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Ferragamo. The quality has always been there, but the past year or so they've introduced some good designs. Seems like they are leaning into "Quiet Luxury". Had an opportunity to tour one of their factories near Naples. It was a small spot and witnessed a pair of oxfords be passed along at least 20 pairs of hands before completion. Also one of the few that is still family owned. More on reddit.com

An Italian friend arranged a visit to a Murano glass gallery. After the general public cleared out of the public showroom, the gallery's people took us up some stairs to the "real deal" gallery with shelves full of breathtaking art pieces. We admired one vase on a shelf, but were told that it would never be offered for sale -- it was too important as part of the island's legacy & heritage. I think that the way we zeroed in on it somewhow convinced them that we were top art dealers "in stealth mode". For the rest of the afternoon, we were treated like VIPs. What a day that was.... More on reddit.com

Part of it is wanting to present a particular aura in public (I like the “wealth whispers” look with high end items that do not show off labels). The other reason is that the material is actually superior. If you go into a coach store and feel the leather on the bags, and then go to a coach outlet and feel the leather, there’s a significant difference. The higher end material is always going to start at a much higher price point regardless of brand or label. For example I have an expensive bag that is my daily purse. I spent almost 2k on it. I wear it every single day, hang it off chairs, throw it in the back of my car, and generally just use it without too much care, and a year later the bag still looks brand new. It’s extremely well made. There’s no loose threads, nothing is sagging or pulling away, etc. Many of the luxury designer pieces that are especially expensive (think a Louis Vuitton trunk) are actually made to be heirloom pieces and are extremely well made. A piece of luggage from a high end brand (think Tumi) will absolutely outlast the cheap luggage you can buy at Target. So I guess is it not better to buy quality items that last forever (If it’s something you can afford) than fast fashion type stuff that all needs to be replaced frequently and ends up in a landfill? More on reddit.com