Real or Replica? Dani Smith on What Actually Makes a Bag Authentic | Emily Blumenthal & Dani Smith

What makes a luxury bag feel “real”—and why can even an authentic one sit unsold? We sit down with Dani Smith, senior authentication specialist at What Goes Around Comes Around (WGACA), to unpack the fine details that drive trust in the vintage handbag market. From a Chanel bag mistaken as fake to the limits of resale photos, Danny explains why in-person evaluation still matters and how structure, scent, and subtle wear can make or break a purchase. He also shares how authenticators are trained, what actually sells, and how trends and influencer demand impact resale value.

Key Takeaways:
 • Details define authenticity — Small cues separate real from questionable.
 • In-person still wins — Photos miss critical signs of quality and wear.
 • Trends don’t guarantee value — Demand can shift faster than expected.

🎧 Listen now for an insider look at authentication, resale strategy, and smarter vintage buying.

Our Guest:
 Dani Smith is a senior authentication specialist at What Goes Around Comes Around (WGACA), a leading luxury vintage retailer. With deep expertise in brands like Chanel and Louis Vuitton, he helps verify authenticity, guide collectors, and navigate the fast-evolving resale market with a trained eye for detail.

Host Emily Blumenthal is a handbag industry expert, author of Handbag Designer 101, and founder of The Handbag Awards. Known as the “Handbag Fairy Godmother,” Emily also teaches entrepreneurship at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is dedicated to celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of building iconic handbag brands.

Find Handbag Designer 101 Merch, HBD101 Masterclass, one-on-one sessions, and opportunities to book Emily Blumenthal as a speaker at emilyblumenthal.com. 

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Transcript

What Authenticity Really Means

SPEAKER_00 0:00

At the end of the day, because we've inspected and reviewed this item and we guarantee authenticity and we can tell you why it's different. Those nuances represent a certain time period and a certain transition that happened. So it took the right customer to come in that already had a lot of knowledge on Chanel and maybe that time period where that transition happened. And she said, Oh, like, why is this here? Why is this, you know, why is this right? What a find.

SPEAKER_01 0:25

Hi and welcome to Handbag Designer 101, the podcast with your host, Emily Blumenthal, handbag industry expert and the handbag fairy godmother. Each week we uncover the stories behind the handbags we love, from the iconic brands and top designers to the creativity, craftsmanship, and culture that define the handbag world. Whether you're a designer, collector, or simply passionate about handbags, this is your front row estate to it all. Welcome Danny Smith to Handbag Designer 101, the podcast. Danny, you are the senior authentication specialist for the incredible what goes around comes round, one of my most favorite places that has been around for many, many years. Danny, welcome. Talk to me about working there and the kind of environment that what goes around comes around is. It has been a staple within the industry for many, many years.

SPEAKER_00 1:25

Yeah, what goes around comes around, we are one of the leading sellers of vintage luxury goods, mostly handbags. We specialize a lot in Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci. Those are our core styles that we like to look at or core brands that we look at. I personally love Chanel, so I'll go ahead and talk a little bit about Chanel. But here, uh, what goes around comes around, we did a huge Carl Lagerfeld retrospective, which basically highlighted all of his items where he was the creative director of Chanel. And we had that in our store in Soho. And I have been lucky enough to work alongside creating that project and authenticating the pieces that we put for sale in the store. And that was a really exciting experience. That was one of my first big experiences here at What Goes Around. I'd only been here a little bit less than a year now. And yeah, that was a really pivotal moment in my career here just because I was able to see the crowds we draw in, the clientele that we do have in comparison to some other companies that I've worked for, what goes around comes around really is one of the leading purveyors. And our clientele really does show that we are leading. How many stores are there? There's three. There's two in Soho and one in Beverly Hills. And then, of course, we have e-commerce as well.

Why In Store Shopping Wins

SPEAKER_01 2:40

How do you think, just because there's platforms, online platforms that do the same thing, how does it differ having an actual storefront where people can come and see feel touch versus like an online where there are multiple brands available? And I'm sure you have to actually put a cap as to how much product you have out in the store. Totally.

