Shoes

[Mary A]

http://wane.com/2015/03/11/vera-bradley-ceo-reveals-reasons-for-plant-closure/

Vera Bradley CEO announces they will no longer be made in Indiana - 90% cheaper to make them in China he says.

[Breamy]

Vera Bradley has made the majority of their items in China for quite some time! My daughter wanted a weekender bag four years ago for her birthday and the store that sales VB in my area asked the rep for one that was made in the USA...it took the rep quite some time to finally find one! I feel VB is making a huge mistake! Nordicware stayed in the USA and look at their success story. VB's quality has gone down since they began making items in China...like stitching that comes apart,etc.

[rac71]

This has been true for a good 15 years+. Every VB item I've ever seen has been mass produced in China.

[lovesrecess]

The prices are not cheaper though

[beach-mom]

We have a store near us who stopped carrying them. They told me the bags and accessories they now carry - called "Cinda b" - took over the old Vera Bradley plant in Indiana. They're nice bags, but expensive and they don't have the selection VB does.

[Peoplearenuts]

Shop on eBay - much cheaper and you can find some of the discontinued patterns that were made in USA.

[maryebrown_1]

I have 4 Vera's, with the matching accessories, but I haven't worn them for years !

The only positive thing I can say about them is I like the fact that they are machine washable. I bought 3 of them at a local Gift Shop (that houses a Pharmacy - LOL) and they were 1/2 off retail since they were "retired" patterns...

[handygal2]

When designers farm out their manufacturing to China, why is it that they never pass on the savings to the consumer in the form of lower prices?? Just wondering.

[GOODBYEGIRL]

I have never paid full price for a Vera Bradley bag. I have found some amazing deals at their outlet stores or clearance at the Q.

I like them for totes or overnight bags.

Lovely purses but for their price, I would rather invest my bucks in leather rather than cloth.

[millieshops]

Every time I see one of these threads, I wonder why so many poster worry about made in China for handbags and clothes and never say one thing about the huge, huge percentage of electronics made in China. Just imagine Apple totally manufacturing here, for example. Millions and millions of item at hundreds and hundreds of dollars! I don't even concern myself with that because I buy a phone and keep it for about 10 years, maybe more, but a gazillion people buy every new Apple before it hits the store shelves!

Anyway, it's not my job to balance trade - there IS going to be trade and when it doesn't work, the companies have to deal with it. I buy what balances my checkbook best. And so do plenty of posters here. Within the last month I saw someone over the moon because she'd found 6 tops for about $15 each. Wanna bet they were not all made in the USA? Or the $1.98 tanks we were told about just yesterday. No one asked where they were made.

Incidentally - I'm quite certain I read that we actually manufacture more in the US today than we did when relatively inexpensive items like some clothes and handbags were made here. It's just that the items we manufacture need to support USA wages above the minimum level. I remember buying clothes when that was true - very few people had the kinds of wardrobes women want today! Too expensive.