Why Do People Buy Fake Designer Bags Or Fake Designer Anything?

[SkyKat]

I haven't read the whole thread but something I see a bit with women that makes me sad is how much they judge each other.

I used to buy fakes when I was young because I genuinely couldn't afford the real thing and I would have died to have it. I still have a knock off LV bag that I don't carry anymore but for some reason can't bring myself to throw it out - I love the pattern and they never made that bag in the real range.

Now I only buy real because I'm in a much better financial position. I have to pick and choose and often save for ages but I make sacrifices etc.

What I find funny, is that there are people that would judge me for carrying the fake bag yet I have seen plenty of women in real life judge me for carrying the real one as well.

I bought some boots from a local clothing chain in Australia that turned out to be spitting image of some Isabel Marant boots - will you judge me for wearing those? I had no idea at the time and have many real pairs of Isabel Marant!

Just let people do whatever makes them happy.

 

[lotusflowerbaum]

I bought a bag back in the early 90s that was probably a fake. Don't even remember what brand it was now. I was in my early 20s, stupid and broke. But, surprisingly, that bag lasted me about five years -- and that's with carrying it every day! Back then I wasn't really up to speed on fakes and the consequences of buying one. I only knew I thought the bag was pretty and an affordable price.

Now that I'm older and wiser, I personally wouldn't buy one. An "inspired" one ... maybe. An outright fake the seller is trying to pass off as genuine? NO. That's why all my handbag purchases of late have been preloved. I got them in pristine condition at unbelievable prices. One is an LV Josephine PM for $450, and the other is a Chanel caviar hobo with tassel for $700. The rest are vintage Coach.

However, I would never look down on someone with a fake bag, because that would be hypocritical. For all I know, the person carrying the bag could have bought it for the same reasons I did in the early 90s. Honestly, most of the time when I go out, I don't pay attention to the bags other women are carrying anyway. I have more important things on my mind.

I feel the same way as you. And to add, IMO, I feel like I wouldn't wanna drop $1k or more on a bag that I love for fear that I'll only love it for the moment... if that makes sense? I mean it is a big investment but who knows how you might feel about the designer bag you purchased in 5 years time. I've spent so much money on purses and wallets I thought I 'had-to-have' and now I barely use them, or have sold them, or passed them on to my cousins.

Also, I'd never purchase from vendors who CLAIM they are authentic or AAA replicas.
Inspired - hey, why not.

To each their own - if you have money why not be able to treat yourself? I just think that you shouldn't look down on someone for what they do with their money.

 

[Pimpernel]

I wouldn´t "look down" on someone who wears a fake, but if that person was aware it is a fake and did it deliberately, I would avoid interacting with such a person. Why? I am European and I work often for Europol, so and am extremely aware selling & buying/owning a fake is a CRIME, and I know quite well the many, nasty ramifications financed by those who buy fakes.

Bottom line: wear fakes if you can´t help it, but if you are in Europe, don´t complain if it is seized by law enforcement or custom officials, or if many people will not feel comfortable around you or judge you negatively (for the aforesaid crime implications). Most top designers (Chanel, Dior, LV, Mulberry, Hermès, Chloè, Balenciaga, BV, etc etc) are from and in the EU and lose billions every year due to the fake "industry". So it is only understandable and logical that workers, retailers, stockholders and owners of the genuine articles here judge people who wear fakes very negatively.

 

[Annabel Lee]

I agree, Pimpernel! The question of this thread is “Why Do People Buy Fake Designer Bags Or Fake Designer Anything?”

We can look at this in terms of images people want to portray or finances/money management, but it all comes down to “Why do people buy fakes when the industry does so much damage and funds so many horrible institutions?”

I can think of only three reasons:

1) The person knows the bag is fake and knows the harm the industry does but is willing to rationalize or turn a blind eye to maintain a certain image without paying for it. While that sounds like a very sad sort of person, this is completely indefensible and speaks to a serious character flaw. I would not want to be friends with this person.


2) The person know the bag is fake but doesn’t know about the harm the industry does. I heard someone compare it to downloading music illegally—sure it’s wrong, sure it’s taking something away from the creator, but it’s mostly harmless. Obviously that isn’t true, and different people will have different opinions about someone’s willingness to fake their image and dilute a brand, but I don’t think supporting something awful in ignorance makes someone a bad person.


3) The person doesn’t know it’s fake.


So when I see someone with a fake, I give them the benefit of the doubt. I don’t feel it’s fair to automatically pass judgment on someone for having a fake purse just as I wouldn’t want anyone to pass judgment on me for having a real one.

 

[HotRedBag]

Maybe they dont know that it is fake or maybe they do but cannot afford the real thing so they are content with buying fake items.

 

[missmoimoi]

Gee, copycats everywhere. These are Calvin Klein but Kate Spade, Michael Kors & Coach sell a lot of inspired bags too!

 

[soramillay]

Gee, copycats everywhere. These are Calvin Klein but Kate Spade, Michael Kors & Coach sell a lot of inspired bags too!
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I'm sorry but I don't see the likeness that is supposedly obvious here? Which bags are these copying?

ETA: Oh ok, I see the first one is inspired by Fendi's Peekaboo, but tbh it didn't strike me immediately. The material looks too stiff to flap down like the Peekaboo. There's no comparison in terms of luxury.

 

[missmoimoi]

I'm sorry but I don't see the likeness that is supposedly obvious here? Which bags are these copying?

