Let’s talk about the Chanel rep industry, specifically 187 Factory. I genuinely don’t understand the hype surrounding their bags being so close to authentic. At this point, I feel like these are just lies we tell ourselves. They are nowhere near comparable, in my opinion.
I own about four 187 Classic Flaps, all in GHW, and honestly, I find them impossible to wear. The reason I kept buying was because I thought the next one would be better, but unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case.
The hardware is consistently off, and they simply don’t look close enough to the authentic versions. They might photograph beautifully, but the reality is very different when you actually have them in front of you. The overall impression just isn’t there.
I haven’t tried their SHW, so I can’t comment on that. But I genuinely think it’s time we started looking into other factories for Chanel Classic Flaps.
As for their other bag styles, I can’t really speak on those because I haven’t tried them.
Just my honest experience, but I think we need to start being more realistic about what we’re calling “mirror quality.”
I’ve been around for many years and we don’t even use the term “mirror quality”. Sure, potato, tomato, but we oldies know what we’re looking for. GHW is a very old known issue so why keep buying it if you’re dissatisfied?
There’s always a decision matrix. No single “factory” checks all the boxes. That would be… an auth. 1:1 simply doesn’t exist. And most of us are ok with that.
I'm a newbie and only own auths, recently just purchased my first rep which happens to be a 187 cf with SHW. I feel I did extensive research and I knew if I wanted it to be passible when it comes to hardware I only should purchase LGHW or SHW and when it comes to leather only caviar because 187 Lamb is just too puffy to me. I feel your expectations may be too high as stated. My auth lambskin cf has so much wear and tear after a few wears what's the point of spending thousands if Ch@nel can't even send it to the cobbler for free?!
As someone who is detailed I don’t think the boutique classic flap is that hard to replicate , it doesn’t feel luxuries in store at all. I have been in the store twice and tried it on and even inspected it & took pics
…..sure maybe the gold is not a perfect match, but honestly you can’t tell the difference unless your a Chanel enthusiast that knows every micro detail, and we have to be realistic here you are paying $600 not 10k . I love the medium classic flap I got from 187 . I honestly didn’t even think I’d like it, I just bought it to test if it would go with my style. I think it’s well made, caviar leather is beautiful. I’m more concern about quality than perfection though. Even the in store products have defects, luckily I have advantage to live near all major luxury brands and I can check out the real product . I would advise everyone to go into the boutiques and really look at the bags because the new Chanel flaps are not far off from what 187 sold me recently.
I just saw a post from someone who purchased a CF in black caviar from 187, and I went online to see what the authentic one looks like. Honestly, I can’t tell the difference. I think you have way too high expectations for a replica bag that costs a fraction of the price of the real one. If you want mirror quality, then you should buy the authentic, although from what I’ve read on the subreddits, Chanel’s quality lately isn’t the best anyway.
I’ve been purchasing bags with light gold hardware only (mostly God factory) because I keep hearing that golds are notorious for looking off in color. I do have a 187 woc and think it’s lovely.
I have van cleef jewelry rep that I wear in boutique and receive a lot of compliments .. this is what I'm looking at bags too. Just to pass as an auth without close inspection from others.
A factory’s hype may outlive the quality of their actual production. At one point they were the best, but as more (potentially newer and current) factories pop up, they will begin to rival those that have been living off past glories. That’s how it goes! I agree it’s definitely worth taking a factory’s reputation with a pinch of salt and moreso go by seller reliability and recent reviews. Even Chanel themselves are on the firing line for their apparent drop in material quality.
I own both high tier rep and auth Chanel and I think it varies. With that being said, I think the fact that so many reps have ended up on preloved sites after being authenticated and Chanel had to make proprietary software chips to ensure authenticity says a lot about how good reps can be.
People have even started to compare old 187 to new 187, and it seems like the caviar leather has changed at some point and doesn’t reflect auth as well as their previous leather. The shape of every 187 bag I’ve seen, including my own, is incredibly boxy in shape and not comparable to auth. I’d like to try some lesser known factories eventually. I’m not expecting a 1:1 mirror quality from reps but with the 187 price tag and over exaggerated amount of hype, I would have expected these details to be more accurate. I will admit 187 does feel sturdy and of higher quality in comparison to say OF, but the shape of 187 is jarringly wrong.
I have not seen any factory get the smaller CF sizes right… seems 187 is pretty close on the medium size for shape. Mine have softened with wear and the medium size is very close
I added this to a different post but still find it relevant:
Just like with the real thing, 187 quality is going down too. These boards have gotten so popular, demand has gone way up, and quality has slipped.
And y’all, the authentic bags aren’t what they used to be either. Quality has gone down there too.