SPEAKER_00 3:03

Yeah. It's a really interesting process. So yeah, shopping on a website that's purely just online is a little bit tough because you're unable to really see the condition of that bag, what it really looks like, what it feels like, what it smells like. Maybe the stiffness and the structure of it is a little bit different than what shows online. So shopping in person is a really different experience. And I think it's probably the best experience if you're looking to buy a luxury handbag, of course. It really is about the experience for a lot of people. But yeah, I used to work for a company called Fashion File that didn't have in-store boutiques. And you were only really able to shop that product if you were in a specific location with a showroom. So most of our clients at Fashion File were online through e-commerce. And that's a little bit different. You're dealing a lot more with returns and maybe customer concerns with condition and things of that nature just because they don't get to see the product in person.

SPEAKER_01 3:57

Obviously, you know, this whole podcast revolves around, you know, the world in which is a handbag, which, you know, we all live, e-breathe, sleep. It's so interesting. You spoke about even just having that in-store experience that we've had many people on, encouraging having the opportunity for a pop-up experience, the opportunity, even for independent designers, even for designers that have a good following and traction, having the chance to meet the designer, but also see, feel, touch the product. It is such a difference in conversion rate to sale. Wouldn't you agree?

SPEAKER_00 4:34

Absolutely. My parents never really buy luxury, actually. And I'm probably the first in my family to have an interest in that. And for them, they think you were crazy. Like, oh, absolutely. What do you need a label bag for? What's the point? Yeah, you're just trying to impress people. When really when you get to know people that also love luxury and work in luxury, it really is just the love of the history, the brand itself, and maybe the creative directors of each fashion house that you have a connection to. But for my parents, it's more like you're just kind of, you know, showing people what you think you are, what you want them to see you for when you carry luxury goods. Right. So for them, they would never shop online. And if they were to ever make a luxury purchase, it would have to be in-store for that experience. Right. I really understood that more when I took them into the in-store boutique for what goes around comes around here in Soho. And actually having my parents see and feel the product in person, really, you could see their engagement more. And they were definitely more likely to make a purchase than they ever would have just scrolling online.

SPEAKER_01 5:36

Let me ask you now, in terms of customer, how do you, in your opinion, you know, obviously for someone who's shopping for a Chanel bag, let's just speak about Chanel, understanding your customer, understanding how to sell to them. Is it ever a situation where you're concerned a product won't sell or won't sell as fast for turnover, turnaround? Or do you just assume by default, because environmentally it's in a store like what goes around comes around, that whatever you put out will sell?

The Chanel That Looked Wrong

SPEAKER_00 6:06

I think it's a little bit of both. I think it really depends on the product that you put on the floor and your salespeople and the clientele, right? I think it has a lot to do with location, demographics, and the products that we're talking about themselves. But luckily, our staffing at the boutiques do an incredible job of placing the right products on the floor. And our salespeople really know which products are more popular now versus other things and what's, you know, really trending right now for someone and also creating that personal relationship with your customer to know what exactly they're looking for, which is why before I did mention clientele with what goes around comes around our clientele versus employee relationships are so strong that we do have individual salespeople that, you know, take FaceTime calls or phone calls with uh clientele that are looking to purchase a specific item from a specific season in a specific color, maybe even a specific textile, and we're able to really narrow that down to what you want. So I think they're really homed in on what exactly they put on the floor to make sure that it sells through. I think that there are things that sit there for longer than others, and that might be because it's a really weird item. Maybe it was created during a transitional period, which is something we look at in authentication when brands kind of change maybe like their stampings or their stitching or their uh markers for authentication. So that way we would know that this is transitioning and this is kind of a time period where things are different depending on what you're looking at. So there might be a bag. For example, I know there was a bag. What goes around sells to Dillard's, and there was a bag from us, a Chanel bag that went to Dillard's and it sat on the Dillard's floor for over a year until it was finally purchased by someone. The reason for that is because a lot of people thought that it was fake when it wasn't, because there was some things that were different nuance to more Do you remember what the bag was? Which it was Chanel. Yeah. So it was, you know, it was a very coveted bag. It was in black and gold, and you would think, why does nobody want this? And it's because of a lot of hesitation, because it looks different, maybe it feels different, maybe it even smelled different. Who knows? But at the end of the day, because we've inspected and reviewed this item and we guarantee authenticity, and we can tell you why it's different. Those nuances represent a certain time period and a certain transition that happened. So it took the right customer to come in that already had a lot of knowledge on Chanel and maybe that time period where that transition happened. And she said, Oh, like, why is this here? Why is this, you know, why is this? Right, what a find. What a find. And she knew why it had those nuances and she was okay with it.

