Bazaar Bogged Down by Brand Names

Bazaar’s “Luxury Report,” January, left us with a bad taste in our mouth. The section started off typically enough, spotlighting—among other astronomically priced accessories—an $8,800 Michael Kors bag, a “price upon request” vintage Ralph Lauren necklace, and a $25,900 Hermès cuff. 

The section veered into a well-researched article by Dana Thomas about children forced into labor to manufacture counterfeit goods. We questioned why this article would be lumped into the “Luxury Report,” but the reason became clear when we flipped past a Burberry ad and found this unsubtle reminder to buy genuine designer products:

Why Does It Cost So Much?

What makes the prices of the world’s most wanted pieces so high? Craftsmanship, quality, and exclusivity are just a few of the reasons. Here, a peek at what goes into making a luxury good.

So, in review, that’s a pictorial of envy-inducing, prohibitively expensive accessories. Ads from Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Coach (along with the aforementioned Burberry ad). An article explaining why counterfeit goods constitute a human-rights violation of massive proportions—which, we should make clear, is an argument with which we have no issue. And then a page explaining again exactly why it’s completely worthwhile to spend $895 on a pair of “chic” ballet flats.

See the problem here?

While we admire Bazaar’s revelation of the sleazy underbelly of counterfeit goods manufacturing, it totally undercuts Thomas’ reporting when her investigation is juxtaposed with a page explaining why charging $51,400 for a watch is justifiable.  Promoting luxury goods in the name of stopping child labor only detracts from the real issue—as if the galling practices in counterfeit-goods factories didn’t merit attention on their own. Would a story about children being sold into labor to make fake Burberrys be any less meaningful if you couldn’t then turn the page and behold a genuine Burberry? But Bazaar’s livelihood is inextricably intertwined with the financial security of name-brand advertisers, and that relationship is made all too clear in this short section.

Child labor is, indisputably, a terrible tragedy. But using a worthwhile article about the practice as an excuse to shill for $18,650 purses is absolutely revolting.

Comments

[Betty]

Oh my god! They did this with last year's January issue as well. I remember because it was so egregious--there's a Coach ad, for example, that starts "Knock It Off". I think the author might even be same person (Amy Larocca also did an article for the issue titled "Why Luxury Is Worth It").