Would you travel the world to score luxury goods at a discount this holiday season? Many shoppers would! This recent article in The Wall Street Journal‘s Smart Money delves into where luxury fashion products are sourced from, and how people are more and more willing to hunt them down. Below is an excerpt from the article where I weigh in on buying coats – read the full article here.

Lately, many designers are accenting their down styles with fur trim, the best of which comes from Northern Europe (especially Finland), says Hall. Other jacket fabrics, meanwhile — from basic nylon to fine wool to high-tech materials with waterproof coatings — hail from around the globe. As do zippers and other fasteners, which tend to get heavier use on coats than they do on other garments, pros say.

Buying coats from these specialized, niche makers has become a bit easier for Americans recently, as some, like Moncler and Bogner, have started selling online. Others are still available only in boutiques, but insiders say it’s worth hunting them down, rather than spending on a coat from a high-profile designer. These big names are such multitaskers, says New York stylist Alexandra Suzanne Greenawalt, “that the craftsmanship might not be there.”