From tariffs to TikTok: the emerging narrative of Chinese artisans in luxury fashion

In the past week alone, a veritable avalanche of viral videos from Chinese producers show themselves crafting high-end bags, shoes and garments with precision and pride, claiming they make the products that Western brands are later labelled as “made in Italy” or “made in France”.

Now, that myth is being pulled apart. On TikTok, users such as Senbags Official are speaking directly into the camera, surrounded by rows of Hermes - and Dior -lookalike bags, asking why should you pay thousands for a logo when the craftsmanship is identical?

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One such video begins with a woman speaking animatedly to the camera: “Wholesalers! It’s 2025 and you still don’t know who are the suppliers [sic] behind Dior?” The user, @lunasourcingchina, describes how Dior knitwear is sourced from a Chinese producer in Hangzhou.

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Upon investigation, it does not appear that most of these claims are accurate and that the white-label manufacturing supply chain of yesteryear exists in the same way today. Most luxury European brands manufacture their goods locally, with much of the high cost being borne due to the handmade, time intensive manufacturing as well as quality.

Michael Zahariev, the co-founder of Luxity, disputed claims that luxury brands like Hermès simply source materials and have products made in China with their logo added.

According to Zahariev, many popular videos discussing luxury products "try to speak very generally about a lot of things” and pointed to a video proposing Hermès bags are white labelled as inaccurate, with Hermès "very well known to have their own production for specifically the Hermès Birkin.. It is an item which is only made by one artisan who is trained over many years, and that's all done in one house… not even outsourced from person to person within."

Despite the veracity of these videos, that’s not the most salient point emerging from the debate; the videos are reshaping global perception – not of the goods, but of the people behind them.

Amid Trump’s renewed trade war, what began as a pushback against tariffs has become something larger – a digital campaign to assert dignity, dismantle stereotypes and redraw the lines of global value and prestige.

The global trade battlefield – from tariffs to TikTok

Traditionally, the country of origin designated on luxury goods has often reflected where an item was designed, not where it was manufactured. Many products bearing the “made in Italy” or “made in France” mark are assembled in Europe, but their components – zippers, linings, even entire shells – may be sourced from or stitched together in Chinese factories. It’s a technicality, but it has helped preserve the myth of European-made exclusivity.

Now, that myth is being pulled apart. On TikTok, users such as @senbags2 speak directly into the camera, surrounded by rows of Hermès – and Dior – lookalike bags, asking, why pay thousands for a logo when the craftsmanship is identical?

These videos are often framed as efforts to bypass tariffs and attract foreign buyers to purchase directly, but their impact is far greater: challenging the persistent stereotype of Chinese labour as dirty, low-skilled and anonymous.

What’s emerging instead is a digital portrait of precision, pride and professionalism – one that China, until recently, seemed content to leave unspoken.

The timing is not coincidental. Trump’s sweeping new tariffs on Chinese imports – reaching as high as 145% in some sectors – have placed extraordinary pressure on Chinese exporters, especially those reliant on US and European markets.

Instead of retreating into silence, many are going public, following Beijing’s response of not bending the knee, but choosing to use their voices as a form of censure.

In video after viral video, Chinese clothing workers and manufacturers are not only demonstrating their ability to produce high-quality goods, but the professionalism of their factories, the quality of lives of their workers – often much higher than some social media users expect – in a clear jab at both the current US administration and its fiscal policy.

These viral videos function not just as marketing, but as soft power: a campaign to reshape how the world sees Chinese labour. The trade war, in effect, has catalysed a media counteroffensive.

What luxury brands say, and what consumers believe

To be clear, not all luxury brands are equally exposed. Hermès employs no direct labour in China, according to its financials, although it does source cotton from Inner Mongolia.

Chanel assembles products in France and Italy, but sources its silk from Chinese producers. The finished goods shown in these videos are, in many cases, likely dupes or unbranded parallels.

The brands themselves deny that their core production occurs in China. And in some cases, that’s accurate, but by and large there appears to be confusion between what fast fashion brands and luxury brands actually are.

“We know Zara is a fast fashion brand. It's very different to a luxury brand. Nike is a lifestyle brand, again, very different to a luxury brand” continues Zahariev.

But again, what’s true matters less than what’s believed – and what’s now being believed, by millions of viewers across TikTok and Instagram, is that the dividing line between “authentic” and “Chinese-made” is thinner than anyone thought.

Beyond the top-tier brands, many mid-tier and “third shipment” fashion houses do outsource substantial production to Chinese factories. These goods are then shipped to Europe for final assembly or finishing to qualify for prestigious country-of-origin labelling.

It’s a legal practice, but one increasingly criticised as misleading. The broader supply chain – leathers, trims, hardware – often flows through China regardless of the brand’s flagship location.

Global supply chain and local social credit

It’s not just the fashion industry under pressure. When Trump imposed tariffs on a wide range of Chinese goods, his administration was eventually forced to exempt smartphones and electronics – an acknowledgement of just how dependent US tech remains on Chinese manufacturing. Up to 80% of iPhones intended for US sale are made in China, a figure Apple has struggled to diversify despite efforts to increase production in India.

The collateral damage of Trump’s tariff regime is not confined to global giants. In early April, Lesotho was hit with the highest tariff of all – 50% on its exports, largely denim jeans for brands such as Levi’s and Calvin Klein, causing complete confusion in Maseru.

Nearly half of Lesotho’s exports go to the US, with textile production making up over a tenth of its GDP, and the government scrambled to send a delegation to Washington in hopes of salvaging market access, while weighing alternatives like the EU and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). What began as a blunt instrument against China has quickly become a sledgehammer across fragile economies at the edge of the luxury supply chain.

Yet the more fundamental shift may be psychological: a once global assumption that luxury is tied to European geography is now being challenged – not just by trade figures, but by the workers themselves.

For decades, the luxury narrative has been one of heritage, elegance and Western craftsmanship. These videos strip away the mystique and show what luxury actually looks like in the age of globalisation: cross-border, complex, and increasingly Asian.

This rethinking isn’t limited to international audiences.

Inside China, a parallel transformation is under way. Economic stagnation following Covid-19, combined with a youth unemployment rate that hit 20%, has triggered a wave of economic nationalism. Young, affluent Chinese consumers are increasingly turning to domestic luxury brands that deliver comparable quality at a lower price, without the implied cultural inferiority.​

In 2024, China’s luxury market experienced a significant decline of 18%-20%, reverting to 2020 levels due to low consumer confidence and increased overseas spending. This downturn marked the end of the Covid-19 artificial boost on the Chinese luxury goods market as global tourism began to recover. ​

While China’s share of global luxury sales has fluctuated, projections indicate that Chinese consumers are expected to account for 40%-45% of global luxury goods sales by 2025, positioning China as the world’s largest luxury market.

Trump’s tariffs were meant to punish. But in accelerating this moment of self-representation, they’ve helped spark something else: a movement. A pushback not just against trade barriers, but against erasure. Chinese manufacturers are no longer willing to stay quiet while their work is repackaged and resold for prestige abroad.

They are showing us how luxury is made. And in doing so, they are remaking what the word luxury means. DM