Shutting up the Foachers - for awhile at least!

katev

"The Bag Whisperer!"
O.G.
Dec 18, 2009
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Earlier this year a co-worker purchased a fake Madison bag for $40 from a street vendor in NYC. She was very talkative about her "great buy" and received a lot of excited and enthusiatic feedback from colleagues.

She wouldn't shut up and I got tired of hearing about it. She seemed impervious to snide comments about my preference for genuine items that have "quality, durability, style, and long-term value!"

I asked the tPFers for help and Superlativity kindly provided the link below to the Harper's Bazaar site on fake fashions. I printed out the NY Times article in the second link and highlighted a few key paragraphs; then I posted the article on the bulletin board in our company lunchroom.

Miraculously it worked (at least for awhile!) She hasn't been carrying her Foach lately and and no one has been talking about terrific fake fashions for some time. Thanks for the assistance!

Harper's Bazaar site on fake fashions:
http://fakesareneverinfashion.com/

NY Times article on the facts behind fake fashions:
http://fakesareneverinfashion.com/content/pdf/fakes_arresting_nytimes2.pdf
 
I own a fake Marc Jacobs bag I am ashamed to say. Although it is absolutely adorable the quality is HORRIBLE. I had no idea about all the awful things these fake purses were associated with. While I thought I was getting a good deal at the time, it was like throwing away money because I never use the bag. Although I was unaware of what I did at the time, I feel guilty for supporting that industry.

I think most people buy fake bags because they figure the only people they are hurting are the designers. These are definitely useful articles and this information should be more widespread. Good post!
 
Hmmm... I tried to like that NY Times article, I really did. But I can't post it as a statement because it's too flawed.

It says most fakes are produced in China, often by children (no numbers cited.. just "most" and "often"). So are real Coach bags, actually. Kids who don't work in factories making Foaches won't just go home and hang out with their parents - they'll find somewhere else to work. And if they don't, their family starves.

It says the sale of counterfeit goods MAY go toward groups associated with terrorism. But putting gas in our cars has been PROVEN to pay out to groups associated with terrorism, and at a much higher rate, so that point really isn't arguable, because we are all still driving our cars and filling up every week.

Now, I'm not saying that we should all go out and purchase counterfeit bags - I strongly disagree with doing so. But I'd like to find an article which cites actual reliable sources, studies and numbers. The analytical part of my brain needs more questions answered.

This is a good start, and a great place to start my research though, thanks for posting! :smile:
 
Yea I found the NYtimes article kind of misleading as well. As I recall Nike also had child labor making shoes. It is a sad fact that those people depend on illegal labor to live. It makes me appreciate my life alot more when you stop and think about how bad others have it.

But no i dont support fakes, and everytime i see one i gag. I wanna just say to them, EWW your not fooling anyone. Over here <okinawa> there are alot since many people go to Thailand, Korea or the phillipines and buy the fakes. Its gross
 
I don't agree with buying fakes but I'm not going to make snide comments to people who do. I will let them know that they could have gone to the outlet and purchased a REAL handbag for cheap or let them know of stores that have sales. I agree with jeninnd the articles are very flawed. I used to have a co-worker that would brag about how she only spent $50 on her coach bags lol... Then one day I told her you know that most of the time you can get a real coach bag for $50 or a little more at an outlet. You are really just wasting your money on a fake bag when you can have the real deal, besides beleive it or not a lot of people can tell real from fake nowadays. Tell me why she had me take her to the outlet a week later and she purchased her first real bag LOL!!!
 
that's pretty funny that your coworkers stopped talking about and wearing the fakes. I'm sure there are more accurate, statistical articles about the counterfeiting, but the NY Times article is good enough to bring about a general interest in what's going on with these fake bags. Shamefully, I admit that I had been into fake bags for a little- I was a kid. Then recently, I got into Louis Vuitton and loved all the styles of the bags but couldn't afford them so I figured I'd take a trip to China Town in NYC. It is SCARY. These people are everywhere harassing you to buy their bags. Now, their new way to avoid the police is to lure their customers into vans parked along the streets. Then there is the hidden rooms, dark stairways and apartments, hidden doors to basements... INSANE! If these people wanted to kidnap someone or anything crazy like that, all they have to do is lure you in by shouting out a few nice brand names of purses. IT IS SCARY. So after walking the streets of China Town and witnessing all of this crazy stuff that these counterfeit sellers do to get their fake bags sold and get away with it, I decided that I would rather have patients, save for the bags I like, get a better quality, be proud I have the real deal, not fund terrorism, sweatshops, illegal activity, AND most importantly, NOT PUT MY LIFE IN DANGER!
I'm going on a long rant, but I'm not sure if a lot of you know the new tactics of these counterfeit sellers- just ANOTHER reason to avoid fakes! Like all things in life, nothing is free- you have to work for things if you want it, there is no easy way out!
 
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that's pretty funny that your coworkers stopped talking about and wearing the fakes. I'm sure there are more accurate, statistical articles about the counterfeiting, but the NY Times article is good enough to bring about a general interest in what's going on with these fake bags. Shamefully, I admit that I had been into fake bags for a little- I was a kid. Then recently, I got into Louis Vuitton and loved all the styles of the bags but couldn't afford them so I figured I'd take a trip to China Town in NYC. It is SCARY. These people are everywhere harassing you to buy their bags. Now, their new way to avoid the police is to lure their customers into vans parked along the streets. Then there is the hidden rooms, dark stairways and apartments, hidden doors to basements... INSANE! If these people wanted to kidnap someone or anything crazy like that, all they have to do is lure you in by shouting out a few nice brand names of purses. IT IS SCARY. So after walking the streets of China Town and witnessing all of this crazy stuff that these counterfeit sellers do to get their fake bags sold and get away with it, I decided that I would rather have patients, save for the bags I like, get a better quality, be proud I have the real deal, not fund terrorism, sweatshops, illegal activity, AND most importantly, NOT PUT MY LIFE IN DANGER!
I'm going on a long rant, but I'm not sure if a lot of you know the new tactics of these counterfeit sellers- just ANOTHER reason to avoid fakes! Like all things in life, nothing is free- you have to work for things if you want it, there is no easy way out!

ITA!! I also like damienmomma's approach, with telling the Foacher about the outlet bargains and cluing the Foacher in that most fakes are super obvious to those same onlookers the Foacher is trying to impress. Even the crappiest MFF bag bought at the outlet is a better choice and better bargain in the long run than any Foach. Socioeconomic considerations aside, some people may view Foaches as throwaway fashion, but $40 is still a lot to throw away on something from such dubious sources IMO.
 
I don't agree with buying fakes but I'm not going to make snide comments to people who do. I used to have a co-worker that would brag about how she only spent $50 on her coach bags lol... Then one day I told her you know that most of the time you can get a real coach bag for $50 or a little more at an outlet. You are really just wasting your money on a fake bag when you can have the real deal, besides beleive it or not a lot of people can tell real from fake nowadays.

Glad it worked but it sounds a little bit "snide"!
 
that's pretty funny that your coworkers stopped talking about and wearing the fakes. I'm sure there are more accurate, statistical articles about the counterfeiting, but the NY Times article is good enough to bring about a general interest in what's going on with these fake bags.

Thanks, that was my intention. I wasn't trying to overwhelm them with facts and statistics. The NY Times article is simplistic and sensational but I hoped that it would make people a bit more aware of the implications of purchasing fakes and get them to think twice before buying them. I also hoped they would stop talking about the "great bargains!" and so far that part is working!