dear Fashion PULIS,

I am a regular reader of your blog. I find your blog a "complete package" as it is not just about showbiz stuff, but you also write about inspiring stories of ordinary people. And there's social responsibility, too, as you also address consumers' rights by providing them space in your blog. If only for that, I thank you, Fashion Pulis.

Anyway, I would like to relay to you a story about an American clothing retailer in the Philippines (AR) with several branches worldwide. I came to realize that its Philippine branch seems to be duping its local clientelle.

My teenage kids and I are regular shoppers at AR. Aside from the shop's cool interior, we also like the trendy and hip designs of its varied collections. Although prices may not really be cheap, but the thought that we're buying quality is enough to justify the cost. As they say - quality has a price.

But lately, we are often disappointed to find out that quality ceases to be AR's major turn-on anymore. Slowly we are getting suspicious of their products. To be honest about it, we did our own investigation to satisfy our curiosity and disgust. And lo and behold, what did we find out?

Some of AR's merchandise are not originally made in USA. For one, we found out that some of its fashion accessories are just copied/outsourced from a major local retailer, stamped with AR's name and then sold at double, and more often, triple the price. What a big let-down!

The (mal)practice is real. But if not addressed properly, the damage will even be greater. With competition in the industry getting intense, this is the last thing that AR needs. As they say in business - it takes years to build a good reputation, but only minutes to ruin it.

Yours truly,
A. Salvador

146 comments:

  1. but isn't this common? bihira na ata ang made in the USA, even in the USA. madaming made in the Phils, Thailand, etc etc. Kahit yung Nike na binebenta sa Nike store in the Phils, na sold at Nike retail prices, minsan made in the Phils pa. It's normal business practice. Si Donald Trump nga e, galit daw sa mga made in China, pero yung mismong merchandise nya it turns out made in China din pala.

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    Replies
    1. I agree! And just because it's not made in the USA, doesn't mean quality is not up to par. Where I worked before, we have accessories from the US and some of them melt under the heat of our weather during summer, sourcing them out locally (made with the same standards as those made in US) is a better option.

      Although, I also agree with the letter sender that the quality of clothes nila lately, hindi na nga ganun ka OK.

      Delete
  2. omg... Tiniklop at sinabit pa.. ampf

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    Replies
    1. That brand is local, not imported. Make reading a habit dear. - SM

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    2. tiniklop at sinabit is not imported.. so I assumed it's not them.

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    3. hindi american store yan anobah

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  3. most of the clothes naman talaga is made in China na! kahit sabihin made sa US blah blah! even the clothes from F# comes from China lahat ata nagagaya na ng China eh! ms. reader if napansin niyo na panget na quality ng clothes edi wag kana bumili doon.

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  4. i know this! i am an online seller. this BRAND gets their accessories from a "supplier" where I buy the items that I sell online. SAME ITEM, but the price is x10 or sometimes x20 of the original price.
    Even the saleslady who always assists me made "chismis" they also supply accessories to a "famous, local department store." (they just put a tag with the department store's name on the accessories )

    I don't see anything wrong with it (unless the FAMOUS STORE claims that their accessories are IMPORTED). Sa totoo lang, merong mga gamit na BRAND ang binabayaran natin.

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    Replies
    1. ano name ng shop mo online? *curious* :) thanks! :)

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    2. ano online store m? i wanna buy

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  5. your buying the brand not the quality for the clothes. are you talking about 3:16?:) if yes, medyo hinde naman talaga maganda tela nila ginagamit nila...they don't use 100% kasi kaya panget yung quality masydo manipis. wag kana mag reklamo ganun talaga.

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  6. ZZZZ. They have an outlet store in Sta. Rosa.

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  7. Ito ba yung hindi na tumanda? Galing pa naman ako dun kanina. Kung true, pakipost. Para hindi na tayo maloko.

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  8. FYI: Most American owned fashion companies outsourced their products. Most merchandise are being manufactured around the world for cheaper labor. Fashion companies also have what they call "private labels"...meaning, they buy products from other designers/companies to put their labels/names on the product. Here, in the states, you will hardly see a MADE IN USA from American owned fashion companies. I hear your sentiments, but their company buyers, should be aware of their private labels quality.

