Counterfit Merchandise - Your Opinions

[sister2paris]

I recently read an article about counterfit merchandise and how around 80% of the "designer" purses (probably even other merchandise) is fake. So I am wanting to know:

1. Do you knowingly own any knock-off designer items?
2. Would you purchase knock-off desginer items?
3. Do you think it is morally right to own counterfit items?
4. Do you think it is morally right to sell counterfit itmes?
5. Do you think that knock-off items lower the value/class of authentic designer items?
6. Do you think it is tacky to wear counterfit items?

You don't need to answer every question if you don't want. I am just wondering what others think.

[kytheria]

1. Do you knowingly own any knock-off designer items? yes..
2. Would you purchase knock-off desginer items? not any more..
3. Do you think it is morally right to own counterfit items? i dont see any problem. why not..
4. Do you think it is morally right to sell counterfit itmes? again i dont se any problem..
5. Do you think that knock-off items lower the value/class of authentic designer items? yah sometimes..

There are levels in the knock offs, A Level is the best one and its not cheap too, you pay alot for a bag and its still a knock off?why? some ppl do that for the limited edition and expensive bags, wear it couple of times and that's it.. I can easily distinguish a bag if its a knock off or not, if i saw it in real of course. I've seen both so no one can fool me although alot of gurls lied about it and said its the original one, i dont lie, when its a knock off then it is, there is nothing that iam ashamed of before, i dont buy those bags anymore cuz i see the original one is way better, plus i just feel good about it, plus i got the money..so why not.!! They can live forever and can be enherited too :p

[G.Armani]

well personally im mostly against it, but then again not all people can afford my collections but you you have to realise that designers like me, tom (ford) etc painstakingly design these clothes and then, someone comes along and copies it.

[sister2paris]

Awww, that is so cute, you are pretending to be Armani.

[kytheria]

sister2paris, lol you made me laugh..!!

G.Armani, maybe some ppl dont really wanna waste their money on something they will use for one time and then they know that it doesnt worth more than $50..but they needed it at a time..

[G.Armani]

you know, at the start of my career no one would of said i was pretending to be me, but now they do. I guess imitations the best form of flattery.

kytheria : all of my clothes are perfectly tailored and are designed to worn more than once, if people want to wear it once thats their choice, but i assure you, they look just as good the second time, and the third....

[sister2paris]

One would think will all the money that Armani has, he would atleast take the time to learn grammar and typing skills....

[G.Armani]

sorry about that, but I cant speak english, this all goes through a translator

[kytheria]

G.Armani, clothes are like food, we need it every time and every moment, i cannot go everyday and buy me a $500 dish to eat for one meal, cuz i know that i will eat every day, same goes for clothes, i can do it occassionaly to pamper or reward myself, and to feel how valuable the designer piece i got, if my wardrobe is full if designer stuff then every single piece mean nothing, and all my clothes will be the same, i wont look different everytime i change clothes..

[kytheria]

sister2paris, no one believe that he's the real Armani, taking the name is so easy, i can call myself Chloe and pretend to be her and talk about her fashion ;) no need to be angry my dear.. :D

[sister2paris]

I am not angry, I am just suspecting that we may have a troll in progress here. Trolling is immature and will not be tolerated here.

[PrincessV]

1. Do you knowingly own any knock-off designer items?
2. Would you purchase knock-off desginer items?
3. Do you think it is morally right to own counterfit items?
4. Do you think it is morally right to sell counterfit itmes?
5. Do you think that knock-off items lower the value/class of authentic designer items?
6. Do you think it is tacky to wear counterfit items?

1. I think I've been given as gifts, some. I dont purchase .
2. No , I wouldn't. They look so fake!
3. I don't know, I live in a very poor country, I think that people just want to "feel" that theyre "in" so they buy such, for half or quarter of the price. Anyways, designers price exhorbitantly, so I wouldn't blame others if they try to make knockoffs although it's dishonest.
4. Hey, people just make a living. hehe :) No it isnt, but if you need to survive at a poor country like this, you just might plunge into something like selling such if you had no choice.
5. Yes, they do. definitely.
6. It's way tacky to wear knockoffs. I wouldnt be seen wearing it!!!!