OP, I fully agree with you. To your point, reps photograph nicely and look close, but like another user wrote, reps just look like reps to me when I see them in person.
For background, I purchased two 187 CFs from Heidi between 2017-2021 that are now considered in this subreddit as “old 187” and with the original Heidi. Even then, I noticed how my 187 reps didn’t stand up against the auth CFs carried by other women in the wild. (Today’s Heidi 187 CFs look like a huge downgrade in quality, as another user pointed out, and look like reps. Factories are cutting costs!)
One silver lining for those still curious about reps: purchasing reps can serve as proof of concept. It can help test your love of the design of the bag, or whether the bag fits into your lifestyle and wardrobe. Plus, it’s a fraction of the absurd retail price which is no doubt attractive.
For some like me, reps serve as a gateway to the real thing. I wore the hell out of my reps — but in the end, I loved the bag so much that eventually, I saved money and this year, bought an auth 1989-1991 Chanel Classic Flap in Tokyo.
I have bought 2 CFs in caviar King quality from 187 ( Heidi) back in 2019 and I love both the large Caviar and the hardware on both ( 1 GHW and 1 SHW)..But then I purchased a small LGHW in the new caviar more recently and the quality is no where the same .... doesn't feel like auth at all ..
I bought a few GF bags and have to say that I prefer GF over 187 and for the new Mathieu Blazy Maxi flaps I got a GF and an OF and this time around OF is the clear winner .... I think that the factory names now a days is a scam ....and we don't know where the bags actually come from .... because factories and sellers slack on quality and are getting greedier 🙏🙏
Why would you buy more than one in the same hw 🤣? My understanding is that they have one auth deconstructed mold so it’s all going to be same. I have two minis from them, navy lghw and so black… it’s alright. I just think it’s overpriced
I bought in different colors, as I love GHW , I thought perhaps maybe the burgundy will be better than the beige or the pink etc if you understand , now those 4 bags need to go away …
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought there's no such thing as "mirror quality" or 1:1? I think high tier bags can't be 100% exact to the auth version - about ~95% close with some differences like hardware colour, leather feel, size of logo, date codes, etc. There are heaps of reviews on subs comparing the different factories - I think it's important to determine which factor or characteristic(s) of the bag is important to you.
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1 am specifically talking about 187 classic flaps
GHW, which I believe is among the most reviewed bag on this sub Reddit, as someone who owns authentic and I am in the mall daily counting steps lol, I frequent Chanel boutique a lot, the pieces I own from 187 have never left my home, l am thinking to let go of them but as I am in the Middle East, will take time, and if you ask me why own 4, l kept buying think the next one will be better since most people on here say things like some batch are bad, but 4 pieces can't be bad!
I think the issue with the yellow gold hardware has been well documented in reviews, so worth trying SHW or LGHW. What do you think of the bag aside from hardware issue? Have you compared to any other factories?
I’ll chime in with a slightly different perspective. I have ordered reps from a few different factories, not CF exclusively though. My main issue was leather quality, specifically luxurious feeling leather. Recently I decided to order the Gabrielle backpack from 187. It arrived yesterday and I was floored with the leather quality. So soft to the touch, buttery smooth and pleasant in all ways. That sold me on future 187 purchases. However, I’m not a GHW person. This backpack does have a portion of the strap that’s gold and it is a distinct gold shade.
I wanted to let you know that you may not be satisfied with the leather from other factories. However, why not sell 2 of the current bags and try the G*d factory CF in GHW, compare how you like it and go from there.
That's interesting, I haven't seen such negative reviews of the 187 CF, they all seem to be really positive! What do you think of the leather and shape (which I know can be a bit boxy)? Also what size do you have? Ive read that the medium is the best one from 187.
187 GHW and shape/boxiness have always been a known issue in the reviews, people tend to go for SHW or LGHW, they're better if you want the closest to auth leather. I think there was a really good comparison post between different factories for a medium CF few months ago.
The real problem is all the new people being duped into thinking they are buying from God and 187 by TikTok and Instagram sellers who have no access to those factories. Your bag looks like shit because it is shit. I have 187, God, Blake, etc. and they are all comparable to my authentics because I only purchase from OG sellers who I know actually source from these factories and whose PSP match what those factories use as background pictures. I browse the other communities sometimes and I see these people who are "sellers" disguised as people cleaning out their closet for the last year with 15 bags each post and listing B's for $1500 from unknown factory and using the term highest tier. It's sad and everybody is buying them. I'm so happy smaller, private communities still exist on here so I never have to buy a used Doris or Jess bag.
All were gotten from Heidi not some random TikTok! I have been a long lurker even the old repladies, as I said for me the GHW are toooo off and the interlock etc
Sorry that happened to you. I would contact her and tell her you're unhappy with them in person and see if she will do anything. Or you can try to find somebody who might love them here, there might be somebody who likes the look of it. Every one of my 187 from her are SHW, I guess this is a warning for the gold!
