Why Do People Buy Fake Designer Bags Or Fake Designer Anything?
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Sad it is, indeed. I once met a young lad at the night market, there were plenty of stalls selling fakes. He offered to show me their high quality replicas in a separate storage facility. I saw them and they were incredible, came with "receipts" from a boutique in Seoul. I didn't buy. I asked him if his clientele include celebrities and local socialites. He confirmed it saying they themselves don't go to the shady markets but would send their maids or errand boys to fetch them. List also includes wives and daughters of rich politicians and government officials. That's the reality, I realized people with money or without money will buy whatever they want because they can.
I guess if you live in a country where counterfeits are illegal you can report them. You'd need to be careful though because since they are criminals, you don't want to expose yourself. Counterfeits would not have a truthful country of origin label, sine they are counterfeits they pretend to be something else.
Good morning interesting thread,
On bags I appreciate the quality of material, design and workmanship in addition to what it represents. I had bought a fake once ( Tod`s D-Bag, great quality). But I found out I really disliked pretending. I got a few compliments on the Tod´s: once: "Cute bag, what kind is it? " "It is a very expensive designer bag, Tod´s, Lady Di uses it a lot, but this one is fake. " I can´t even describe the look on the girls face... so, I was happy with Coach and Longchamp for a long while. Now, wanting something more special I looked at Prada, Gucci, Ferragamo. Found out what I really want is an Hermes. I bought a preloved 32 BBK, which is getting some love at Hermes right now. I am really excited but also a little worried that I might be pretending on a bag (a new Kelly) I cannot afford. ....my thoughts on fakes and frauds. Hope I did not kill this thread... Happy New Year!
On bags I appreciate the quality of material, design and workmanship in addition to what it represents. I had bought a fake once ( Tod`s D-Bag, great quality). But I found out I really disliked pretending. I got a few compliments on the Tod´s: once: "Cute bag, what kind is it? " "It is a very expensive designer bag, Tod´s, Lady Di uses it a lot, but this one is fake. " I can´t even describe the look on the girls face... so, I was happy with Coach and Longchamp for a long while. Now, wanting something more special I looked at Prada, Gucci, Ferragamo. Found out what I really want is an Hermes. I bought a preloved 32 BBK, which is getting some love at Hermes right now. I am really excited but also a little worried that I might be pretending on a bag (a new Kelly) I cannot afford. ....my thoughts on fakes and frauds. Hope I did not kill this thread... Happy New Year!
Have a question that might have been addressed already...but I don't have time to look through 97 pages 😆
Do you guys consider 'inspired' versions of the bag without the logo a fake? Every element of the bag is similar, except they don't stick the designer logo on it?
Me myself, I have bought a couple - a rm mac style bag and chanel reissue style one.
Like one of the commenters said: a test drive. Found I don't like the double flap on the reissue style, makes it annoying to get things out...so I won't ever be blowing thousands of dollars on the real thing bc personally the style doesn't quite work on me
As for the rm mac style bag, it was pu, well made, $15 and good to use on a backpacking trip. Plus that trend has already flown (seems like everyone has owned one) and I'm unimpressed with rm quality - own an authentic swing and the leather is cracking up on me...barely 2 years on 😳 so no point spending 10x as much on the original
Like most ladies here, I can't abide using a fake when it has the designer logo. There's an intent to deceive that doesn't sit well with me. But as long as it doesn't, I've found that I'm okay with it. I'm not trying to fool anyone into thinking I'm carrying an actual chanel - just liked the style and that's all.
What do you all think?
Do you guys consider 'inspired' versions of the bag without the logo a fake? Every element of the bag is similar, except they don't stick the designer logo on it?
Me myself, I have bought a couple - a rm mac style bag and chanel reissue style one.