[Sdotmoss]

i bought a gucci bag and broke my heart when i discoverd it was A KNOCKOFF!!! and no iwould never ever wanna buy a knockoff bag thats just wasting ur money 4 fake useless crap

[kytheria]

Sdotmoss, how come u didnt know its a fake one?

[Sdotmoss]

my mother bought it for me for my B-day and i bet u she cant tell the diffrence between fake or real i didint want to say anything cause i just didint wanna make a big deal and make her feel bad!!!! :(

[Sdotmoss]

i paid 4 half of it and my mom the other half shes the one who went out and bought it 4 me she offered to pay for the whole bag price but i dont like people (especially my mom) spending too much money on me soooooooo i wasted my $ and she wasted her $ and it makes me a bit angry and i wish the knockoffs would just stop

[kytheria]

Sdotmoss, oh them really educate ur mother about the difference between fake and real, as you said its really a waste of money and she's been fooled, but she didnt know..!! I hate when they do that you know once i went to a shop and i know that they sell fake bags and i was just chatting with the salesman about them and he was "insisting" that his bags are real, i told him how come they're real and they're got lower price than the orginal, he side no its made in italy and all this bullshit, he doesnt wanna say the work FAKE, haha they even lie to themselves about it..but becareful again and always buy from the original store..its much safer..

[sister2paris]

I really hate when people tell you that they can sell you a $1600.00 usd Chanel for $250.00 usd. There is no way that they can sell this bag for that cheap unless it is used and that is usually rare cases. Even past season bags do not sell for that cheap. I have a friend who buys fake bags from the kiosk in the mall and insists they are real even though she only paid $150.00 usd for the Fendi Spy Bag-Large. She is getting ripped off every time.

[vogue_doll]

i think it just depends on the person. Everyone has their own reasons for doing stuff and i know some fakes look really gross and im all against that, but if you buy a fake but it looks good, then who really cares ?

[kytheria]

sister2paris, i've seen some shops who try to convince the customer that their goods are original but they sell it in less press cuz its been made somewhere else, or its cuz they buy it directly from the factory instead of a retailer, some stupid excuses just to fool simple-minded people..i once had an argument with one of those shops. he was "swearing" that his bags are original..!! and are made in italy, you can tell the different from the material my dear. he thought i am stupid..

[sister2paris]

They tend to act like you are the one who needs to be educated on designer brands. If you are really into a designer, you are able to spot a fake bag, no matter how good it looks, it is just something that you learn to do over time. I always buy from a high end department store or the designer direct store...we finally got a Louis Vuitton about 2 years ago, that way I know for sure that I am not being ripped off by getting a fake.

[kytheria]

sister2paris, a friend of mine used to get fake designer bags in high price, A Catergory as they used to call it, she buys them from Far East Asia, One Celine bag can cost her around $400..!! and its fake imagine..!! Another friend of mine bought an LV bag, the original one costs around $1300+ and she bought a fake one from a Lebanese lady by $540..She's proud of it too and she knows its made of high fake quality ..lol..

[Sdotmoss]

kytheria i agree i do need to educate my mom or just never let her go shopping 4 me again 8)

[Vica_girl]

I'm kinda new to this bag shopping thing. How can you actually tell that a bag is fake? I have designer bags that my mom bought and I haven't even given a thought about its originality. The only bag I know is authentic for sure is my chanel bag, that I bought at a boutique. I mean how can you really tell??

[sister2paris]

Well, most likely, if you have not bought the item from the label owned store or a store that has rights to sell the label (Saks, Neiman Marcus, Nordstroms, Macy's, Barneys, etc.) you probably are buying a fake bag. Street vendors, kiosks in the mall, most online stores are not authorized to sell these bags, therefore, they are probably fake. There are ways to tell if some bags are fake, but since the manufacturers of these fake bags are getting better, those are really of no use anymore. If you don't want a fake bag, make sure that you are either buying it from the labels store (Louis Vuitton, Coach, Gucci, Channel) or an authorized dealer, examples are listed above.