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  9. Usually naman sa mainland gawa yung mga damit. Yung mga accessories hindi ko masyadong napapansin. Ano kaya yung major local retailer?

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  10. Sana ganito nalang ang edad ko panghabambuhay...

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  11. age ko ba to?! :D
    kaya pala! now i know...

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  12. That's why I never buy accessories at this store.

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  13. eh-eh-eh-eh eh-eh-eh 2NE1. Tama? hahahaha

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  14. I wanna be FOREVER young ;)

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  15. Eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh 2NE1

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  16. kung habambuhay to fyi hindi talga made in USA MGA BINEBENTA NILA!d2 din sa US KARAMIHAN MADE IN CHINA!and pag nilabhan na either liliit or luluwag..hehehe

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  17. Big Deal. Most of American brands have items manufactured in china. unless the tag specifically says made in the USA, then there is no malpractice here. Check the tags. it should say where the item is made.

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  18. Bakit kelangang i-blind item pa? Dapat ni-re-reveal talaga yung name ng stores! The public has the right to know. Bakit kelangan pang protektahan? Consumers right mo yan! Nakita niyo ba yung mga Rip-Off reports sa US? yung mga scam websites? Andun naka-post lahat ng complaints! Dapat empowered tayo para mag-complain dahil E-technology na. Dapat umayos ayos ang mga businesses na yan!

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  19. Walang Hanggan? Lol!!

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  20. Z, F or Ts? Alin sa kanila?

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  21. magtagalog ka n lang te ang grammar medyo sablay. There aren't a lot of pure American-made products out there and clothing/apparel businesses isn't one of them. Palibhasa american brand maganda na? Buti nga hindi made in India o Bangladesh yung nabili mo at least made in Pinas dapat matuwa ka pa. Kung highend brand yan i-expect mo mahal talaga yan kahit san pa ginawa, if you want to know a little bit of the economics in this industry let me know and i will reply.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ang yabang nman nito. Binasa ko uli yung letter wala nman akong napansin na sablay except for a couple of sentence construction na yung iba naging phrases. kaw nga ang may wrong grammar. businesses tpos isn't ang ginamit. Sana singular na lng yung business para swak. Magtagalog ka na lang din kasi. Tsaka ano ba toh english class para magkaroon ng grammar nazi? Get over yourself.

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    2. Hehe, sablay din naman grammar mo, ang galing mong mamintas: "Clothing/apparel businesses isn't one of them."

      Anyway, hate ko ang store na to kung eto ung habambuhay ang brand. I didn't like my first experience buying there, which was sometime last year. I've never gone back there since.

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    3. bka nammamahalan ka lang teh :P

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    4. why must grammar always be an issue?? ako nga dati pang napapansin ang maling grammar either within the article itself, or the letter sender or the comments pero di ko na pinapansin. pabayaan nalang natin.

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    5. Mga nagmamagaling kasi tapos sila naman pala itong sablay.

      Delete
  22. F yan for sure! tlgng made in china mga paninda nla kht ung mga stores sa US

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  23. naku naman teh, lahat naman na ata ngayon made in china...

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  24. gawain naman ng maraming us based retailers yan. when i was in college, we visited the factory of ralph lauren in clark and hindi kme pinayagan na bumili ng shirts/polos kse not for sale daw (excited pa naman kami kasi we thought we could get some at factory price). so shempre alam nyo na yun, pag ka import, export ulet... tsk... when i was in the us todo shop din ako at gap. pag uwi ayun nakita ko yun tag nung isang top na nabili ko... made in the philippines ... owells.

    i guess ang sad lang sa post na to is... (in my opinion ha...) porke ba made anywhere other than us, hindi na maganda quality? kung ang reklamo eh double sa presho, edi bumili nlng sa tabi tabi. la lang.

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    Replies
    1. True! Dito gawa tapos binibenta ng sobrang mahal pag may tag na nila. Gap sell stuff made here.

