High-end labels like Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein, long associated with American craftsmanship, are being named and shamed as being manufactured in China.
Image: Instagram
An online firestorm is erupting on Chinese social media platforms as creators and influencers expose luxury American brands that claim “Made in USA” while quietly mass-producing goods in Chinese factories — all in response to Donald Trump’s latest tariff hikes.
President Trump has threatened to impose up to 125% tariffs on all Chinese imports.
However, China isn’t staying silent. Online platforms, including TikTok are now flooded with videos of Chinese factory workers revealing the origins of big-name items — from Michael Kors handbags to Coach purses and even Levi’s jeans — all supposedly “American-made.”
One viral TikTok video shows AI-generated clips of Trump and Elon Musk lacing up Nike sneakers in a Chinese factory.
The satire has sparked real conversation. “How can they charge $500 for a bag that costs $30 to make here?” asks one creator, pointing to tags and packaging stamped in Guangdong and Zhejiang.
Even high-end labels like Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein, long associated with American craftsmanship, are being named and shamed.
Factory workers are exposing contract orders, sharing photos and footage of large production runs with American labels — and then showing the bargain-bin cost to make them.
This isn’t just an online drama. The revelations are fuelling China’s grey market, where luxury goods — often from the same production lines — are sold at a fraction of U.S. prices. It’s also prompting Chinese consumers to question why they should pay luxury prices for goods made in their own backyard.
As trade tensions escalate, so does the transparency war. China is turning the spotlight back on American hypocrisy and exposing the “luxury” illusion one TikTok at a time.
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