Fakes all of a sudden at my college!

[Adore]

I go to a really small college where nobody even carried anything designer. I did see a few Soho Coach's, all leather, like 2. Other than that nothing. I only carry one LV and 3 Coach and keep my Gucci bags at home because I'm paranoid, like I feel my LV (Speedy-- could those ever be unavailable? haha) would be more easy to replace if someone dropped a sharpie and it hit my bag which has happened to one of my Coach bags. Sold it on eBay for cheap and bought myself a new one.

Well anyway, now all of a sudden I see girls with fake Coach and even fake LV! They look so bad and I honestly would feel weird if someone thought my bag was fake. Maybe they already do since nobody else carries nice bags there?

But anyway, the classes are tiny... this weird girl comes walking in with a big boxy plastic looking mono LV and I had mine and I just felt like IICKK! We are not related in any way shape or form!

I think it would be easier to think nothing of it if I weren't at such a small school or if at least SOMEONE else would carry authentic designer bags I would feel better. But I'm sorry, I care! I love my bags, it's hard to get over it to see fakes popping up.
Did someone say Flea Market?

 

[drdreawisc]

Ewww! Way to represent with the real thing!

 

[arkouneo]

aww, that sucks.

 

[Bitten]

I think everyone with self-respect feels offended when they see a fake bag just in general, but there's nothing worse than carrying the real thing and then seeing a fake. You can't help but worry that people will be looking at you with the real deal and then the fake and wondering if they're the same....

Maybe you should make some loud comments about exploitation of child labour that is associated with the production of fakes? At the very least, it might shame some offenders into leaving their bags at home

 

[luxurygal84]

It totally stinks...I saw this girl in Target with a fake Damier Azur Speedy and I kinda found it funny, cause she in no way looked like she could tell the difference( i.e. she thought that she was really cute!). Anyway, remove your focus from those sad, sad people and find a more creative outlet( like hanging here on tPF, or if you must, go study..hehe). Cause the worst thing you can do is give someone like that( I am talking about both the girl in Target and your clueless classmates) more of your energy !

 

[missisa07]

I've only seen fake LV's on campus so far.

I did see the most horrific fake vinyl Chanel Cabas at work today though. It was the size of a baby cabas, even though the vinyl one is 2x as big. I didn't say anything but every time I walked past the lady it made me cringe. The leather was so horrible!

 

[shoebuyer37]

It is such a shame that for the most part people really could care less. Us authentic handbag lovers are repulsed by the thought of a fake.
I don't want anyone to take offense by what I am about to say ( don't want to hurt any feelings), but many of the college girls I observe at the mall, out around the city, etc. carry a fake bag and they don't seem to care. I don't even pay attention anymore because it is so bad. You can get the hideous fake coach, LV, Chanel, etc. bags at most all of these little kiosks in the malls and I always see girls of this age swarming the bags.

If I were you, and was at one point in time, I would just keep carrying my bags and know that mine are the real thing. People can tell, they are liars if they say they can't.

 

[Adore]

Maybe you should make some loud comments about exploitation of child labour that is associated with the production of fakes? At the very least, it might shame some offenders into leaving their bags at home

haha I did this actually! I just said to this girl next to me as soon as she walked in loud enough for people to hear "OMG, I HATE fake LV's... little kids make fake bags, they really do," and she laughed equally as loud.

She was all like dressed up and everything, it was like... whaaaat?

 

[Adore]

What should I say to her that would not make me look like an idiot? I mean if my class was 400 students I could understand that would be a little desperate, but there's under 20 people so it's like, uuhh...

BTW, thanks for understanding : )

 

[ShimmaPuff]

...for the most part people really could care less...

This is very true. While obviously here on the Purse Forum there are many people who not only really like bags as an accessory, there are people who are serious collectors of bags of a particular brand, and people who are world class experts on the product lines of a host of companies.

But this is not by any means reflective of the "real world," with its millions of people who have a purely utilitarian view of handbags, its millions of people who like me, just love handbags but are not really concerned with questions of brand or company or "designer," and who could not afford to buy expensive bags even if we wanted them, which we don't.

...college girls I observe at the mall, out around the city, etc. carry a fake bag and they don't seem to care

As you yourself just pointed out, this is because they don't.

If I were you, and was at one point in time, I would just keep carrying my bags and know that mine are the real thing.

This is very good advice. What is important is that you enjoy the bags that you love, for the reasons that you love them, and also enjoy all the other wonderful things that are part of the college years.

People can tell, they are liars if they say they can't.

I would have to disagree with this. I understand that here in these lofty heights of handbag expertise, it is easy to forget the simple truth with which you begin your post.

I can assure you that I am by no means the only person who is not familiar with the various offerings of even the most popular brand names we see discussed here, nor am I the only person, I will venture to speculate even the only person here who cannot tell the difference between every bag made by every company and every bag that is not really made by any given company.

The level of knowledge, like the level of interest, in the general population, is just nowhere near what you will find here on the Purse Forum!

 

[princessaj0603]

It does suck. I have come to the conclusion that until "faked" bags are no longer a HUGE deal I am going to buy the less replicated bags. Anna Corinna, Botkier, Kooba, Hype, Hayden-Harnett, etc...

Not that I don't love the others, but I am so sick of fakes and the people that carry them that I need a change!