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    2. korek! i used to work sa undergarment industry before somewhere in laguna..vs, gap,ck ung mga brands na ginagawa dun..strictly for import lahat..maganda ung quality ng gawa kaya saludo talaga ako sa mga sewers naten..tas super strict din ng mga inspectors nyan..one time, my cousin from d US gave me undies she bought from vs as pasalubong..when i saw d label, it was made here..so i told her that probably, that's from the company im working at..tas lately narinig ko from a friend na still working there na nagbebenta na din sila ng ilang pieces dun sa factory..siguro minus the label..d ko kz natanong..hehe

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  25. Bet ko eto ung soundslike ng name ng isang Korean girl group! Sila lang naman ung American Retail na medyo edgy and hip, modern and classy.

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  26. I dont see what the big deal is. Designers copy from each other all the time. If made by themselves, they also have the right to have their clothes made wherever they want to - even major retailers have their items done in "cheaper" countries.

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  27. it would be nice if you could post pictures as proof

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  28. Eto ba yung pila pila na blockbuster dati nung bagong bukas at tuwing may sale? How did you determine that those are really being done by the store? Just curious since I'm also a regular shopper there.

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  29. If this is F indeed, they do a have a website that shows their current styles that is available in their stores worldwide. I oftentimes check their site, to check the price difference in US dollars and pesos. I have in fact bought items in their branches here which I have seen in their website --- same style, same fabric and even the price is almost the same, given the conversion rate.

    I think that if the letter sender has enough evidence and proofs about their claimes, they should go to the DTI and make a formal complaint.

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    Replies
    1. sus teh, sasayangin lng ng sender na yan ang oras ng DTI. Walang violation ang retail shop sknya, its just that it didnt meet the her expectations. OA na nga yung sender e Akala mo naman bumili sa Prada shop kungf mkreklamo at ngtake time pa to write to FP. Sus!

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  30. Voting age + 3 years?!?!

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  31. duh?! that's not duping, that's reality. it's not a secret companies outsource their products and they don't hide that fact.

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    Replies
    1. Over overpricing is not duping?! Lol!

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    2. mahal kaya ang upa sa mall, may salaries and wages pa and taxes and licenses. siyempre factored in na sa price yung mga yun. dun ka sa divisoria mamili kung ayaw mo ng mahal.

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    3. Agree. When you buy and sell, ang patong mo ay normally 2.5 or 3 times the cost. But when the result is too low for your market, tataasan mo (kahit pa times 10) para within range yung price points mo. Wag na kayong magulat.

      some BUY ready-made products in China and relabel here. Sometimes, may hiya naman sila. Kukuha sila ng "sample" styles and have them reproduced in China where labor and production are cheap and fast.

      Delete
  32. Hindi lang accessories, kahit clothes mismo outsourced na ng imported brands. Madalas, sa China minamanufacture yung clothes.

    Lower quality, cheaper cost for the company, pero same price para sa atin na consumers (ang mahal).

    Kaya kami, local brands pa rin kami. Mas maganda talaga quality pag gawa dito; hindi lang natin narerealize kasi masyado tayong namamangha pag sinabing "imported".

    Imported lang, maganda na?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Same here! I agree. I love Bayo, Kamiseta, Celine, Plains and Prints. Very good quality. I think Filipino craftsmanship is one of the world's best! :)

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    2. And even sa mga pambagets like gingersnaps sobrang ganda ng quality pantapat talaga sa mga imported brands

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    3. Agree. Love ko rin ang local brands. Durable talaga.

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  33. Why do Filipinos hail the so much products wc are made in the USA? Can't get it!!! Is it really about quality!? I don't think so coz almost all clothing in Canada and the US are manufactured offshore.. Mostly from Asia..

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  34. hugs and kisses 2x??

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  35. is it f? i'm not surprised. it happens talaga, one time nagsale sa isang store na international brand din. Yung binili kong mga rings na naka-sale tyempo nakita ko pa sa isang local brand, mas mura pa rin kahit naka-sale na, chaka hahaha.

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  36. if this is really F, pansin ko lang halos parehas din yung mga accessories nila sa isang local BIG brand na nagfranchise din ata nun.

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  37. yes i think it is forever young. baka pati mga damit nila kung saan--saan lang binili. my friend used to love their clothes noong nasa SG pa sya, but then nagtataka sya bakit yung mga dito nya binili ang bilis lang mag-loose ng tela. so yun pala ang kwento. now we know.

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  38. first shop that entered my mind: F

    good thing, indi ako nagsshopping dun.. wala kasi kong size.. ang laki pa din sa kin ng smallest size nila..

