Chinese TikTokers are taking to the platform to roast American manufacturing with viral memes.
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00:00More than 80% of the luxury bags in the world are made in China.
00:04You like this bag or this?
00:08Two dollars, two dollars.
00:10Without United States, you have nothing, China.
00:13Yes, Maga, we don't have child labor, school shooting, homeless problem, genocide, oligarchy, monopoly.
00:19In April 2025, Chinese creators were flooding TikTok with videos that expose what they claim was the truth behind some of the world's most coveted luxury goods.
00:27They take almost finished bags from China factories back to their own factories and just do the repackaging and logo installing, something like that.
00:39That way, the bags will appear at their boutiques as made in Italy or made in France.
00:46In one viral clip after another, Chinese TikTokers walked viewers through factory floors where they alleged handbags that resembled Gucci and Dior were made,
00:55often in the same dusty factory selling look-alike versions for a fraction of the price.
01:12Here's the thing, the timing of these videos wasn't random.
01:16They were gaining momentum just as the United States, under Donald Trump's trade policy, had slapped a 145% tariff on Chinese imports.
01:24China retaliated with a 125% tariff on American goods.
01:28Some creators casually explained that American consumers could bypass middlemen and high markups by purchasing directly from Chinese manufacturers.
01:37And these were not just vague claims.
01:39That means the price will be very cheap.
01:42The factory's showroom has different kind of attention.
01:45Want to get love and price? Contact me.
01:47One TikToker user claimed to sell yoga pants made in the same factory as Lululemon's, offering them for just $5 to $6 compared to their $100 retail price.
01:57Lululemon told The Independent that only about 3% of its finished products were made in mainland China.
02:02And that all official manufacturing partners were publicly listed on their website.
02:06In another striking example, a supplier of Hermes Birkin bags revealed that a handbag sold for $38,000 cost only about $1,400 to produce.
02:16According to him, the makers get a minimal cut while the lion's share goes to the brand.
02:20To sum those up, the total cost will be $1,400 for one Birkin out of factory.
02:28But why Hermes will charge you $38,000 for one bag?
02:32That's because more than 90% of the price is paid for its logo.
02:37Speaking to The Independent, Conrad Quilty Harper, author of the Dark Luxury Newsletter,
02:42warned that many of these videos could be promoting counterfeit or imitation goods.
02:46Louis Vuitton also denied any manufacturing in China.
02:49But TikTok's raw factory footage showing bags irrily similar to designer ones
02:53was striking a chord with inflation-hit brand-wary consumers.
02:57Wholesalers, it's 2024 and you still don't know who are the suppliers behind Dior?
03:02Their knitwares and guardians are from Beyond Garments from Hangzhou.
03:05Beyond Garments is also the supplier behind many luxury brands from American...
03:10And curiously, Chinese censors, normally quick to block anything that could cause diplomatic discomfort,
03:15were letting viral memes mocking American manufacturing slight.
03:19Turns out, US tariffs came with unexpected side effects for Chinese creators.
03:24A sudden freedom to meme, mock and roast American manufacturing.
03:28Cheeky, unfiltered and wildly viral.
03:30Why the style is from the top?
03:32Because it fits neatly into China's propaganda playbook and boosts its diplomatic narrative.
03:36On 14 April 2025, Zhang Zizhen called out US political spokesperson Caroline Levitt
03:42for wearing a dress reportedly made with Chinese lace.
03:46Even Xi Jinping said,
03:48So for now, China did not seem worried.
03:56But if Trump did what Trump does best, escalate, Chinese exporters may feel the heat.
04:01Until then, the Chinese internet was having its movement, cheeky, defiant and unfiltered.