The €50 leather jacket that promises luxury and smells like a scam

Bikkembergs jacket at €50: reasonable suspicion

Can you buy a premium brand leather jacket for €50? On paper, no. In practice, someone has listed one on VEEPEE with reference PLM00576-15, described as "Police style", signed by Bikkembergs. The difference between believing it and not comes down to the lighter test.

The price that invites a second look

When the discount is that brutal, something doesn't add up. Critics point out that a Bikkembergs leather jacket doesn't drop below €1,200 through normal channels. One showing up at €50 suggests a clearance sale, a system error, or a very convincing imitation. The irony cuts deep: "Nothing is more convincing than the person who lets themselves be fooled".

The "lighter test" being proposed is no metaphor: holding a flame to the fabric helps tell leather from plastic. But beware: many treated leathers can also burn. The test isn't conclusive, just a clue.

The missing link in the cost

Lambskin or calfskin, tanned, dyed and stitched, carries a minimum cost. Even in factories with cheap labour, a final price of €50 leaves very little margin for the leather, the trimmings, transport and the brand's profit. The idea that the seller "steals the leather and only charges for the work" is a quip, but it points to the heart of the matter: if the price is laughable, the quality will probably bring you to tears.

It might rain, and then that jacket could dissolve like sugar in coffee. Or it might be the bargain of the century. Prudence suggests the latter only if you keep the receipt and rain isn't in the forecast. For €50, it may be worth getting wet to find out.

---