How Authenticators Get Trained

SPEAKER_01 8:48

How much time do you spend? Because again, you're speaking to a customer who is well-versed, right? She, he, they are studied up on, or even recognizing that even for this particular bag, that it doesn't fit the mold for what traditionally a bag like that should be or could be. And when you were saying, like transition, different creative director, different production, different factory, the short run of bags, this happens. How much time do you have to spend educating your customer? Or is it a matter of they come in and they know? And also, how much time do you have to spend? Did you have to spend to educate yourself? Like, did you spend nights and nights and nights and like go through archives? And how did you teach yourself and learn? Like, do they have a process built in? So this education component is so important, especially for the pricing and recognition and so forth. So, how does all that work?

SPEAKER_00 9:43

Yeah. So, my knowledge actually started when I started at Fashion File. That was my first job working with luxury handbags. And basically, what they have is a program called Fashion File University, and it basically offers an extensive training program to everyone. Is that was it stressful? It was, it was, but also so exciting. I mean, I really did feel like I was in university because every day I'm learning something new. And did you get tested on it? Absolutely. So, how the way that the benchmarks works is you start with the most popular of brands that you would see authenticating, which is Louis Vuitton. That's pretty much the bulk, I would say. And that's been my experience both places I've worked authenticating. Is Louis Vuitton is a big bulk of the product that we see in Authenticate. So you would start with Louis Vuitton, and that would range from handbags, accessories, which could be small leather goods like wallets, or maybe belts, agenda book covers, passport covers, shoes, and jewelry. And you would look at all these items and you would take a class, uh Louis Vuitton class, and this class is about an hour long.

SPEAKER_01 10:51

And are they pre-recorded?

SPEAKER_00 10:54

Yeah, so it's actually a PowerPoint that one of the senior authenticators will sit down and train you in. So you'll spend time training with them, asking them questions, maybe looking at some of the items during your class. But then you're required to basically sit down for however long it takes you and spend the next, I would say, three to four months looking at 2,500 Louis Vuitton items. And that's your benchmark so that you can take your Louis Vuitton test. And the test consists of oral and physical exams. So you'll be asked a series of questions about the brand's history, authentication knowledge, key points you would look at when authenticating the bag. And then you'll actually get a physical exam where they bring out reels and fakes that so you can demonstrate what you know and how you it would catch a counterfeit.

SPEAKER_01 11:41

Actually, I would love to talk to you about this. I have two questions about the history of this. I have this dossier that I've created of the history of the handbag, just overall, like dating all the way back to the Middle Ages. And I've spoken to a few handbag historians, which has been really exciting. And one in particular, she's actually her segment is coming, but she was speaking about the history of the handbag and how it ties to the British royalty and how they used handbags. And, you know, for people like us, that's you're like, ah, you could listen to it all day. And how this queen used this handbag and the tricklebound effect for trends. There's some story, and I'm gonna have to look. I might look while we're talking about the history of the zipper. And I believe Louis B. Vuitton was the first one who used a zipper on a bag, and I think it was a travel bag, and it was after going to, I think, Ford in the US on a trip or something. And how all that worked. I mean, do you know what I'm talking about? Because there's one particular silhouette.

SPEAKER_00 12:45

I'm not familiar with the first item to have a zipper, but that wouldn't surprise me that it was Louis Vuitton because they're dated back to 1854, which is when they started. And they did start with those trunks, which I know some of them inside don't have zippers, but they might, depending on the certain era. And I'm not sure if that's where they originated, but wouldn't surprise me.

SPEAKER_01 13:05

And then um, there's I have to do something with this just because I'm so obsessed with trying to understand how all this worked. There is a story also about Coco Chanel being the first, which I have since debunked, being the first to have an interior zipper pocket or an interior pouch that she apparently was either using for the war or putting her love notes in or something like that.

SPEAKER_00 13:35

It said that they're supposed to be love notes from Boy Capel, which was the boy that she had a little bit of a fling with. But yeah, I'm not sure about that either. If that was the first I mean, you say that you debunked it, so that that brings true to me too. I would say it's probably not Chanel that that had the first interior zipper, but you never know. I'm not sure.