[Vica_girl]

That sound reasonable, boutiques count though, right? Because I live in Stockholm where there aren't so many designer stores. So, I'm kinnda forced to go to these boutiques and they don't get the new items that I want to buy. So, I guess I'll end up buying tons of stuff when I'm on vacation in Italy.

[neonudus]

1. Do you knowingly own any knock-off designer items?
Yes. And when I buy them, I know they are. Any item that is sold out from a real designer boutique or high end department stores is a fake (except second hand).
2. Would you purchase knock-off desginer items? Yes, and I will do it till I die
3. Do you think it is morally right to own counterfit items?
Why not? you dont hurt anybody...
4. Do you think it is morally right to sell counterfit itmes?
Yes, actually is charity, since there is a lot of people that can not afford the real stuff but want to be treated like persons too. All this is very vane, but thats how the world is.
5. Do you think that knock-off items lower the value/class of authentic designer items? Yes, really, who cares any more for Louis Vuitton, every other person owns one! Although, the labels still earn enough!!!
6. Do you think it is tacky to wear counterfit items? Now, they are so good that it is ok. If somebody buys a bad copy, a tacky one, of course it is sooo tacky. And it is silly to buy a copy for half the price, it has to be a tenth of the price to make it worthy.

So, in conclusion, I love copies, and I encourage people to buy copies, but please, dont tell anybody, and buy GOOD ONES!!

[rachelmb]

I have a number of real bags and few of fakes. And I will tell you what, I've had a real Chanel and a real Dior (both purchased from their own boutiques in Beverly Hills) that fell apart on me and they both cost about $2,000. Now the only brand I do buy fake is LV and I only get the highest quality ones that come with real leather trim. You just have to watch and make sure you ge the right stuff. I got my from an online store that I have come to know and trust 100%. You will never find me going around at a flee market. I belive the shopping experience has to be as satisfiying as the product you are buying.

Buying a fake, as long as it's a good one, is NO sin.

[dreamfashion]

The real thing will last you years but will most likely go out of fashion quite quickly.
I think that is why alot of ppl by fakes, its not that they cant afford one or two authentic designer a year, its that they cant afford to buy one or two authentic bags every season.
So ppl just do their best and sumtimes if they have to fib a lil well thats their choice.

[joyce_]

1. Do you knowingly own any knock-off designer items?
2. Would you purchase knock-off desginer items?
3. Do you think it is morally right to own counterfit items?
4. Do you think it is morally right to sell counterfit items?
5. Do you think that knock-off items lower the value/class of authentic designer items?
6. Do you think it is tacky to wear counterfit items?

Yes I do. I have a fake Burberry Scarf which I don't wear anymore, because I know it's fake.
I use to not care when I wasn't really into fashion about two years ago.. But now, it's a total no no. I hate counterfit items, they're not fun to show off about. Ha ha ha!
I don't really think so, considering you're technically buying something that was stolen.. :mad: Plus I saw on the news once, how the money gotten from counterfit items gets sent to fund terrorists in Iraq. :confused:
Selling is definitely worse than buying them.
Of course buying knock-offs are lower value, and class off authentic ones! They're not REAL!
Yes it is, since EVERYONE has them. It's great to say that I have some real designer stuff.

[chicsndvl]

haha great questions. Let's put it this way....
I just graduated from college so the "making money" thing is a little new to me! haha I want a Louis Vuitton SOOOO badly. Everytime I see a fake one I am tempted to buy it. What stops me you ask?? I would HATE walking into a LV store with a fake one...I rather do without than own a fake, but that's just me. Some day I'll own a real LV! ;)

[finch]

Well said! I've noted this more than once with reference to LV, of the millions of LV items sold annually a mere 2% (yes 2%) of them are authentic.
haha great questions. Let's put it this way....
I just graduated from college so the "making money" thing is a little new to me! haha I want a Louis Vuitton SOOOO badly. Everytime I see a fake one I am tempted to buy it. What stops me you ask?? I would HATE walking into a LV store with a fake one...I rather do without than own a fake, but that's just me. Some day I'll own a real LV! ;)

[chicsndvl]

Well said! I've noted this more than once with reference to LV, of the millions of LV items sold annually a mere 2% (yes 2%) of them are authentic.

to be honest, I'm not that surprised. It's amazing how many girls too young to have a job are running around with their fake LV bags! I just wonder how many people try to pass it off as real...

