"The Rich New York Women Who Love Their Fake Birkins" article in The Cut - thoughts?

[papertiger]

This thread is only commenting on and discussing points made arising from the article in #1 post, discussing Hermes:

For general discussion and debate on fake bags please read/post here: Why do people wear fake bags?

For a discussion on the 'gray (or grey) market: What is the gray market for HE handbags? It's not a fake...

 

[mamakay]

That’s why I can’t bring myself to buy from those resale sites!

Me too. Unless I see it offered, then box opened by a SA from the Hermes boutique with my own eyes, I can trust no one.

 

[purselovah91]

"I spoke with who think authentic customers are the ones getting played. “These days, the reps just tend to be better made,” a Hamptons-based chief strategy officer tells me. “They last longer. There’s more attention to detail. You can tell that things have been done by hand.”

Never thought I'd say it but like, true... :/
Bought a Chanel bag and returned it. The stitching was coming out, it almost looked like it was pilling. After owning it for just a day and not even usuing it!

 

[Jktgal]

... the only people these RepLadies are "sticking it to" are the women and children who are toiling in sweatshops as victims of hunan trafficking and other abuses. There are no "victimless" crimes.

Amazing isn't it how labourers in sweatshops can make replicas close enough to the authentic which are made by by artisans with 40-day annual paid vacation and fed on milk cheese honey and organic tea harvested by virgins.

Errr no, most fakes aren't made in 'sweatshops'.

 

[purselovah91]

Ya I don't own any fakes and try to stay away from fast fashion. But like, I've also read this https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/...workers-who-assemble-designer-bags-in-tuscany

I don't think 99% of consumer goods are "ethical." that's just the sad reality

 

[tinkerbell68]

And I do worry that Fashionphile, TRR, and Rebag are under-equipped to deal with the superfakes, and that they're getting passed on to the unsuspecting or undereducated consumers who buy pre-loved.

^^^^^^^ I have heard, anecdotally, about fakes on many reseller/consignment sites and it freaks me out. I purchased a B35 from Fashionphile and I'd like to say that I'm 100% sure it's the real thing but I'm not.

I was surprised to read that many of the purchasers have sufficient financial capacity to purchase an authentic bag and yet choose to buy a replica. My daughter mentioned a reddit poster who was concerned about spending $3K on a rep as she wasn't sure if she could afford it and what might her friends think...DD suggested that if she were really concerned about her friends' opinions, she should consider that they might not be impressed if they thought she'd spent three or four times that amount on an authentic bag!

 

[annaria]

My mom has travel fake jewelry and her real jewelry stay in her safe. I get that.

She only buys fake jewelry for what she already has the real deal for. A few older Asian ladies I know do this.

Maybe it's that?

 

[EmilyM11]

This is quite an article. Lots of comments besides the one you quote were beyond.
At the end of the day, I'd rather have one authentic Hermes, Chanel, LV or Gucci than
a closetful of fakes to impress their so called circle of friends...

Exactly my thoughts - how one can impress with a fake bag?
I have some understanding to own good fakes let’s say if you’re a big fan of the design and nobody would know anyway but this, not my thing. I’m leaving human exploitation aside, as I don’t buy fakes I don’t really know and maybe don’t want to know what’s involved.
I sold all my bags except from 2 as felt it wasn’t sustainable to collect them but still wanted to enjoy the real thing (only for myself as ppl in my circle have no clue what Birkin is)

 

[millivanilli]

That’s why I can’t bring myself to buy from those resale sites!

me, too.

My mom has travel fake jewelry and her real jewelry stay in her safe. I get that.

She only buys fake jewelry for what she already has the real deal for. A few older Asian ladies I know do this.

Maybe it's that?

yes, we do that, too. (our family)

 

[papertiger]

I say this actually fake news. No pics of 'ladies' or their bags, no verifiable facts. No last names. The whole thing is as shady as the practice being written about. This article is a superfake.