Masterclass Promo And Brand Breadth

SPEAKER_01 13:57

Yeah, I'm gonna look while we're talking about this because I would love to have somebody else's feedback about this. I want to talk a little bit about how you work with other brands, right? You have the Louise, you have the Chanel's. How do you integrate brands that people may or may not deem as classics that are from other countries? You know, how do you take that into consideration? There was a commercial a hundred years ago for this company that sold suits, and it said educated customer is our best customer. And I'm gonna get people writing to me telling me what it is. But in terms of, you know, having someone come in and then being responsible for telling them the history and then like, or having someone come in and saying, How come you're not selling, I don't know, old Alexander McQueen or things like that, or the value of bags that he designed versus Sarah Burton and so forth. How do you handle all of that? If you ever wanted to start a handbag brand and didn't know where to start, this is for you. If you had dreams of becoming a handbag designer but aren't trained in design, this is for you. If you have a handbag brand and need strategy and direction, this is for you. I'm Emily Blumenthal, handbag designer expert and handbag fairy godmother, and this is the handbag designer 101 masterclass. Over the next 10 classes, I will break down everything you need to know to make, manufacture, and market a handbag brand, broken down to ensure that you will not only skip steps in the handbag building process, but also to save money to avoid the learning curve of costly mistakes. For the past 20 years, I've been teaching at the top fashion universities in New York City, wrote the handbag designer Bible, founded the handbag awards, and created the only handbag designer podcast. I'm going to show you like I have countless brands to create in this in-depth course, from sketch to sample to sale. Whether you're just starting out and don't even know where to start or begin, or if you had a brand and need some strategic direction, the handbag designer 101 Masterclass is just for you. So let's get started, and you'll be the creator of the next It Bag. Join me, Emily Blumenthal, in the Handbag Designer 101 Masterclass. So be sure to sign up at Emily Blumenthal.com slash masterclass and type in the code I'm cast to get 10% off your masterclass today.

SPEAKER_00 16:27

Well, luckily our what goes around comes around, we're very honed in on specific brands. But at a brand like Fashion File, we had an extensive range, like a designer directory of all different designers from you know really, really high-end to maybe some more low-end designers. I don't know if I'd necessarily categorize them as low-end, but maybe just not as coveted because Fashion File does focus on selling ultra luxury. So everything is pretty high-end over there. However, brands like Chloe or maybe La Wave that aren't as popular or maybe up and coming like La Havey, they are harder to sell and maybe like get on the floor or even have as an item at Fashion File that we want to sell. So something like that, I think it really just depends on the market and like the people that are looking for those bags. They're definitely not the ones that are flying off the shelves. But it's very interesting in terms of gaining knowledge and authentication material on them when there's pretty much little to nothing to know about them because we don't see them that often. So it's different because working at Fashion File, I would be more in contact with those brands that maybe aren't selling as quickly. But here it's it's a lot smaller of brands that we take and a lot more focused on what we sell. So for me, here I see pretty much the top of the top, which is just the bulk of Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel, YSL, Dior, even Goyard and things like that. But at Fashion File, it really ranges. I mean, you would have Nancy Gonzalez and you would have Judith Lieber and you would have Alexander McQueen and Valenciaga and all of these different brands where they're likely to sell for just because of that customer base. Because do you think the Nancy Gonzalez bags would sell more now that she's in jail? Probably. I actually have seen a rise of interest in those bags, and even my coworkers are coming in with Nancy Gonzalez bags. And I think this also has a lot to do with maybe the price of the market right now. She's in jail, so maybe the prices have decreased. So people are looking to buy. And I saw that same thing happen when there was that huge Valenciaga scandal. People were nervous to buy, but at the same time, they wanted to because up price points at that time.

The Zipper Story And Bag Lore

SPEAKER_01 18:38

Well, that just goes back to the general market where they say buy low, sell high, stay hedged. So people were buying, you know, like listen, when I was teaching that semester and my students, we had this whole deep dive conversation about, you know, everyone dropping their motorcycle bag. And I was like, honey bunny, hold on to it. Okay, that's gonna be a minute and it's gonna come and it's gonna go. Because let me tell you, all the canonies and all the scandals aren't gonna change a house that's been around longer than all of us combined. Correct. Okay, I just want to speak to this. All right, it was the Air May's Bully Day bag.

SPEAKER_00 19:17

Are you familiar with that? Yeah, because Air Maze is definitely the beginning for all that would surprise me.