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  39. Just because it's an American retailer doesn't mean clothes are made in the US. Just because it's an American retailer doesn't mean the quality is good. If it's F you're talking about... they're not known for quality. They're known for being cheap. Their clothes are pretty much disposable. They're known for copying designs; they're not known for being original. Even if it's not F, I find the same arguments apply for most of the American retailers in the Philippines. People elevate the status of these stores just because they came from the US, when in reality a lot of local retailers sell clothes with better quality and more original designs.

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  40. everyone does it, not only F. :)

    Z does this also, dati made in spain yun clothes, now meron na rin made in china, bangladesh and morocco.

    i dont see anything wrong naman. and i'm pretty sure they have no intentions of duping their customers. unless they claim their items are ALL made in the US, that's another story :)

    - mrs. b.

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  41. GAP, Nike, Adidas etc etc are ARs but all are made either in Cuba, China or Thailand.

    So nothing is new.

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  42. di ibig sabihin na komo American brand eh yari sa USA. FYI, majority ng mga produkto d2 sa US ay made in China. sa mga damit naman, malinaw na nakalagay sa mga label kung san gawa. kadalasan made in Vietnam, India, Philippines! Gap, JCPenny stores etc ay majority ng brands ay made in Asia. Kung ito ay panghabambuhay na brand, they are not really made to last. F21, love culture and the likes ay mga "disposable" kahit yung ibang damit ng Old Navy, depende sa style ng damit, yung iba, special pa ang instruction sa paglaba. dito rin yung nabili ko sa urban outfitters ang mahal, handwash dapat at di pede dryer kase masisira ang style. rip off talaga ngayon sa clothing. may mga review ako sa iba't ibang online stores pointing the quality dahil sila mismong mga puti ay inosente.

    Cathy
    Houston, TX

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  43. agree with anon 6:48PM. Nag post ako sa facebook ko tungkol sa observations ko sa quality ng mga damit dito. pinoint out ko na mas maganda ang quality ng mga damit na yari sa Pinas and they are made to last

    Cathy

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  44. naku maraming nakawan dito sa store nila! andaming nananakawan ng celfone while shopping!

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  45. i think ang ibig sabihin ng sender is ung mga items eh binibili lang ng retailer in bulk from china or bangkok tas nirerelabelan lang ng philippine retailer na 'to. kc most of the brands naman isa made from china, bangkok, india etc. since mura ung cost pero ineensure pa rin nila ung quality ng mga product nila..unlike kung ibubuy mo in bulk na hindi na dumadaan sa quality control

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  46. This is a non issue. Period. If u want authentic Made in America then go and purchase from independent less well known fashion designers who have their own studios, ok? Even the expensive gator brand hardly sell made in france shirts anymore. I just visited their store over here and the shirts say "designed in France made in----" (insert Asian or South American country). Posting the complaint was a waste of time and space and i guess i am the d"&$?!er one for even commenting. Lol.

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  47. F two1 ata ito eh

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  48. i don't buy from F cause their clothes are of poor quality. even the accessories look nice at first, but they still strike me as gaudy pieces. ewan ko ba kung bat ang mga feeling fasyon at trendy girls ay into that brand. who cares if your stuff are from F, para namang kasosyalan, hindi naman.

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  49. I think the letter sender knows about the fact na s/he can't expect the products from an international brand to just sell us made products.

    I point niya here i think, which everbody is missing, eh the Philippine outlet gets LOCAL items and stamp them wih the brand. Ergo, it's a blatant scam because these items didn't go through the international brand's standard test or quality control (if they have any).

    - LALA Lavandera

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  50. nakakaloka namang post ito, wala namang illegal dito eh normal lang yan, pero i think i know what store you're talking about, i also stopped buying here kc ung isa kong binili nasira agad

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  51. parang f...tsk!!!

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  52. I called them "Disposable Fashion Store"...

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  53. As a consumer, you have the right to patronize other products if you're not happy with the items you bought. So do that na lang. I don't think this even needs to be a blind item. For that matter, if you have complaints about the quality, write an email to the appropriate parties, i.e., the manufacturer.