It's still all heresy and hocus-pocus. The whole article smacks of carefully worded padding of longtime myths centred around the fake/authentic debate. In fact, it goes through the whole 'man (or woman) down pub' chat cliche after cliche. Friend of a friend, everyone's doing it, can't tell the difference, even richer/better people than us are doing it, brands are evil, branding is just a logo, luxury is a con anyway, people who buy authentic are stupid, real (authentic) rich people are cleverer than stupid wannabes, mystical Chinese factories in the middle of nowhere, Millennials do it differently, posh reseller duped.

There are fakes being sold at resellers. It's a completely different topic to the oh so fabulous mythical lives of the uber wealthy who know what's what, can buy anything, and still act like tenth graders.

There's talk of investment in their kids and crypto-currency blah blah, but then they're spending all their time researching Chinese factories and fakery. Time is usually more precious to rich people than money, and they're either into bags/designer goods or they're not. Having/wearing a fake B or LOVE or Rolex is basically telling others you can't be trusted. My friends don't want a Rolex, they want to know that every part of their watch is Rolex and contemporaneous to each other. Connoisseurs are obsessional, be it supercars, watches or handbags. Conversations are not about the products themselves anyway (unless obvious) but who do you know 'there'? What year is it? What colour is it (supposed to be)? Most rich people (at least the ones I know) would rather carry an authentic vintage Speedy than a fake Hermes, and the bragging rights in London you get from not caring about bags/brands at all is the virtue signalling conversation far outweighs a Birkin (unless it was one of Jane's). You are literally walking around areas where you meet the real thing 50-100 times a day. Having a fakes is like collecting and displaying fake Rothkos or Warhols. In NYC or in London, that would not only be seen as déclassé but being stupid/duped. Hustling fakes one by one to resellers to make a 'grand' or a buck is not something most 'oh so, so rich' people have time for, they're too busy.

The last statement is either made-up or whoever the un-named reseller was doesn't have a clue. I won't tell you why.

All I can say is the person who write this has never mingled in really rich circles. And 'Lisa and her mates' need to get a life, the more authentic the better.

 

[lara0112]

I say this actually fake news. No pics of 'ladies' or their bags, no verifiable facts. No last names. The whole thing is as shady as the practice being written about. This article is a superfake.

It's still all heresy and hocus-pocus. The whole article smacks of carefully worded padding of longtime myths centred around the fake/authentic debate. In fact, it goes through the whole 'man (or woman) down pub' chat cliche after cliche. Friend of a friend, everyone's doing it, can't tell the difference, even richer/better people than us are doing it, brands are evil, branding is just a logo, luxury is a con anyway, people who buy authentic are stupid, real (authentic) rich people are cleverer than stupid wannabes, mystical Chinese factories in the middle of nowhere, Millennials do it differently, posh reseller duped.

There are fakes being sold at resellers. It's a completely different topic to the oh so fabulous mythical lives of the uber wealthy who know what's what, can buy anything, and still act like tenth graders.

There's talk of investment in their kids and crypto-currency blah blah, but then they're spending all their time researching Chinese factories and fakery. Time is usually more precious to rich people than money, and they're either into bags/designer goods or they're not. Having/wearing a fake B or LOVE or Rolex is basically telling others you can't be trusted. My friends don't want a Rolex, they want to know that every part of their watch is Rolex and contemporaneous to each other. Connoisseurs as obsessional, be it supercars, watches or handbags. Conversations are not about the products themselves anyway (unless obvious) but who do you know 'there'? What year is it? What colour is it (supposed to be)? Most rich people (at least the ones I know) would rather carry an authentic vintage Speedy than a fake Hermes, and the bragging rights in London you get from not caring about bags/brands at all is the virtue signalling conversation far outweighs a Birkin (unless it was one of Jane's). You are literally walking around areas where you meet the real thing 50-100 times a day. Having a fakes is like collecting and displaying fake Rothkos or Warhols. In NYC or in London, that would not only be seen as déclassé but being stupid/duped. Hustling fakes one by one to resellers to make a 'grand' or a buck is not something most 'oh so, so rich' people have time for, they're too busy.

The last statement is either made-up or whoever the unarmed reseller was doesn't have a clue. I won't tell you why.