SPEAKER_01 19:26

Right. And there was a scandal between the bully day bag and whether it should be called Bully Day or Bugatti because of who it was made for. But it was he traveled to North America, he paid a visit to the Henry Ford automobile factory, and it was there where Emile Maurice introduced a new mechanism, the zipper. So Air May is filed a patent for a zipper to go on leather goods in 1923. So, and it was originally called Le Sac pour Le Auto. And it's just so interesting. And then Bugatti, I think Bugatti of the two designs, the Bully Day debuted earlier. And then because he commissioned Bugatti at the launch of the car model, there was some sort of conflict and it went to court even way back when to determine. So, like all this stuff is my jam. So to find out, like, was there a Bugatti version of this air maze bag or was it just the bully day? And you know, these bags must, as soon as they come in, they must go really quick. Oh, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 20:27

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 20:29

Do you find that you are put into a position to like turn away bags that come in because either you know they won't sell because there isn't enough brand awareness to that particular style, or there's just too many? Like, what do you see too much of?

SPEAKER_00 20:45

Luckily, I would never have to personally reject anything because that would come before maybe it gets to authentication, where they would say, Hey, we already have so many of these in this color, so we don't need another. But for me, I think I would turn things away purely based on condition. That's when I would be returning it to the vendor or the sender that we got it from. So that would be a case of like cornerware, maybe a pop stitch, maybe the hardware is tarnishing or oxidizing, or a screw is loose or something like that.

SPEAKER_01 21:16

Can I just ask you a question about coach bags in terms of you know, before it was sold to Sarah Lee, do you see the? And that's when they were still using the baseball leather. The bags were still made in the US. They were still, I believe, manufactured in their factory in Florida. They had a huge plant in Florida. Do you see? And then they moved, I think when they went to Sarah Lee, I did a whole thing for this with my business school, my final thesis. And they moved to mixed materials. And it's funny, like the most popular bag you will ever see at a flea market is a coach bag because they stand the test of time. Does that have an impact in terms of sales for where you are? That if you know that bags like that are sold at a random flea market. Does that affect you at an elite shop like what goes round comes round?

SPEAKER_00 22:04

I think they're two different sectors of the market. So coach maybe isn't considered ultra luxury to most people. It's kind of more of an affordable brand. I have always loved coach. It was the bag that I grew up on because I never really shopped ultra luxury. That was the first bag you'd get. It stands the test of time, and I still have my coach bags. And I think it has a lot to do with the material, like you said, that coach uses. I mean, a fun fact here is my boyfriend's a chef, and the chairs that were actually in his first Michelin Star restaurant that he worked at were made of coach leather. And so were the menus. And it's because that leather is so durable. Yeah. And the menus. And the menus, yeah. So it's quite funny that you say that and you bring that up because it's hard to compare, I think, to ultra luxury brands and a reseller like what goes around comes around who doesn't even associate with a brand like coach. Yes, absolutely not. We would we would never even consider selling anything that was coach or even being affiliated with them for that matter, because we like to keep ourselves up here on the ladder. And I think that even Fashion File would probably never sell coach just because they also aim for ultra luxury. I think maybe something like, unfortunately, like the real real might go there just because they have a wide range of tiers that their products fall under.

SPEAKER_01 23:28

But yeah, I don't think that we would ever even compare ourselves to coach, even though what are some brands that are unexpected that have come through that you're like, oh, I wouldn't even think that we would be selling something like this or some new brands to look out for, even at a luxury level.

SPEAKER_00 23:47

No, I think that that kind of is outside of the handbags we sell at what goes around and more into like the ready-to-wear. We have a lot of cool ready-to-wear brands. We sell a lot of like Vinny and Westwood corsets. We sell a lot of Dolce and Gabbana. Um more luxury, but not brands that we see in the handbag division. So we kind of open the range of designers in terms of our clothing, but not really our handbags or accessories. We see a lot of John Paul Gautier in ready to wear. And then, of course, we also have a mix of all the luxury fashion houses in ready to wear as well. But that's where you can kind of see a differentiation of brands.

rend Cycles And The Saddlebag Return

SPEAKER_01 24:28

Do you, in terms of seeing trends, do you find that, again, you're dealing on a circular economy where people are bringing back goods that obviously were purchased at one point? Do you find that what goes around comes around, even at this ultra luxury level, can see certain trends making a comeback based on what's even sold in the market?