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  54. I don't see the point of this letter. This habambuhay retailer CANNOT sell the items at the prices it does right now if made in the US ung items nila. In fact, most international retailers and brands have their items made dirt cheap in China, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Philippines. This has been the practice for more than 20 years (I remember how my Benetton bags transitioned from being made in Italy to made in China - haha sorry gave my age away, yes naabutan ko ung mga made in Italy na Benetton and yeah my generation was when Benetton was still relevant or cool). The funniest thing about this letter is the chain referred to - if my habambuhay hunch is right - is not known for quality anyway. It's known for cheap and trendy clothes, but they are not considered "investment" pieces if you know what I mean. The letter sender seems to be surprisingly naive to the point that it's annoying.

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  55. Teh, sa panahon ngayon we need to be practical. Mabibilang na lang natin sa daliri natin ang talagang made in USA. Most of what they're selling eh manufactured sa ibang bansa. IMO, nasa atin din un bilang consumer to check kung ano ung binibili natin at maging practical. Di porque may brand or "loyal" tayo sa brand na 'to eh kailangan dun tyo lagi bibili regardless kung mahal.

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  56. The letter-sender, hate to say this, doesn't seem to be well-travelled? Or is she/he not aware that a lot of stuff being sold by major US and European retailers are Made in China? To A. Salvador: Please grab a copy of the book DELUXE: How Luxury Lost Its Luster for enlightenment.....

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  57. Oo wag magalit kasi ako nga dito sa US di nakakabili ng made in the USA. Isipin na lang na nakakatulong ka ssa ekonomiya ng bansa natin. Hindi dapat ikahiya ang gawa ng mga Pilipino. Isipin mo na lang na angat na talaga tayo ngayon na kahit mga amerikano gumagamit ng gawa natin :)

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  58. Sino ba ang nagdala ng brand na ito? di ba si "_ _"? so bat pa tayo magtataka na puro local na lang mga benta, malamang galing sa mga supplier nila yun. oh well, di ko rin naman alam bat ang daming nagkakagulo dyan sa brand na yan, para ba yang Magnum na pag dka nakakakain, hindi ka cool? hahahaha kalowka!!

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  59. i'm from accessories company too, honestly lahat ng accessories nila nabibili sa divisoria, pag dating sa office lalagyan lang ng tag name ng company & price,eni-endorse pa sila ng well known & respected artist, even fashionista artist(s). Madami silang branch sa malls (actually sa lahat ata) abot langit na ang srp. Feeling naman ng mga bumibili sa store na yun good quality yung nabibili nila kaya ok lang magbayad ng pagkamahal mahal. Try nyo po punta ng divisoria, madami po kayong makikitang ganyang accessories, hindi po sila imitation, galing din po sa knila mga binili nyo sa malls. Ang masama, working overnight ang mga packer pero walang overtime, sa haba ng oras ng work nila lunch break lang ang pahinga nila. Below minimum, walang incentives, walang allowance. Tadtad pa ng charges. out of topic na. sensya na haba ng kwento ko.

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  60. ede wag kang bumili.

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  61. I agree with a lot of those who commented above. Most, if not all stores outsource their stuff. In the US, most of the clothes are made in China, Sri Lanka, India and even the Philippines. Even a lot of stores here in the Philippines purchase their goods in China. When you go on a purchasing trip there, you can even bring your own labels/tags and they will sew them on the clothes that you purchase. As a customer, let's be more wise about what we buy

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  62. that big retail store in megamall? that's why i don't shop there. i find their clothes too pricey for its kind. i prefer MNG :)

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    Replies
    1. Me too! Mas gusto ko pa MNG din... saka yung quality nung retail store minsan sablay kasi mahuna yung tela even their bags :P

      Delete
  63. hindi durable yung mga damit don, fashionable lang talaga. over priced pa! even the pieces that i bought from canada are made in china so what do you expect diba.

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    Replies
    1. i agree! the materials are often too flimsy or stretch easily and get out of shape. their kinds line is ok though. :)

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  64. hind ko ma-gets ang puntong sender na 'to. The retail shop didn't dupe you dear reader. That's how mst retail do their business. EVen in you buy something from AMerica, pg binulalat m ung labels and all that, you'll find na Made in China or Made in Somewhere bcos labor there is cheap. But sometimes the material used comes from US. I really think useless ang rant na'to. Some people have too much time in their hands.

