I was going back through and reading some of this thread and here is my biggest grievance with the replicas, inspired by's, or whatever you want to call them:
A little back story-
I mean I've only been turned on to Rebecca Minkoff for a short time and prior to that I had only barely heard of her. I live in a small farm town in the Midwest and it takes longer for things to trickle down to us. Not to brag, but I would say I am one of the most fashion conscious people in our town and honestly that's not even saying much. I'm by no means some great fashionista I am just more aware of current trends designers etc than most of my friends. Our town also has one of the highest unemployment rates in in the state so most people in our town can't afford higher end authentic bags.
We have a mall in a neighboring town about 45 minutes away where most people shop. The biggest dept store they have is a dillard's which is all fine & dandy and I've shopped there plenty of times too but I also go to the city and do my shopping there or venture online to find new things. Most people in town, that tiny mall is enough for them. You can stand at one end and see the other.
Now to my point- Sorry if I sound like some stuck up person. But my annoyance with this is that there are still so many people who haven't heard of Rebecca Minkoff. Even some of my more fashion conscious friends. So many of them think that designers go from
Coach to Chanel and that's that. They see the Coach and Dooney's at the Dillards and that's designer purses for ya. Everything else is LV or Chanel. So what bothers me is that there will be so many people who only have access to a Macy's or a Dillard's and see these "inspired by" bags and buy them and think they're getting a nice leather bag (which they very well may be- I haven't seen them) but not know the background and that there is something better out there. They are being introduced to the replicas before being exposed to the real deal. And since RM doesn't have her logo plastered all over it they may never know.
And I'm not rolling in the money either to where I can run out and buy a new RM whenever I feel like it. I'm working at a mediocre job in an office while I'm going to school part time to work on my degree. So if I want a new bag I usually have to save and I haven't bought one for full price yet. So with a little patience and research you could find a good deal on a gently used (sometimes new if you're lucky) authentic designer bag for the same price on sites like bonanza and eBay. I've found some great deals on there and it honestly feels more rewarding to know that you've tracked it down and got lucky enough to get it. It's like a treasure hunt and it means so much more. For instance, I was set on finding something with a blue zipper and I found two- my BBW MAM for $170 and my MAC that needed a loop repaired for $100. $270 for two bags that wouldn't have bought either of them brand new. And it made the experience more meaningful.
But I know there are people who wouldn't dream of even paying that for a bag and look at me like I'm crazy for even saying that. And that's fine too. Everyone has their preference. The only thing I can do is try to raise RM awareness. Maybe I should make a ribbon since October seems to be awareness month for everything
Okay sorry for my rant but just wanted to vent.
