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I'm curious to know what other bees think about the purchasing of knockoff goods. I always thought it was harmless and have owned a couple knockoff purses in my day, but in doing more research, I have found that it's not a victim-less crime.
Harper's Bazaar has a campaign going right now to generate awareness about how counterfeit luxury goods are involved with child labor, drug trafficking and terrorism.
http://www.fakesareneverinfashion.com/
Personally, I think it's wrong. In New York City, you cannot walk 5 feet anywhere without running into people selling knockoff/fake/stolen purses, watches, etc. It crowds the streets and it's annoying...and of course, illegal.
I can't really afford designer things right now either, but I would rather buy a bag from H&M or Nine West or something than support something illegal. Plus, 99% of this stuff looks so obviously fake that I don't get the point of buying it.
I hate knock-offs. This might shound shitty, but I think it just makes the person look like a fool. Not fooling anyone.
@fiftyfootbride: Agree completely. FSIL is always showing off her FAKE prada and looking down her nose at me because I have a bag from Nine West.
Agreed! I think knockoffs are awful. For one they do contribute to illegal activity but also I think they kind of make people look like wanna-be's (no offense to anyone) I think you can tell the difference between the fakes and the real ones. To me I would rather look like I have good taste and buy something affordable than looking like I bought something just to look rich/cool/whatever. I saved for my louis vuittons and llooovvve them....but I wouldnt feel the same if they were from a sidewalk vendor.
I know! Somebody was trotting down the street the other day with a fake Birkin. Girl, please.
I'm a big LV collector, vintage and current, and I've taught my fiance how to spot a fake from 20 paces. lol. We refer to them as "Flooies."
There ain't no shame in having a wardrobe filled with any price-point of accessories. I just don't like things pretending to be something they're not.
it's not a fashion issue to me. i totally don't mind someone wearing a "fake" -- most so-called luxury goods are poorly made in the first place... or at least worth only a fraction of what they're sold for. so throw a monkey wrench in the "luxury goods" system as often as you can, i say! HOWEVER: i DO think we need to be responsible and consider where the things we buy are coming from. was it made in a sweat shop?? was it made by political prisoners in china?? what are the environmental consequences of buying things based solely on price -- when it means it's come from a factory that's not really regulated for environmental impact, or for humane labor practices? it isn't just knock-offs that we should re-consider, it's the whole it's-better-because-it's-cheaper mentality. (like, if you can't afford something? maybe don't buy it? instead of buying something that supports, say, a dictatorship, or forced child labor, or etc etc.)
One of my LVs was my diaper bag as a baby (my mother refused to carry an actual diaper bag, so it's just a big ol' satchel-y LV) that I still use on a monthly basis. During highschool I actually used it as my bookbag. It still looks as good as a brand-new one, except with the lovely aged straps. I'd say $1000 for 25 years of use is a pretty sweet deal.
uh.... I may be an exception to your regular rule. Knock off are EVERYWHERE around me. But I live in China, so ...
I'm not much of a label whore; in fact I'd never heard of most of the big name designers until I moved here. I buy the purses and shoes because they're the only ones that look normal to me that I can find here. Chinese fashion... is different from American fashion.
I don't care for knock offs. I'd rather have one real designer purse than twenty knock offs.
I am too frugal to spend on designer purses, even though I love them. And, Hong Kong has knock offs that really do look like the real thing. However, it does contribute to criminal activity, but so does a lot of things we purchase "legally" in America, we just don't know about it. How bout those diamond rings ladies? SMH. LOL!! I like the look of some designer purses, but can never justify paying that much for a purse. Funny thing is, my family finds it hilarious that someone like me (who can afford to purchase a designer purse every month if I wanted to), would never buy one. I'll stick to the purses I get from TJ Maxx on discount and the lovely knock off's from Hong Kong that have fooled many many people. Even those few that claim they can see one from a mile away. To each its own. That's what America is about. Right?
I don't agree with designer stuff anyway - there is no way the materials cost as much as the product costs and so that means that the mark-up is going into the designers pocket!