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  65. I agree! I shop there very very often. And one time,well,more like twice, I saw 2 of my items I bought there---in F! They were exactly the same!

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  66. di ibig sabihin na komo American brand eh yari sa USA. FYI, majority ng mga produkto d2 sa US ay made in China. sa mga damit naman, malinaw na nakalagay sa mga label kung san gawa. kadalasan made in Vietnam, India, Philippines! Gap, JCPenny stores etc ay majority ng brands ay made in Asia. Kung ito ay panghabambuhay na brand, they are not really made to last. rip off talaga ngayon sa clothing. may mga review ako sa iba't ibang online stores pointing the quality dahil sila mismong mga puti ay inosente. Cathy Houston, TX

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  67. Don't worry a. Salvador; they were sued by Anna Sui and other designers before and settled; also this company is founded by Koreans and started as a little "tiangge" type
    of store in dtla! Made in US doesn't mean sh!t!

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  68. From a consumers point of view super rip off nga itong store na ito. But lets face it not all companies are getting their products from the same supplier especially this one. And bakit ka bibili ng T-shirt na 500 pesos if there is a similar one na 100 lang? you are basically paying for the brand name so don't expect too much from it.

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  69. yan kase! bumibili pa jan sa tabi tabi, if you are having problems about where those clothes came from then i suggest you go out of this country to shop and buy alexander perkovich, gabbana, michael kors, holsten, figla, rucci, oscar de la renta, marc , coach, LV, Ralph Lauren, Juicy Couture and fresh. never pa nagkaroon ng complaints when it comes to quality on those mentioned, and im so sure satisfied ka pa.

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  70. OH MY!!! Actually matagal ko na rin napansin ito. I love buying accessories at their stores, pero one time nag try ako mag scout ng mga accessories sa tiangge stores, yung ibang accessories parang pareho dun sa store. Medyo pricey nga yung ibang items nila sa store and some of the clothes are overrated sa mahal!

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  71. hahahahahahhaha "akala mo sa Prada bumili" hahahahaha!

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  72. One of the reasons why I don't buy anything from this store is that almost every item is Made in China :( from the stitches ng clothes to the fabrics na gimanit, hindi pinag iisipan. MASS PRODUCE ang peg ng items nila. Unlike sa ZARA or TOPMAN na makikita mo talaga lahat ng items from their website and sa shop are the same.

    -IamRP

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  73. gaya din yan sa retail store BAGS na galing malaysia ang mga bags and clothing, konting retoke lang ang 200php bag sold at 2,000, one of a kind dresses konting lace here and there 300 meron sila dun 3k to 5k

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  74. akala ko naman niloko talaga si ms letter sender - hindi lang pala niya alam how the retail industry operates! hindi malpractice yan teh, diskarte ang tawag dyan! che!

    bottom line is, if you feel like you're not getting your money's worth then dont buy from that store.

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    Replies
    1. amen! hehe. cheh to ms. letter sender!

      Delete
  75. If the price is high just becsuse your paying for the name not the quality. Thats the reality now a days just be carefull when you shop .

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  76. never naman nakilala ang brand na yan for quality. kung gusto mo ng current fashion / fad lang as in yung mga weird na hindi investment pieces, diyan ka mag-shop. you get what you paid for.

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  77. If this is really F, then letter writer needs to wake up to current economic realities. F is marketed all over the world as a fast fashion brand - you get trendy clothes there for cheap.

    Quality is never to be expected from F. Nor is integrity. They have been embroiled in several law suits for blatantly copying designs of famous and even non-famous designers. Also for unfair labor practices but that's an entirely different story.

    F is "not exactly cheap" here in the Philippines especially when you convert the price from US dollars and even more so that we have so many cheaper clothing options available to us (hello tiangge). But if you live in a first world country and are earning US dollars as well, then you'll look at F as cheap too.

    Quality has never been F's come on. It has always been trendy fashion for less. And as for being "Made in the USA", many people have already commented on that.

    Please don't just be a "zombie" consumer and think that "Made in USA" automatically means better.