SPEAKER_00 24:52

Absolutely. There's been tons of bags that have resurfaced just while being here that used to be popular. For example, the saddlebag that used to, it had a take day, and then it kind of fell off the ladder. And then all of a sudden, you know, you were able to find them online on like eBay for like five, six hundred dollars for a saddlebag. And that was the time where they really weren't that popular anymore. So people like myself that were privy to this and knew that they were going to make a comeback, they really were buying them up and kind of getting them back on that circular rotation of this bag is an it bag and it's in style and it's here to stay. And now we see them. And the lowest I can find them on eBay now is like$3,200. And that's just kind of how that goes. And that's an example of a style I've seen kind of, you know, two years ago, if you would have asked me, I'd have been like, they're super cheap. And now I'm like, right, probably can't get you one.

SPEAKER_01 25:42

Why do you think a bag like that has made a comeback? Just out of curiosity and your professional opinion. What do you think was the root of that particular bag?

SPEAKER_00 25:51

I mean, and I'll honestly there's a few factors, but a big one for me is influencer society today. I think people kind of hop on a bag and the it girl wears an it bag and then it kind of takes off. And then you see that happen with our insights here working at a company like this, where you see a celebrity buy a bag that maybe wasn't doing so well in sales, and now she's posting it on every social media platform and it's getting a lot of interaction and engagement. And now we're seeing our sales hit the roof, and that's just something that happens, and it's pretty surprising, but it does. And we can actually link it to a specific person buying a specific bag and then going ahead and talking about it.

Influencers Move The Resale Market

SPEAKER_01 26:29

You know, it's so interesting that, like, okay, and I remember when those saddlebags, you could buy them for next to nothing, and you'd see people wearing them, you're like, oh, that's cute. You know, you're 10 years too late to do that, or maybe you have to wait another 10. And who fair there it is. And, you know, how tapped in these brands are to immediately like jump on that, like, okay, now we have the 2.0 version and to be part of that narrative and story. And are you working with these brands directly? Like, do they keep in touch with you to know, like, hey, by the way, we're getting a lot of these bags. This is a trend coming.

What To Buy And What To Avoid

SPEAKER_00 27:10

Like, do you even deal with the brands? No, we don't deal with them directly. Actually, it's kind of a bit of a conflict of interest as we're reselling their product. So it is a little bit touch and go there where we don't really have direct contact with fashion houses to talk about things like that as much as I wish we did. Um yeah, no, it's not like that. It is more so just having our buyers and our people keeping an eye out, making sure, all right, now is the time we got to buckle down and buy in bulk of this style. Wow, that's crazy.

SPEAKER_01 27:41

Well, as we start to wrap up, what do you think are some trends we should look out for? Some styles you think are on their way in and styles you think better on the way out.

SPEAKER_00 27:51

Hard for me to say specific styles, even though I will because I'm brands, whatever. I'm a brand girl through and through. And I think that you can have your specific styles from each brand, but you should probably have one or two that you are most obsessed with and most lucky to have in your closet. For me, that's definitely Chanel. And I have a hard time saying a second one because I love so many, but I will say Chanel. And for that, I will say your classic flaps, your jumbo flaps, your double flaps, your vanity cases. Chanel does great classics. And what's great about their classics is they're pretty much always going to be an investment and you'll always make your money back. For me, I probably wouldn't ever sell my Chanel items. I'm looking to keep them in my family, maybe pass them down to my daughters. And hopefully she would do the same because, like I said, it I do view it as stock. I view it as more of an investment kind of sitting in my closet. And if, God forbid I did have to sell it, I would, but I like to think of it as a physical stock for sure. So some bags that I think I would definitely look to purchase and I would hold on to are for sure a classic flap from Chanel. I would absolutely buy a saddlebag from Dior. I would absolutely buy a Lady Dior bag from Dior, just because that is a classic style. Some other popular styles that I've seen are really on the rise and might be making a clinic serve is a St. Louis tote bag from Goyard. Or a uh never full kind of vibe where you can just throw all your stuff in and it's a coated canvas, so it's not likely to get no, you know, ruined or anything like that. But what I will say is that the longevity of those bags isn't that great. The handles tend to break, they get repaired a lot, and just because it's coated canvas doesn't mean that it's going to last.