Sorry - the black is a version of the Fendi Peekaboo. Coach made one called the Gramercy.

The taupe & blue bags are versions of YSL Chyc or now Saint Laurent Y chyc or something like that. I see KS & MK producing handbags that resemble: Celine Edge and everybody is doing versions of Saint Laurent Sac de Jour.

 

[soramillay]

I see the Peekaboo resemblance now but the bottom two don't look like the Chyc to me. The shape looks like Loewe's Amazona but not the hardware. The hardware does look familiar though... Maybe inspired by Gucci?

Well, and everyone says the Sac du Jour is a Birkin copy... So the wheel turns...

 

[Pimpernel]

And the Charles & Charlus Deauville (which is many, many years old) has a spitting image in the Ralph Lauren Ricky bag. However, both are legal, genuine, above-board purses. Only materials are a bit different - and the price, of course!

 

[dakotac]

I would love to go out and buy a 3500 purse, however, I'm not sure how many people can 'truly' afford that. I agree in the fact that yes, I would rather have the authentic handbag and pay more money for the quality of the bag. I guess that's why I stick to what I can afford.
On the other hand, I can see why people buy the fake or knockoff bags, if that's what they want, that's up to them. I am not here to judge people by what type of handbag they have!

 

[HesitantShopper]

Gee, copycats everywhere. These are Calvin Klein but Kate Spade, Michael Kors & Coach sell a lot of inspired bags too!
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Copycats, inspired by .. likeness of etc does not equal to me =fake, counterfeit goods. There will always be things that are like each other, all one has to do is look at cars, furniture, clothes(jeans anyone!?) and so forth.

Goods made by genuine companies are not the issue, counterfeit goods that support underground illegal operations and abuses against workers and on and on are what irk me.

 

[MSO13]

Gee, copycats everywhere. These are Calvin Klein but Kate Spade, Michael Kors & Coach sell a lot of inspired bags too!
View attachment 3177120
View attachment 3177121

Sorry - the black is a version of the Fendi Peekaboo. Coach made one called the Gramercy.

The taupe & blue bags are versions of YSL Chyc or now Saint Laurent Y chyc or something like that. I see KS & MK producing handbags that resemble: Celine Edge and everybody is doing versions of Saint Laurent Sac de Jour.

I would love to go out and buy a 3500 purse, however, I'm not sure how many people can 'truly' afford that. I agree in the fact that yes, I would rather have the authentic handbag and pay more money for the quality of the bag. I guess that's why I stick to what I can afford.
On the other hand, I can see why people buy the fake or knockoff bags, if that's what they want, that's up to them. I am not here to judge people by what type of handbag they have!

This thread is about counterfeit and fakes. There is a huge difference between buying a MK bag "inspired" by a Celine bag and buying a fake bag that says "Celine" on it but was not made by Celine.

If people can't afford the designer version, then they should buy what they can afford in the available, legitimately made contemporary or even fast fashion price points.

Discussion of "inspired" bags is not the point of this thread, there are many threads on the various bags and designers who take too much inspiration. No one in recent posts on this thread is "judging" people for buying contemporary brand bags that may or may not be inspired by premier brands.

The atrocities surrounding and wrought by the counterfeit designer bag market are well documented. Anyone that choses to ignore the evil that comes from counterfeit goods deserves to be judged for either their foolishness or their lack of compassion for the people impacted by intellectual property theft, the factory workers and the people marginalized by consumption of these fraudulent goods.

 

[CassieH]

This thread is about counterfeit and fakes. There is a huge difference between buying a MK bag "inspired" by a Celine bag and buying a fake bag that says "Celine" on it but was not made by Celine.

If people can't afford the designer version, then they should buy what they can afford in the available, legitimately made contemporary or even fast fashion price points.

Discussion of "inspired" bags is not the point of this thread, there are many threads on the various bags and designers who take too much inspiration. No one in recent posts on this thread is "judging" people for buying contemporary brand bags that may or may not be inspired by premier brands.

The atrocities surrounding and wrought by the counterfeit designer bag market are well documented. Anyone that choses to ignore the evil that comes from counterfeit goods deserves to be judged for either their foolishness or their lack of compassion for the people impacted by intellectual property theft, the factory workers and the people marginalized by consumption of these fraudulent goods.

Not promoting fakes, but what about the legitimate companies that do not treat workers well and violate human rights? One example, is Joe Fresh.

 

[Metope]

Not promoting fakes, but what about the legitimate companies that do not treat workers well and violate human rights? One example, is Joe Fresh.

Good point, I think it's definitely important to research how ethical a company is before purchasing anything, not just handbags. How they treat their workers is a big one, and also where and how they get their materials. However, it's not always easy to find information on it, I've bought things before and later discovered that the company was unethical. Doing your research beforehand and not buying from companies you know are unethical is the best you can do, really.

When it comes to counterfeit though, it's always unethical. First off, there's no way of finding out whether or not the workers rights were violated or not, because there is no way of doing any research. Second, fake handbags are sold by the same people who sell other types of counterfeit products too: poor quality (and dangerous) electronics, scavenged vehicle parts that have been used before and are worn down and unsafe, and untested medication that have been filled with who knows what to water down the active ingredients, the list goes on.

By buying fake designer goods you're (knowingly or unknowingly) supporting an illegal industry that has already taken many innocent lives. By buying any sort of legit bag, super expensive luxury designer or more affordable imitation contemporary designer, you can always do your research and figure out which brands to avoid if you want shop ethically.