Last week came the news that Louis Vuitton had suddenly discontinued all three sizes of their Toiletry pouches and they were no longer available to purchase on their website.
Discussions on all types of online forums immediately took off, people obviously being upset about this, as the Toiletry pouches are some of the most sold items by LV. WHY would the company do this?
A few years ago, Louis Vuitton announced that they were going to focus more on pushing their leather bags and not produce as much canvas pieces, as they wanted to be more exclusive and luxurious. Maybe they felt that the market was so saturated with canvas bags, they simply wanted to slow down production on those items.
Many people feel that this strategy by LV is nothing more than a way for the company to make more money. They obviously are not interested in attracting more customers by selling more canvas items, but rather the opposite. They want to keep their exclusivity by not attracting too many customers. And considering that Louis Vuitton is the big, well known brand that it is BECAUSE OF their world famous canvas… Well, it does not really make any sense.
So during the past few years, Louis Vuitton has been releasing a lot more leather bags. The Neverfull leather version is one example – that bag has been extremely popular. It seems that more and more classic bags are being introduced in leather.
At the same time, items are being discontinued. Like the Toiletry pouches, the other week. It is an obvious strategy from the company’s side. They know that people love these items, they know that by removing them from the market they will create hysteria. And sooner or later, a new version of the Toiletry pouches will be released. Maybe they will be leather, maybe they will come with a deteachable strap (as many are saying LV is discontinuing the Toiletry pouch because people are using them as handbags, instead of buying actual bags), maybe they will release them only in special collectors editions from now on… But one thing is certain, and that is that when they bring it back, it will come with a 200% higher price tag.
I was lucky enough to get a Toiletry 26 in store in Helsinki a year and a half ago. I have not used it a lot, not going to lie, and I was actually at one point contemplating selling it… But after hearing that it’s been discontinued, I will definitely keep it. And use it. Both as a toiletry bag, a clutch and a bag with an attached strap. Because in my opinion, a customer who has purchased an item themselves should be able to use it however they wish. That is none of the company’s business.
Buy the goddamn bag 