Major Handbag Copying at Forever 21

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thatoneAZN

thatoneAZN

O.G.
Feb 29, 2012
149
85
#1
Has anyone walked into or looked at the handbag line at Forever 21 lately? Is it just me or is there stuff looking more and more like replica's of designer handbags. Here are 3 examples:

Mansur Gravel Bucket bag
Chanel Reissue Classic Flap
Philip Lim for Target


Like this is getting out of hand. Shame shame shame.
 

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#5
labellavita27 said:
un original like always at forever21
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Well, they don't try to hide it. Their whole point is fast fashion of what happens to be "in" at the moment.

I'm just amazed at the gall of such close imitations. It really is just like Charming Charlie. The Chanel reissue is a single flap without pocket, though.
 
#9
feudingfaeries said:
I had my balenciaga city in Aldo the other day and the associate commented on how they had the same bag in black if I wanted another color (mines was red).
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:roflmfao:

but also, pretty awkward.

i bought a few shoes from Aldo during college, and they were generally fine (great ~$250 red-brown calf leather boots have lasted me six years) but i remember their bags were always pretty crappy... usually pleather and clearly badly made.
 
#13
I don't know, this is a tough one for me. On the one hand, a copied bag design is like a plagiarized piece of writing or pirated music or forged artwork, and therefore on one level I feel that it is ethically wrong and immoral for a retailer to make an exact knockoff of a bag designed by someone else.

On the other hand, realistically, a lot of people can't afford the high end designer stuff, no matter how much they save, because they have bills, kids to raise, tuition to pay, whatever. Or maybe they don't feel comfortable spending that much on a bag because let's be honest, there are MUCH less frivolous things to purchase (of course, I like to spend on nice things! I'm not judging if you do.) Or maybe they have ethical objections to animal products. If these people really love the way something looks, I understand why they'd want a knock off, "inspired by" version. As long as there have been slight tweaks made to the design and they are not trying to sell it as the original, I think I'm okay with it.
 
#14
This conversation has been going on for years. With the Internet and now Instagram and Pinterest and fashion blogs, designer handbags are reaching a wider audience. People like what they see and they want to mimic the look. Not everyone has $1k or more to send on a handbag. A lot of people refuse to spend more than $20 or $30. These bags are aimed at those people. I don't have a problem with that. Would I buy one of these bags? Probably not - I like my handbags to made of actual leather that has a wonderful smell and will age gracefully. But for the 16 year old HS Junior who sees her favorite celebrity carrying a designer bag, of course they're going to get excited to find a $20 lookalike at Forever 21! Or the single mother of four who works two jobs to make ends meet - maybe it makes her feel better to carry a $20 bag that looks like a Chanel. I wouldn't want anyone judging me for spend thousands of dollars on my handbags, so who am I to judge anyone who chooses to spend $20 on a bag that only LOOKS like one I might buy & carry? As long as it doesn't have the designers name on it and its not an actual counterfeit, then I don't have a problem with it.

(And I hate to break it to you - Mansur Gravel's handbags are NOT original designs. Long before he made a horizontal tote bag, Celine was making the horizontal Cabas. And before his Bucket bags were all the rage, LV was making the Petit Bucket! He just decided to line the bags in contrasting colors and uses nice leather, but the designs are far from original!)
 
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#15
iluvmybags said:
This conversation has been going on for years. With the Internet and now Instagram and Pinterest and fashion blogs, designer handbags are reaching a wider audience. People like what they see and they want to mimic the look. Not everyone has $1k or more to send on a handbag. A lot of people refuse to spend more than $20 or $30. These bags are aimed at those people. I don't have a problem with that. Would I buy one of these bags? Probably not - I like my handbags to made of actual leather that has a wonderful smell and will age gracefully. But for the 16 year old HS Junior who sees her favorite celebrity carrying a designer bag, of course they're going to get excited to find a $20 lookalike at Forever 21! Or the single mother of four who works two jobs to make ends meet - maybe it makes her feel better to carry a $20 bag that looks like a Chanel. I wouldn't want anyone judging me for spend thousands of dollars on my handbags, so who am I to judge anyone who chooses to spend $20 on a bag that only LOOKS like one I might buy & carry? As long as it doesn't have the designers name on it and its not an actual counterfeit, then I don't have a problem with it.
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This. Not everyone can afford 5K handbags. Or 500.00 handbags. As long as they're not counterfeiting, what's the problem? It's not as if they're competing with Chanel or Celine for market share.
 
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