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  78. F is a designer knock-off store. Dami na nga lawsuit nyan pero nalulusutan nila dahil sa butas ng textile copyright. Mga religious pa naman owners. There is even a blog making fun of their collection and dinemanda ng F yung blogger. Google F + lawsuits, madami lalabas na articles tungkol sa business ethics nila.

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  79. gagastos ka na rin lang nang mahal, bumili ka na lang sa mga local designers. ang goods nila di gaya ng ilan sa mga branded na singnipis ng camisa chino.

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  80. i think this is Z not F. mura lang items sa F e. sabi ng reader expensive

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  81. What is wrong with what F is doing? This is common practice. Besides, F is not known for their quality anyway. And they can't file a lawsuit against F for knocking off higher end designs. It is a way for fashion to become more accessible. (Even the highest end of designers partner with fast fashion brands to create cheaper versions of their designs. Eg. Marni for Target, Lanvin for H&M, etc) And besides, the people who buy from F are not the ones who buy from Hermes. It is an entirely different demographic altogether. I work in the fashion/garments industry and there is no copyright protection when it comes to design. And for good reason. Watch this lecture video and be enlightened.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL2FOrx41N0

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  82. A. Salvador, don't expect good quality if your budget is not. This is called disposable fashion- meaning it allows other aspirational fashionista to have access to trendy pieces without the high price tag. DI ito pang habang buhay na magagamit thats for sure. Its mostly for high/low styling. Saan ka naman hahanap ng Made in USA products eh kung sa price nito umaangal ka na...sa GAP nga you pay an arm and a leg tapos isang laba, wala na eh China rin naman sila lahat galing!

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  83. Z is spanish, Ts is a british brand. so it can't be them, unless the person who wrote this was also mistaken :)

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  84. i don't care if the item is made in china because most US/EUROPEAN brands really outsource to factories there. the materials used by this US brand aren't expensive to keep costs low to be able to sell it an affordable price. so these products don't last too long. i am fully aware of that & i buy these clothes not for superb quality nor durability. i buy them because they are trendy & fun to wear & i can just junk them & buy new stuff after they die on me.
    what doesn't sit well with me is that these foreign brands are just buying stuff at cheaper wholesalers where people like us can just go directly to buy the stuff and believe me, they can cost around 1/8th only of the tag price in the store. it's a total rip-off.
    like some commenters have said, i too, have bought from wholesalers that made chismis the popular US brand have gotten tons of items from them & just slap on their tags. and i have seen some stuff in the store myself & was really shocked. now this is what bothers me. so like the letter sender, i want to know, is this legit? is it known by the bigwigs of the brand in the US or is the Philippine group handling the brand here gypping the US people?

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  85. Napaka brand conscious kasi ng mga tao, ba't hindi na lang "buy because i like it" or "buy because it is within my budget" or "buy because of quality".

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  86. Di naman talaga maganda ang quality nang mga damit nang F. Mas maganda pa sa ukay ukay. Hahaha :))

    And as for the accessories, sourced from China naman yung mga accessories nila tsaka yung iba mabibili mo pa sa Divisoria.

    Hype lang talaga yung F na yan.

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  87. the owner of that company are koreans who've been residing in the states...dami kaya korean stores dito sa cebu na ang mumura ng mga damit. mga bags class A ang mumura din...the first time i stepped inside this store ang nasabi ko lang"parang makikita lng sa bangketa at ukay2x ang mga damit at accessories"..they even closed more than 5 stores sa isang malaking mall dito sa cebu para lng sa store nila..

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  88. Those clothes that they sell and even accessories are well.. ripoff. What do you expect? It was a retail store. And when you search their brand on the internet they have many law suit cases because of imitation. Also, when you went to their store you'll see it was overpriced.

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  89. I read in a site that this brand is one of the "we-should-not-trust-we-should-not-buy-stuff" because of its quality. And I can attest to that. I buy accessories from bazaars and when my friend who is a die-hard fan of this brand said "oh you buy pala from *toot* I have like that eh" I laughed lang then said to her its from a bazaar and got it for a cheaper price. Nabadtrip lang siya.

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  90. were you born yesterday? this is a common practice naman. it's like buying something nice from divisoria, tas lagyan mo ng tag or ng brand, then sell it for twice the original cost. the clothes, though branded as US made, or the brand is originally from US, ang mga mananahi nyan usually nasa asia- china and vietnam, kung saan mura ang labor. tagal ng practice nila to. what you're paying for is the brand. the name. but you can also hope for quality. they have quality checks naman, siguro..

