From factory to feed: How TikTok is ‍‍`exposing‍‍` the pricey illusion of luxury brands

In a surprising twist to the ongoing US–China trade tensions, Chinese manufacturers are turning to TikTok not just to voice frustrations but to pull back the curtain on the luxury fashion world. Through viral videos, these factory insiders are revealing what it actually costs to produce high-end goods — and the findings are shaking consumer trust in luxury pricing.

Armed with smartphones and access to mass-production lines, factory workers and suppliers are showcasing how products sold under prestigious brand names for thousands of dollars can often be made for a fraction of the price. Videos featuring handbags, yoga leggings, and accessories being produced in Chinese factories — sometimes for less than $30 — have amassed millions of views. These same items later retail for hundreds, even thousands, in Western boutiques.

One particularly eye-opening claim involves a handbag resembling the iconic Hermès Birkin. While the genuine article starts at around $10,000 and can soar to $300,000, factory workers say a lookalike costs roughly $45 to produce. The difference, one manufacturer quipped, is often little more than a logo — and adding that logo sends prices skyrocketing.

These exposé videos have given birth to a new kind of online shopping. TikTok users are bypassing traditional luxury retailers, choosing instead to buy directly from manufacturers selling “dupes” or unbranded products. Many of these items, often made in the same factories as the branded goods, are reaching global buyers through TikTok Shop and Chinese e-commerce platforms.

It’s an appealing prospect, especially in an era of inflation and stagnant wages. Luxury-style leggings similar to Lululemon’s $100 pairs are available for $10–$15. Sandals that mimic Birkenstock’s $120 designs are selling for under $20. This wave of price transparency has sparked what some are calling a quiet consumer rebellion.

The movement hasn’t escaped criticism. On Reddit, one user, scarletofmagic, pointed out that these products aren’t authentic factory overruns or leaks but long-running counterfeits dressed up for a Western audience newly exposed to the practice. “They’re using the tariffs to scam people,” the user wrote. “These counterfeits have existed for decades in SEA, India, etc. Now it’s just on a bigger, more visible platform.”

Others argue the real deception lies with the luxury brands themselves, accusing them of inflating prices under the guise of exclusivity and craftsmanship while outsourcing manufacturing to low-cost regions.

As experts explain, the truth about where luxury items are made is rarely straightforward. Regina Frei, professor at the University of the Arts London, told CNN that while expensive watches and handbags may claim European origins, parts are often preassembled in China and finished in Europe. “Very expensive handbags involving a lot of manual work will probably be preassembled somewhere and finalised, say, in France,” she noted.

Even factories in Italy and Switzerland sometimes rely on Chinese ownership, management, or supply chains — a fact that allows brands to cling to European prestige while quietly benefiting from cheaper Asian labor.

Luxury labels are pushing back, claiming these TikTok “wholesale finds” are counterfeit goods. A Forbes article recently cautioned that many of these products are knockoffs, even if produced in similar settings or by workers trained in luxury production techniques.

But for many consumers, especially Gen Z, the distinction between “fake” and “factory-made” is becoming less meaningful. If a $45 bag is produced with the same materials, by the same hands, as a $10,000 one — what are consumers really paying for? A logo? A story?

This conversation isn’t confined to international audiences either. Within China, younger consumers are also reevaluating the appeal of Western brands. As NPR reported, many are now embracing local labels and questioning the need for foreign logos as a marker of quality.

Globally, this TikTok-fueled transparency is triggering a reckoning. In an economy where authenticity and affordability are increasingly prized, radical transparency may become the new status symbol.

While luxury houses continue to justify steep markups with narratives of heritage, craftsmanship, and exclusivity, social media is offering a counter-narrative: one where the real story behind luxury goods is just a factory floor away — and a generation raised on viral content is more than ready to listen.