I am not a brand name person for that reason - I have a few fake purses because I like the actual purse not because of the name on the purse but I never pretend that its real I refer to them as my fakes. I don't buy my purses for what others think I only buy them for myself and because they are cute whether they are real or not does not even come in to the equation.
Those of you who voted or posted in favor of knock-offs, how do you feel about the fact that they are made in sweatshops and may fund terrorist organizations? I have a hard time rationalizing something like that.
And 11.11.11Bride, you're right about diamonds. That's why I insisted on a vintage ring so that I could have a recycled stone.
if i had to pick between a knock off and the real thing, i'd take the knock off. there's no way i'm spending $100s to $1000s on a purse, i don't care if it looks fake or not.
I don't actually care if someone has a knock-off anything. I can however, usually tell when something is fake and I kind think 'wtf' to myself. I'm a L.A.M.B lover so I only carry Gwen's purses (hehe I love her) and one day I hope to own a beautiful Chanel purse but if someone else has a fakie...don't care, I just know I'd never carry one. What else can I say...I'm a purse snob :)
...yeah the whole sweatshop thing. I kind of have my own opinions on that. Basically, I live here, and I'm pretty sure it's not actually the way the American media portrays it. Maybe in some less developed countries, but everything I buy is made in country here, and I've actually been really impressed with how things are run here.
A lot of Americans aren't aware of how biased our (american) media is, or how slanted the information we get is. I've become a lot more aware of that since moving out the country. I guess with the whole 'freedom of press' deal, I always assumed we were getting unbiased or at least honest news. I've seen now that that's not true, in a LOT of the international political hot points lately. Mostly it's reporters failing to understand culture, or using it as an excuse to claim and blame whatever they want. They seem to mean well... but ...
There are plenty of "designer" labels that have been implicated in sweatshop activity: Gap, Guess, Nike, Disney, D&G, Gucci, Prada... just to name a few. I wouldn't be so quick to say "oh my bag is a real Gucci, and I paid thousands of $$ for it, so it must be sweatshop-free and crime-free."
Even powerhouse labels are in the business to make a buck, and the people who pay the most are those who are exploited to work in harsh conditions for miniscule wages.
ddubzz, you bring up a good point. Most of us have no idea where and how our products were manufactured.
I totally agree with ddubzz and daydream. Tons of legitimate designers and companies have sweatshop labor that we don't know about or don't think about. How many of us here shop at Forever 21? guess what, sweatshop made. Same thing with tons of high end designers.
In college I did my honers thesis on foreign sweatshop labor and I was very interested to find out that although those workers are getting paid a pittance by our standards, most of them are making more money than they would doing almost any other job in their highly undeveloped countries. people in those countries actually hope to get a job at those factories. I know it sounds horrible, but that's what I found out.
First of all, to each their own. I am not for designer knock offs but if you are, that is fine with me too.
I actually am against knock-offs because for me, a lot of fashion is about art. I minored in art sculpture and I know how I would feel if I saw some minor "artist" knocking off one of my pieces (which has happened before) that I spend 25 hours on with something they produced from a mold. Makes sense? *shrug*
I have one that is a knock off coach bag.. I use it as a diaper bag. I bought it because I felt guilted into going to a friend's "purse party" and had to buy something.. and I thought it was cute! It's actually a GREAT diaper bag and has been through a lot!
My FI has told me he wants to buy me "real" ones.. but I told him not to because I would never use them. I am the type of person that is afraid to touch anything nice. They would sit in my closet in their original packaging for a "special" day but I would never find a day special enough..
I didn't know about all the other problems with counterfeits, but I do know I never bought them because the quality was never really as good. I always figured that the brand name wasn't important enough to me to pay for something that looked expensive but felt cheap, so I just bought lower-end designers (or store brands!) because they were only what they claimed to be and I could afford them.
I own one designer handbag, but I wouldn't feel like I've righteously avoided child labor or anything for the $300 I paid. I don't trust anything I can't trace.
I hate knock-offs too. Yeah, I'm sure women have passed me by without me noticing that their bag is a fake, but others are so ridiculously obvious that it's a joke. I've seen girls walk by with metallic gold and purple "Juicy Couture" bags, for example, when Juicy doesn't even make something that ugly.
