Welcome to our column, “Hey, Quick Question,” where we investigate seemingly random happenings in the fashion and beauty industries.

For better or for worse, the hasty tariff decisions President Trump has made thus far in his second term have ignited some interesting conversations about the fashion industry’s manufacturing and supply chain practices — a topic that has historically been shrouded in mystery.

Only in recent years — as dangerous labor violations and environmental concerns have come to light — has there been a push within the industry to provide more transparency to consumers around how and where their products are made. Still, brands themselves have largely been able to control the messaging around their sourcing and manufacturing processes. But recently, sourcers, suppliers and manufacturers in China, many of them claiming to produce goods for household-name Western fashion brands, have entered the conversation via TikTok.

Videos “exposing” high-end Western labels — from Gucci to Birkenstock to Lululemon — for “secretly” having their goods manufactured in China have made their way onto Americans’ FYPs, going viral across platforms over the weekend. This is seemingly in response to the United States’ ongoing trade war with China after Trump placed 145% tariffs on Chinese imports, to which China retaliated with 125% tariffs on U.S. imports. But who are these suppliers, what are the goals and are they seriously making Hermès bags in China?

One user is behind a couple of the most shocking and widely circulated videos, in which he claims that his factory supplied European luxury houses with handbags that were then “finished” in Europe with “Made in France” and “Made in Italy” labels (despite the majority of production having allegedly taken place in his Chinese factory). In one video, he breaks down the assemblage of a supposed Hermès Birkin — a bold move against a brand that is famously emphatic about and protective of its supply chain. These videos are so incendiary that the individual’s official account seems to have been taken down, as have multiple backup accounts he’s seemingly created.

There are also posts by Chinese sourcing agents who seemingly provide something akin to a personal shopping service for consumers looking to purchase items directly from Chinese suppliers. They offer far-cheaper versions of products by Lululemon, UnderArmour, Brooks Brothers and others, allegedly made in the same factories. One takes viewers through a Hong Kong trade show, “exposing” which European luxury brands “secretly” source goods from which overseas suppliers.

It’s undeniable that China’s contribution to fashion’s supply chains is massive. Last year, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics, 40% of all footwear and 25% of all textiles and clothing imported into the U.S. came from China. Also last year, China’s textile, garment, and accessory exports totaled $301.1 billion, a 2.79% rise from 2023 (driven by a 5.7% increase in textile exports to $141.96 billion), according to data from the General Administration of Customs.

The reasons for Western brands’ reliance on China (and other foreign counties) for production and textiles are varied and complex. Yes, it can be cheaper than manufacturing locally, but brands may also find skills and manufacturing capabilities in China that their home countries lack. One of the stronger points these TikTokers are making is that the stigma around “made in China” is largely the result of Western marketing and that a product’s Chinese origin is not indictment of its quality.

That said, certain claims that “X Chinese factory secretly makes luxury bags for X fashion house” run counter to those houses’ own well-documented claims, and given that they can’t be verified, should be taken with a grain of salt (as should most information found on social media). In many cases, these individuals appear to be promoting dupes and encouraging consumers to purchase them directly from their factories or Chinese online marketplaces. While poor working conditions exist in factories all over the world including the U.S., and ethical factories certainly exist in China, it’s worth noting that investigations have found that labor exploitation is particularly rampant in the counterfeit trade.

Whatever the intended result is of these posts, there is something refreshing about manufacturers having more of voice, and the potential this has to bring more transparency to where and how the goods we consume are made, even beyond China. For instance, did you know that much of the leather used to make luxury goods is sourced from tanneries in Africa?

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