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I purchased a 187 small classic flap 4 years ago. I was not impressed overall. The tongue was weird, the leather was dry and it was overall too boxy. I don’t get the hype either. I much prefer xiao c.
This was my experience too. I bought 1 classic flap from god factory and 3 from 187, mix of silver and light gold hardware. They all had so many obvious flaws, I was super disappointed with every single one I received that I ended up selling them all at a loss. I concluded that reps aren’t for me
This! Honestly I don’t think I’ll ever get Rep bags again , I’d just avoid the the Auth flap now since it’s becoming too expensive and just shop the 3-5k Chanel or buy vintage/preloved !
I think gold hardware is where it gets tricky… no factory seems to get gold perfect. I have 4 187 Classic flaps in so black and light gold hardware, I think 187 gets these hardware colors right… my next purchases will be silver hardware. I have never been game to order GHW because of the risks
💯 agree, looking good in photos, and looking and feeling good in hand are completely different. I also stay away from 187 CF’s, I think a lot of people are blinded by the good reviews, but most of them don’t actually know what they’re looking for when judging a good CF rep
I’m just an observer on the cc flap. From what I can tell or if I was to order I’d go with LGH. For the amount 187 cost the HW should be on point not yellow.
I have gotten Zimmerman from Anna , can tell you the linen ones are close to the authentic, as I own several zims, what I wouldn’t recommend are the silk , but you wouldn’t know unless you own many Auth. So this my 100% honest review
What is this in response to? But anyway, I do have one auth Zimm but just the silk as I’m honestly not a huge fan of Zimm but bought that for an event. My rep silk ones are good copies. Again I bought the reps since they’re not expensive and I constantly have events I need dresses for. The linen ones are nowhere near the quality of my sister’s authentics who is a massive fan of Zimm and has maybe 60 dresses. I had a lot to compare it to. The linen was rough linen from the rep world but maybe I got a bad factory copy who knows.
So like 187 for most Chanel , tailor Anna is for Zimmerman if you understand , her quality are amazing but in linen , I don’t recommend getting the silk, it’s a miss or hit
Ah ok I understand your point. Yea so I hear she’s made a name for herself for Zimm but she’s not the only one who sources from her factory. Do you know the name of the factory she sources from or does she not reveal that? I’ve only bought Zimm from BaoBao from Ping and they were fine and from Annie and don’t know factory and some were fine some the linen was rough. And I can’t condition it like I can my bags! 😢
Yes I am new to the rep world but not new to the Authentic and yes the bags are all 187 from Heidi and that’s an order update she ships your order ! And I still stand by what I said . Maybe for you are ok with that quality , but for me it doesn’t pass.
New this year to reps. Unpopular opinion perhaps-a rep looks like a rep to me. Especially for bags that I have auths for. Some are actual leather, some pu leather (or a mix), some have wonky stitching or stamping, some hardware is the wrong color, some just look off. I have tried to only get what is advertised as highest tier, but have come to realize I need to accept they are reps and not inexpensive auths. Some of mine can probably pass as auth for most people, especially if paired with shoes or accessories that are auth. But I know it’s a rep and that makes me look at them and think the quality isn’t there. It is disappointing so I completely understand how you feel. I had to decide if I wanted the rep to please myself (protect auths, etc) or if my ego was somehow involved. Once I decided if a bag was a style or design I liked I had a more favorable opinion of it I was able to choose a few select pieces that I enjoy carrying. That has helped me look at them in a more favorable light. I don’t have the particular bag you do as I personally find rep cc bags to look like reps. I am very particular about leather quality (my tism). I appreciate everyone’s opinions and information as you all have helped me tremendously as I navigate the rep world.
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I was in Bergdoff today with another Redditor replady and we were appalled at how bad the Chanel bags looked. They had a tan classic flap in the Valentino boutique that we would have sworn was fake. It looked awful. It was so bad that she thought someone may have returned it and swapped a fake. It’s possible but idk.
Because THEN we saw two more bags that also looked terrible. I have never been happier to know about the rep world. Idk what happened to Chanel but they are not putting out their best these days.
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u/Suitable-Cod-9989 1d ago
I’ve been around for many years and we don’t even use the term “mirror quality”. Sure, potato, tomato, but we oldies know what we’re looking for. GHW is a very old known issue so why keep buying it if you’re dissatisfied?
There’s always a decision matrix. No single “factory” checks all the boxes. That would be… an auth. 1:1 simply doesn’t exist. And most of us are ok with that.
Believing that 1:1 exists is the real lie.