Like one of the commenters said: a test drive. Found I don't like the double flap on the reissue style, makes it annoying to get things out...so I won't ever be blowing thousands of dollars on the real thing bc personally the style doesn't quite work on me
As for the rm mac style bag, it was pu, well made, $15 and good to use on a backpacking trip. Plus that trend has already flown (seems like everyone has owned one) and I'm unimpressed with rm quality - own an authentic swing and the leather is cracking up on me...barely 2 years on 😳 so no point spending 10x as much on the original
Like most ladies here, I can't abide using a fake when it has the designer logo. There's an intent to deceive that doesn't sit well with me. But as long as it doesn't, I've found that I'm okay with it. I'm not trying to fool anyone into thinking I'm carrying an actual chanel - just liked the style and that's all.
What do you all think?
Jmo - what you love is an Hermes, and that's what you got. It doesn't matter if you bought preloved or not, many people do that for various reasons besides "cant afford one straight from the boutique".
If you intend to pretend you bought it direct from Hermes, then well...that's your personal choice. If not, just tell folks you bought vintage/preloved and let them judge as they will.
Life is too short to care overmuch about the opinions of others, it's you who'll have to live with yourself
People love the 'status' that having an expensive bag on your arm gives you. Many people out there cannot afford to spend over £100 on a bag much less for the premium ones. Its just the way it is. We should be thankful that we can. Its not even about quality for most who do buy the originals as some designer bags are not even real leather or a fabric that can last the test of time. I get peed off by the bags that are blatantly fake more than anything else really. To each his own I guess...
Personally I find nothing wrong with "inspired" bags - they are legal and don't pretend to be original and have logos stamped on. In fact most designs are based on other styles and have evolved over time. Coco Chanel is probably one of the only original minds out there, as she literary invented her bags.
One might make a case for them probably being produced in the same factories as those that churn out bona fide fakes - since the only real difference is one stuck the logo on, the other didn't.
I'm playing devil's advocate on this point. But since so many commenters here are hung up on "fakes funding terrorism" the provenance of the goods we buy is a valid concern.
Inspired bags don't work for me either am afraid - they're as good as fake really esp if they replicate d design too closely. I was in a high street chain the other day and was aghast to see an almost exact copy of the MK hamilton padlock bag complete with the large padlock in the front... [emoji58]
MK is the HIGH KING of inspired bags. most of his bags look like high end designer bags, Hamilton included.
Inspired bags are alright but not my cup of tea. I have seen many beautiful inspired bags but I personally can't get myself to wear them because they remind me too much of the higher-end version. That's just me though. Blatant knock-offs sold in Chinatown are a different story altogether; while I don't care what other people do I would never buy them for myself. I find it so cheesy. One thing that does bug me though, are fake Cartier bracelets ugh. Maybe it's because I am a lover of beautiful and quality jewelry, I feel that the same money used to buy a crappy knock-off for a few bucks on eBay or a more expensive knock-off elsewhere could be spent to support a local jeweler either on platforms like etsy or in your city. Maybe I am looking too deep, but I get the feeling that some people buy the fake name brand because they feel labels define them. Well, they don't define me so I can go without it.
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+1000!!
All those people decrying fakes for being made in deplorable conditions....well unless they buy all their clothes and lifestyle goods exclusively from artisan houses and craftsmen, or buy only Fair Trade products....that's being either rather hypocritical or quite willfully ignorant
Think that Target dress or Zara blouse didn't cause many other people suffering from depressed wages and pollution required to produce such cheap goods? It's a much wider scale of suffering producing legit goods than fakes - because there's so much more of it in our economy.
And don't wave the terrorist flag either ....the richest terrorist group, IS was largely funded by consumers buying gas. If you buy diamonds or other jewels direct from retail, you've probably helped to fund terrorist groups in Africa to create child soldiers and continue civil wars.
I do find it hard to believe the average person who highly values luxury goods and disdains fakes will be willing to forfeit diamonds/precious gems and well, go without gas (unless you go electric in everything and make sure your sources of power are solar/hydro) to be consistent in their principles to "not enable suffering and fund terrorism"
That's a high moral ground that likely gets quickly disassembled when examining the person's lifestyle choices.
Let's just keep to the very simple and visceral reasons why many of us disdain fakes - it spoils the brand image and cheapens the value of the authentic luxury products we own when they 1. are mostly inferior quality and carried around by everyone (no longer an aspirational good) and 2. dishonest