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  91. also with a foreign label ... their wallets, bags and other accessories are not real products of the company ... they are not even real leather... every time the owners of the label visits the country, they would hide these items (check their official website, you will not find any bags or wallets or sneakers) the franchise owners are making money from these items not from the jeans which is their signature product

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  92. UMM.. if this is "Habambuhay" sa totoo lang, dito sa North America, ang tingin namin, "cheap" sila. Pero if we have to run for a cheap store to get our hands on trendy clothing, then we go to Habambuhay. I understand na katumbas din sa dollars pag na convert ang prices nila. Pero you have to understand na they're not a "quality" retail. Products may not be made in the US, most are, but they are produced in sweatshops. Eni-exploit nila ang illegal at walang papel na nakatira sa US for cheap labor. Ngayon, kasi kinakasuhan sila, nag tayu sila ng mga sweatshops outside USA. Ngayon, yung mga dupped designes naman, its because di talaga original mga designs nila. Thats why they face several lawsuits regarding to patent concerns and mga ripped off designs from designer labels.

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  93. Hindi naman maganda ang mga clothes and accessories sa store na iyan, the clothes are awful, mas maganda pa ang mga damit sa Pilipinas, people pay a lot because of the name, not the quality of clothes...

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    1. agree ako dito!

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    2. di na katakataka iyon. most of their stuff talaga are outsourced. hindi american made

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  94. If this is indeed F, i would fault the local franchisee for the malpractice, kung meron man. But then again, majority of goods in the market now are made in China and most have quality issues. Local brands na lang kasi ang tangkilikin natin.

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  95. This is F? My family business deals with China. The original designs are really made by F. Then pinapagawa sa China. Si China naman copies the design, mass produce and sell at a cheaper price. :)

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    1. Exactly! Share ko lang ha kase i'm really a fan of HABAMBUHAY. I bought a necklace sometime in Nov 2011 for P500+. It was a GUN-METAL statement necklace we used for a photoshoot. Just this March (2012), I saw the same necklace from a local online shop. Nanghinayang talaga ako kase this wasn't the first time na I bought something na mahal only to find out na may kaparehas siya na mas mura (kase si TS brand from UK may kaparehas din from a local online store) And since I have this habit of buying the same item only with different colors, I decided to order the GOLD statement necklace. But guess what, it wasn't really the same. The design may look the same, but the quality is totally different. Mas manipis yung metal nung GOLD kaya siya mas mura. I also heard from some students from an exclusive school in Manila na there's this shop in BAMBANG were they sell HABAMBUHAY REPLICAS :) So most likely dun lang din galing yung naorder ko online or some store in Divisoria.

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  96. Fxx. If you take a look at their price tags and compare the total price listed in your receipt, you'll notice that VAT is NOT included in the price tag. This is against the rules of DTI. Check out SECTION 2 of DAO no. 10 http://dtincr.ph/files/LawsAndPolicies-DAO_10.pdf

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  97. Kung namamahalan, edi wag bilhin. Kung napapangitan sa quality, edi maghanap sa iba.

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  98. it is habangbuhay... i sell exactly the same accessories as they do...to my surprise when i visited the store the priuce is way way way too expensive... plus the clothing line now is not much more of that quality

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  99. Never trust this store. Mas gusto ko pang bumili ng damit na mahal na tatagal kaysa cheap price na after 2-3 wears faded na agad. And about the made in China issue wala talaga silang ma do kasi sa US mahal lahat ang labor because it comes wih huge tax payment too to the government.

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  100. hay.. walang kwenta tong letter. FYI to the sender. this is not a malpractice. they only bought the name so the could use it here in the philippines. kung ibebenta nila mismo yun mechandise from america, baka talagang hind mo na ma-afford since ngayon palang nga namamahalan ka na... they outsouce materials and recreate, to make their products more affordable.
    and just to be clear, legal yun ginagawa nila. kaya nga usually makikita mo --- "*brand* USA" ang nakasulat. not "*brand* made in USA"
    duh????
    *annoyed*

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