SPEAKER_01 29:48

Also, they're notoriously overstuffed as a result of their size. So it's misleading things.

SPEAKER_00 29:55

Yeah. So there's things like that where I would be wary, right, of like things that are just trending and maybe stick to something that's for a long period of time always been popular and always been a classic. And I would look through on the selling points of that and I would check the resale market and say, hey, what are the bags that sell for the most and what should I invest in? And that's how I would make my decision.

SPEAKER_01 30:19

Do you just going back to the Chanel flap when you were saying you would hold on to as almost like you know, stock? Like I think it was Christina Ricci when she was going through her divorce, she sold all her bags and that helped cover the cost of her divorce. Do you think you would buy bags and not even use them and just hold on to them?

unknown 30:41

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 30:42

I've done it. I still do it. I've even started my mom doing it because if you can afford to invest in a handbag and you want to, maybe just use it a couple of times here and there for a special occasion, but get that money back at some point and maybe have something to sit on in case you need to. I think it's a great, great choice. And I definitely tell people to do their research because you wouldn't want to make a mistake on buying something, which is why I say to go with the classic for sure.

SPEAKER_01 31:12

You know, when I got my first tattoo after I took my G Mat for the fourth time or something, I took it a lot of times. It was at this place in Alphabet City, and I was there for a really long time because you know, getting a first tattoo, you tend to be a bit of a pain in the ass of like having this long. I'm like, you know, it's art. I'm like, whoa, what if we did anyway? He had all these toys and boxes behind him. And I said, Why don't you play with them? Like, you look like someone who'd play with toys. Play with some toys. He's like, uh, you buy them for investments, we don't play with them. Right. And you know, and it goes back to the same thing. You're buying a handbag, like, oh my god, a handbag. But it's like, I understand you want to save it for the rainy day, and it's not the rainy day to wear, it's the rainy day to sell.

Where To Shop And How To Research

SPEAKER_00 32:00

Absolutely, absolutely. And it's actually something that I never thought that I would have the luxury to be able to do be that person work exactly. I never thought I'd be that girl. I mean, I was a senior in college and my bag was coach. I mean, I just but yeah, it's actually really exciting once you get involved because you can look at it in a different perspective. Like these are investments.

SPEAKER_01 32:22

Danny, how can we learn more by get our hands on? Tell us a little bit about what we can do to be part of the what goes around comes around handbag experience.

SPEAKER_00 32:34

What goes around comes around is such a huge platform that the best way to get involved is probably to go online, check out our websites, and tune into our live selling experiences because we go live on a lot of platforms. We go live on our website, we go live on Amazon, and we go live on Instagram and TikTok. And we're basically on there with our live selling host, just showing you the up-and-coming bags or some bags that we think are going to be, you know, good for the upcoming seasons. And we just talk about them and kind of tell you a little bit about the history of the brand, the style, maybe even the creative director or the textile of the bag, and just kind of give you some like insider scoop on some things, and then go ahead and you can shop right then and there. Another thing that I would do is maybe outside of looking at shopping at what goes around is do your research. Really look into every platform. Depop and Poshmark are some great places where you can find some gems that are really great price. And the best way to know if it's authentic or not is to do your research. And you can do that as just a normal individual by Googling key points of Louis Vuitton authentication or key points of any brand's authentication, and then kind of narrowing down the pictures that you see versus the pictures you'll find by doing your research and kind of holding in that way. Of course, on a site like that, it's not authenticity guaranteed, which is why you're gonna want to do that extra two, three steps to feel more confident in your purchase. But I think that shopping on places like that is great for people like myself or even the me that didn't work in luxury fashion that couldn't afford these luxury bags. Yeah, little line bang of the buck pieces on there. You just gotta make sure that you're careful about it.

Final Thanks And Follow Request

SPEAKER_01 34:20

Yeah, amazing. Danny, thank you so very much. I know I'm gonna be tuning into the lives. I would love to find out more. And I want someone to talk to me about this bully day thing going back and forth. I want to hear about this and I want to find someone who can talk to me about it. So ask inside the house over there and see if someone can make that the zipper. I want to know more about the Bugatti Bully Day drama and how that translated into bags. I need to know. Please do, please do, inspiring minds. Thank you so much, Danny. Have a great one. Thanks for listening. Don't forget to rate and review and follow us on every single platform at handbag designer. Thanks so much. See you next time.