[donkeyalane]

If any of my designs were copied and hit the counterfit market I would be flattered. A little upset that someone else were cashing-in on my work, but happy to know I had created a demand.

[Kendra Jayne Apparel]

As a male with an eye and a love for fashion, fake handbags make me sick to my stomach. It's really sad because the girls that do spend the money on real designer bags are always slighted in public because everyone else will just snicker amongst themselves "Oh look at so-and-so with her fake LV"

I told my girlfriend to start carrying her original receipts for the bags with her. Maybe even scotch-tape it to the handle :)

[FashionPassion]

Its weird to me that so many people fake jeans like True religions, Frankie B. and of all things Ed Hardy (now)! Your chances of purchasing a fake are so high unless bought directly from a flagship store, a major department store or small boutique store like planet funk....LA is a major contributor to the fake merch factor and everytime I see someone wearing blatant fakes I want to jump up and down and point it out.....very :P

[Kendra Jayne Apparel]

What are the top designers doing about this trend of fake merch?

[thecouturedoll]

A friend of mine has just purchased a Coach bag - a giant tote for about USD10 (She got it in China) It looked so real, everyone's loving it. She loves the attention it gets for her. So why not? *grins

But we know its morally not right. HAve any idea on how to counter counterfeiting, Armani?

[kytheria]

the more we have a deep knowledge about designers and care about them the more we start hating the fake bags..
i have reasons now for not buying the fake bags:

1. they are a waste of money, if i bought 2-3 fake bags everytime i can simply collect the sum and buy a real one every 6 months..designers bags last forever and its something to be proud of the inherit themo to my daughters hehe. plus it gives a higher status and more prestigues look to the owner.

2. i dont value ppl with their bags or whatever they wear but i can tell alot about the ppl's personality from whatever they wear and especially when it comes to designers clothes and stuff, ppl can easily buy good things in valued prices, but not all ppl know how to shop from designer stores, alot believe that the more you spend the money ppl will respect you, or if you dress designers from head to toe then you're the next paris hilton..alot of girls do this mistake and whatever they wear i will never buy it not even if it was given for free..

3. I got a good collection of designer bags and i dont wanna ruin by closet with something fake, its like putting a bad apple between the good ones, its like putting a rotten jeanz with my other clean and neat ones, its not that bad but it will just destroy the others as designer bags that i take good care of them and when it will come to the fake one no body cares about it, a bag should be respected as a good-long-lasting-item. how can i take care of a fake bag and its not originally made of good leather??!!

4. I hate ppl who carry fake bags and claim that its original, alot of ppl say that whenever they go to shopping abroad *especially far east asia*they see alot of local ppl *from my country* who buy fake bags and when they come back home they claim its original and bought from London or Paris, we've caught so many ppl lying hehe, if they wanted to buy fake and they're ok with it why dont they just say it..!!! Btw those ppl afford buying 10 original bags each month but they just want to buy 50 bags instead hehe..i believe that getting a fake one is just being fake themselves cu they're lying about it..if you bought anything you should simply say the truth so ppl would respect you more.

[mudkipz]

I live in a third-world country, so counterfits aren't new to me. A lot of stores in the malls sell counterfits for really low prices that you'd automatically think that they're not authentic.

A lot of the people who belong to C and D classes of our society purchase these items and then go to places that are normally for the upper classes. It's really sad to see them trying to "fit in" by using counterfits that are easily detected by people who actually own originals...these people look really pathetic.

