Your thoughts on FAKES!

[chicky]

I think there's nothing wrong with remotely copying someone's design (For example, a catalogue company over here has taken on a famous Padlock design, it's smaller and not made of leather - and it doesn't claim to be the real deal!)

BUT what i find really offensive is when something that is fake, is being sold as something that is Genuinely authentic, with all tags, stamped hardware, etc etc. :evil:

If i want name tags on my bags, i want the REAL thing, not some shoddy knock off that someone has been paid 1p a day for and may even have been bullied into doing so - NO!

If people want to carry fakes, that's up to them, i don't judge others on what they choose to do - i personally have a fake bag in my collection and i do not know what to do with it - i sure as heck don't want to wear it and i can't send it back or re-sell it on Ebay...so i've been stung and i've learnt my lesson in the process - buy from a reputable dealer!

A designer bag is just that - a designer bag....an optional extra.....we can't all afford them and we can't all have the ones that we want when we want, just like a car really! In my lifetime, i'll probably never be able to afford to own a LV bag.

Just as someone mentioned above, much of the high street stuff is made in relatively poor conditions - but, to be fair to the High street, they do have consumer representatives who are constantly striving to make the conditions better (I used to work for a High Street chain)

The difference is, with fake bags - there is no humanity control, no consumer representatives, as the fake bag reproduction market is ILLEGAL.
FULL STOP.
Buying cheap clothes from your local H&M isn't.

 

[sw0pp]

well buying highstreet clothes isn't illegal, but their production methodes are. I don't think they could sell at prices as low as such when providing human conditions

 

[mewlicious]

Never will I buy a fake.

I've read too much about how fake bags are just a bigger part of illicit trading operations and places where unsafe working conditions thrive.
For those interested in reading more about it, I recommend Illicit by Moses Naim. A very intralling and indepth book about how all types of illegal trade works and propogates.

 

[LVmom]

As I grow older and educate myself more,I object to a lot of things. Fake bags,diamonds,even cheaper clothing. Some I object to morally,some I object to just because I want better quality items in my wardrobe. You can argue with me until you're blue in the face,but I can tell the difference in quality. You may also tell me professional salon products and the generic copies are the same,but I know for a fact they are not. I pay for the knowledge and history behind a companys goods,and it is worth it to me. I equate it to salon products-yes,generic Paul Mitchell hairspray contains aloe vera same as the real thing,but it is aloe vera gel as opposed to juice-heavier in weight,making the product perform differently. The LV leather is feather light compared to the fake LV leather,and since my shoulder is permanently injured due to a car accident,I can feel the difference in a big way on a day when my shoulder hurts. I can compare my bag to my former coworkers that is fake-it is a huge difference to me.

 

[augustinec]

I don't object using LV prints on an item that they never produced to make fun of the original, but using a fake bag and claim it as real is tacky to me. Or taking one design and creating something new. I buy hangbags and clothes for I believe in the commitment to excel, and not because I can show them off or something. The purpose of a bag is completely different from accessories(well, the bag does have some role in matching your outfit). However, I have no problems with people wearing costume jelwery or even mixing them with the real ones. One of the greatest act of Coco Mademoiselle did is to use costume jelwery and I do own some real and expensive heirloom jewelry and some nice and cheap ones I got from the market. Both works for me, and I would not think it is fake because when people ask, I always answer, "Yes it is not real. Don't you think its lovely?"

 

[fendigal]

I really don't have a problem with cubic zirconia, if you can't afford a diamond ring, however, I have a problem if someone tries to sell me a fake bag for $700 and tries to tell me it's real.
There are certain places I won't walk around in Philly with an expensive bag. This is simply due to personal safety and I don't really want a bag that says-hey, I have more money than you do especially if I am working with financially disadvantaged clients.
I work in a financially disadvantaged area in the inner city. In regard to my clients/patients (who mostly live on the edge of financial disaster), I may feel differently.
Sometimes I see the young girls carrying fakes. In a way, I feel like is it so horrible for them to want pretty things that they can't afford?
Most of my patients are more worried about getting caught in the cross-fire of a drug deal gone bad than in terrorism. The shootings and the "no snitch" t-shirt/street attitude are a big problem here. It is on the news almost every night. For these inner city girls, I doubt they are aware of the connections between fake bags and terrorism.
Some of the ladies may have cubic zirconia in their wedding rings, but that is the best they can do. I really don't feel that I can judge the actions of others that live in a totally different financial, cultural, and socio-economic world than I am.
I can only be responsible for my own actions.