All I can say is the person who write this has never mingled in really rich circles. And 'Lisa and her mates' need to get a life, the more authentic the better.

This. Absolutely. People figured that this kind of thing gets attention - and if anything is important these days, it is online attention, going viral etc etc.

 

[BreakfastCake]

I wonder if, as people are more aware of the existence of super fakes, the pre-owned market will take a hit.

Because it seems that the only 100% guarantee of not getting a superfake is buying straight from the boutique.

 

[880]

I buy from the boutiques and also resale (there are some things that I missed that can only be bought at resale, for example, vibrato, non BKC discontinued models, some toile and crinoline combos; some chanel exotics and Hermes metallic. i also really like deals (during Covid shelter in place, i scooped up a black barenia Birkin 30, phw, for 7K USD and other things. Likely there will be more deals and reduced prices during recessions.

I think it’s important to do proper due diligence as to authenticity and condition and not to assume that recommended reseller bags generally are super fakes from China, but everyone’s tolerance is different and YMMV. In addition to third party checks for authenticity, you can also submit to H spa (which I have done in the past).

i know some extremely wealthy asians (sadly some in my circle of family) and others who have deliberately purchased fakes and I’ve also read a few articles disputing the notion that the huge business of fake production and child labor go hand in hand. Though i do think it’s likely that fake production is a front for money laundering etc.

 

[papertiger]

This. Absolutely. People figured that this kind of thing gets attention - and if anything is important these days, it is online attention, going viral etc etc.

There are of course rich people who buy fake and live their best life. Whatever.

There are entire stores that sell dubious designer bags/apparel, and do it - 'till they get caught.

There is a lot of money to be made, and it's made by fraud. The only reason why fakes are not taken seriously (apart from in countries where it is like France) is that fashion is seen as frippery, only silly women are effected, and only those who are silly (fashion-vicims anyway) would want to spend 'that' kind of money on things to wear.

But, I absolutely refuse to see it as a new cultural trend (it's not, people have been buying fake everything since the beginning of time, even food was faked and adulterated) a blow for inequality (since the emphasis is still on material things and capitalism) a redressing of the balance between brands/consumers (brands don't care unless it affects their business/customers). They are certainly not bargains. A designer/brand reseller's business lives and dies by their reputation, as do auction houses, authentication software companies and anyone involved in the pre-loved market.

The evils of fakery, as @880 has written, are debatable, but it's probably less socially acceptable nowadays (certainly the social circles I know) because fakes are seen as big business too and not the choice of the underdog championing the underdog. With so much choice for pre-loved and vintage authentic, contemporary, there really is no excuse to be knowing carrying a fake and passing it off (or not) as real.

Anyone bragging they buy fake and sell as real (on record by 'Cindy' "stay-at-home mom in Flushing" which is what Singh-Kurtz has written) is breaking the law - even in the US, unlike "personal use" (Douglas Hand), misrepresenting and defrauding in business practice. Faced with that, S-K should be reporting a crime, not telling the world about it and passing it off as a coup.

I'm also not going to get into it now, but cultural appropriation, racism and sexism runs through the article, at once that actually make the stereotyping of 'those kinds of people' more believable, but for me, set off a whole host of warning signals, Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz poses as a journalist but authentic journalists should know better.

 

[lara0112]

I wonder if, as people are more aware of the existence of super fakes, the pre-owned market will take a hit.

Because it seems that the only 100% guarantee of not getting a superfake is buying straight from the boutique.

vintage might work too.

 

[880]

I purchased a B35 from Fashionphile and I'd like to say that I'm 100% sure it's the real thing but I'm not.

if you want to, perhaps get it authenticated by @bababebi and/or send to H spa

i used to shop sample sales with a friend years ago (I stopped bc I just bought too many compromises). There are a few dedicated sites in NYC geared towards sample sales. One had many seasons of versace, some of which I thought was gray market. i don’t have an issue with buying gray market bc it’s still authentic (and legal to sell in the US) but perhaps people who buy fakes don’t see much difference snd just see the price. I have no idea how else they justify it.