[kytheria]

I live in a third-world country, so counterfits aren't new to me. A lot of stores in the malls sell counterfits for really low prices that you'd automatically think that they're not authentic.

A lot of the people who belong to C and D classes of our society purchase these items and then go to places that are normally for the upper classes. It's really sad to see them trying to "fit in" by using counterfits that are easily detected by people who actually own originals...these people look really pathetic.

you know my aunt went to Hong Kong in the summer and she told me that ALOT of gurls from my country and buying loads and loads of fake designer bags, A class, then i thought that 5 years ago not toooo many ppl used to carry designer bags except now, its liker, her and her..and her..!!! all ppl suddenly carrying designer bags..i thought how nice that all ppl can be all living a good life to afford this, and they change it daily..then now when i think of it, most of them might be fake bags but nobody knows that..but of course they act as if they're real..and whenever you ask them where did they got this collection from, their answer is either *london* or *paris*..

[mudkipz]

Yeah I hate that the most. If you get something fake, then just admit that it's fake. It's not like it makes you any less of a person.

Posers are just...ugh... I don't like them at all.

[Eden]

I'm in two minds about this, really. Fashion has a lot to do with the perception you have of yourself; so a "genuine" piece will make some people feel better, feel more fashionable, and so on. However, if a fake piece also makes you feel good, and you don't care that it's fake, then why not?

Of course, counterfeiting is illegal, as it draws away profits from the designer and so on. But it does increase the desirability of a genuine piece (not to mention the more an item is copied, the more successful the item is- imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!). Therefore a genuine piece can be charged more for if there's many copies of it. (At least in the short term).

In the long term the risk of a piece being copied too much is obvious- the piece will become merely a fad (or just die out), rather than a classic. Everyone will have it, and an element of fashion is being unique. For the consumer, you'll find that the piece that you paid so much money for becomes virtually worthless.

I encourge everyone not to buy fake pieces, (it seems the best way to pay tribute to the designer of the piece) and instead buy the original or, a different piece maybe by a younger/less known designer. Indeed, many genuine pieces cost rather high prices, which is sometimes why the best idea is to buy something by a less-known-but-just-as-good-designer.

It's like art- always trust your eye. Fashion is about confidence, and individuality. I applaud those who are able to make up there own mind about what they want- these are the truly fashionable.

I've gone way off track :P Ah well, there's basically where I'm at with this.

[kytheria]

@ Eden, i admire you reply, thanks for explaining the whole situation.

and i totally agree, when the piece is copied it makes it worth less in the original piece buyers, alot of ppl here in my country are considering Louis Vuitton to be one of the cheapest *not in price* shops cuz there are alot fake bags around. they even started to make fun of people who purchasing anything from LV even its an original piece..

[finch]

How Louis Vuitton handbags are replicated | Fashion Schmashion (http://fashionschmashion.com/2007/11/11/how-louis-vuitton-handbags-are-replicated/)
@ Eden, i admire you reply, thanks for explaining the whole situation.

and i totally agree, when the piece is copied it makes it worth less in the original piece buyers, alot of ppl here in my country are considering Louis Vuitton to be one of the cheapest *not in price* shops cuz there are alot fake bags around. they even started to make fun of people who purchasing anything from LV even its an original piece..

[Eden]

Thanks kytheria.

I think LV is a bit passe, myself. All LV stuff tends to look the same, more or less. Which betrays a lack of vision and artistry (of course, this isn't surprising at all).
Most people who buy them buy them because they're told that they're "fashionable".

[fashion noob]

LV is so vile. Who would want a fake replica of that anyway? *vomit* :p

[donkeyalane]

sorry about that, but I cant speak english, this all goes through a translator


You can't speak English? You were doing pretty fine at the Milano Moda Donna in September. Or was that a fake? :p

[Eden]

Hah!

Actually, I have a confession: I was G.Armani on here, long ago :P
Well, not really that long ago but it's pretty long in internet terms.

Anyway, I've grown up a bit now, thankfully.