And, for the record, many of - if not all - of Juicy's bags are made out of HORSE ("equine") leather. Seriously. Google it.
ive not bought a knockoff but then again, ive never spent more than $500 on a single bag or pair of shoes - i cant justify spending more than that. if i cant have the original i go without
I don't buy either one. I'm not a fan of designer bags or shoes since I feel that my money is better spent elsewhere. I don't care about image, so I have no need to carry around the fake ones either.
Real all the way. Real Louboutins are my fave but I love me some yummy purses too! :)
I entirely disagree with the "to each his own" and "it's America we are free to buy what we want" comments. Counterfeit products are ILLEGAL. Sure we are free to do as we please, but within certain legal limits. If it is okay to break the law and purchase a counterfeit purse because it's cheaper and you can't imagine paying the retail price for the real purse then what other illegal activity are you willing to justify?
Thank you for your response, Miss Paris. That's what I was hoping to hear, since I feel the same way.
If one is buying counterfeit goods, where do you draw the line?
I don't like designer stuff anyway, I'm not into displaying stuff like that - but aside from that, the markup just is insane. It'd be one thing if I knew they were sweatshop free and ecologically sustainable but they almost always aren't. I couldn't care less about knock offs since I don't really like designer things in the first place :)
It really depends on the situation. I like to buy things that are made my reputable companies that mimic the design and feel of a designer, but don't copy it and claim to be the designer
Case in point-my lovely loubi knock offs I got on Ebay. They are PERFECT, comfy, relatively inexpensive, and I LOVE them!
Now I would not support this company because they are trying to confuse people into thinking they are the real deal
http://www.louboutinboxcom.com/productsSpecial.php
So in my opinion, "knockoff situations" need to be evaluated on a case by case basis.
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I work in intellectual property law (not a lawyer, but do publications for it) and we recently ran an article in our journal about this and how it is a crime and the issues involved. After editing it, I will never buy a fake anything again!
I've never been into buying knockoffs on the street or online, knowing they weren't good quality and worrying that others would know. But now the issue is who's making them and where the money goes. There are too many sad or negative stories to even risk it. I'm no longer into name brands, I just like what I like, its liberating really. And I have a lot more stuff. Now, that's not to say that if I see something that is a designer name brand I won't buy the less expensive brand that freely says its not the designer label but it looks the same. Its not the sneaky, illegal way so that seems fine by me!
There is a HUGE difference between something that is "designer inspired" (like Kalibali's blue shoes - they aren't TRYING to pass them off as CL, just the "look" of them) and a knock off.
Fake bags and shoes (i.e. the ones that have a "Prada" or "LV" logo and obviously aren't) HAVE been connected to terrorism, money laundering, and a whole plethora of illegal activities.
I don't support that.
International law is that it's illegal to SELL counterfiet goods, but it's not illegal to purchase them. Just for the record. I don't know what the official US law is, or how it applies to US citizens who live overseas.
For those who talk about crappy quality knock offs, I'm really surprised to hear that. I've never bought a knock off in America, but here in China, the knock offs I've bought are some of the best quality products I've found, ANYWHERE in the country. The knock off purses I own are the only ones I have that aren't falling apart after a year of use. Why would ANYONE buy something that's poor quality? That's just plain stupid! haha...
@fiftyfootbride that is so hilarious! i have also taught my fh about fakes and now he can spot a purse and be like "Oh, that is a gucci" or "fake!" haha
@daydreamwanderer: while that may be true, you can be sure that if you try to go through French customs with a counterfeit purse you purchased (no matter where you bought it), it will be confiscated.
My take on it (and I mean this with love): fakes just look trashy! You aren't foolin' anyone!
@Miss Paris - really? I studied in France in college and a lot of the girls bought knock offs in Italy on holiday, and I'm fairly certain none of them got confiscated. Maybe things have changed since then :)
@daydreamwanderer - They have big posters up all over customs saying they confiscate. I have never seen them actually check luggage though, so you are probably safe if it's in your suitcase and you don't carry the fake through customs.
My bank account keeps me on a tight leash fashion-wise...I typically go for vintage and just buy what I like, trying to get things that will go with just about anything. So I don't own any knock-offs.
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