[Stringer]

I think counterfit merchandise is not that good quality wise. That is why I always buy clothes that are original because even though they are expensive you will have quality.

[Gypsy]

1. Do you knowingly own any knock-off designer items? never
2. Would you purchase knock-off desginer items? no
3. Do you think it is morally right to own counterfeit items? yes
4. Do you think it is morally right to sell counterfeit itmes? yes
5. Do you think that knock-off items lower the value/class of authentic designer items? maybe
6. Do you think it is tacky to wear counterfeit items? no



First off, designs todays are hardly original. But more popular and bully labels want to own everything. So, even if they copy a less popular design, and brand it as their own, you would not know which is the counterfeit, right?

So, I guess, blatant counterfeits would level up the playing field. Hooray for China's low priced items

[finch]

Has to be the biggest load of s*** I've heard in a while, further proof of the ignorance that contributes to the offshore market and further drives up the prices of originals... Sure hooray for China, just keep that in mind when it's your job, product(s) or industry for that matter.
First off, designs todays are hardly original. But more popular and bully labels want to own everything. So, even if they copy a less popular design, and brand it as their own, you would not know which is the counterfeit, right?

So, I guess, blatant counterfeits would level up the playing field. Hooray for China's low priced items

[FashionPassion]

First off, designs todays are hardly original. But more popular and bully labels want to own everything. So, even if they copy a less popular design, and brand it as their own, you would not know which is the counterfeit, right?

So, I guess, blatant counterfeits would level up the playing field. Hooray for China's low priced items

Damn....you need to check yourself. Counterfeits are made generally in a sweatshop environment and ruin the market. Maybe you need to go do alittle online research before you get flamed.

[*+*Stephanie*+*]

What items aren't made in "a sweatshop enviroment" in China??

[Gypsy]

What are the top designers doing about this trend of fake merch?


finance WTO! :D :p

[Gypsy]

Has to be the biggest load of s*** I've heard in a while, further proof of the ignorance that contributes to the offshore market and further drives up the prices of originals... Sure hooray for China, just keep that in mind when it's your job, product(s) or industry for that matter.

It also only means one thing, you only base your knowledge with HYPE and only those WHO CAN AFFORD IT can hype.

Who does not rely on China when it comes to manufacturing nowadays? learn the "a" in your fashion.

[Gypsy]

Damn....you need to check yourself. Counterfeits are made generally in a sweatshop environment and ruin the market. Maybe you need to go do alittle online research before you get flamed.

Online information and SYSTEMATIC STUDIES aren't the only REAL and TRUE information.

Loads of original designs from lesser known artists were copied since barter was the trade of the day. It only happened that BRANDING and MARKETING is a western expertise and copyright laws followed. But if you check on world history, you'd really say you're lucky you're on the other end of the spectrum.

[Gypsy]

What items aren't made in "a sweatshop enviroment" in China??

:D nice shot Steph.

Education is a two-way process. A teacher cannot force everything to a student by unloading all the student's previous knowledge.

[FashionPassion]

AGAIN...research where and how your product is made. It can't be avoided completely but you can do your best *if you choose to*, to not add to part of the problem more than necessary. If you see something you don't like, you can at least make an effort to change it.:)

[Gypsy]

AGAIN...research where and how your product is made. It can't be avoided completely but you can do your best *if you choose to*, to not add to part of the problem more than necessary. If you see something you don't like, you can at least make an effort to change it.:)

Yes, as you may note, I have NEVER BOUGHT NOR WORN COUNTERFEIT. As seen in my answer to questions posted.

It is just that I have seen (and worn as I tend to support local items) original ethnic / local / traditional designs as well as unknown label items that are later on "ripped off" by global brands.

I am not for supporting counterfeit. But it is quite difficult to point "who is the real original" in this era of globalisation. In the end, the consumer will decide which is quality and which is design for them.

[mudkipz]

...unknown label items that are later on "ripped off" by global brands.
Like those shirts that have cute animated prints on them which were sold in streets and stuff that later on caused quite a hype when bigger brands mass produced them?