[REPOST] I (still) like the real shit.
I have a theory; but before I dive into it, let’s talk about designer clothing and accessories. You know the old fables of walking down Canal Street in New York and being greeted with tons of fake Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Michael Kors handbags, Rolex watches and Ray-Bans from where the “Welcome to Chinatown” sign is at one end of Canal to the Manhattan Bridge. Today they are all gone, except the ones that still sell said items on “Knockoff Row” like drug dealers on 12th and 22nd in Paterson. As many visits to Chinatown go and experience builds, I can say that hitting up the sellers from Aliexpress or iOffer saves a trip once in awhile (be careful with your credit card, though).
I know what you are thinking, but please let me speak.
Let me run you through a list of several hot items:
Adidas Originals Yeezy Boost 350 (any color) -costs $200 new, resale $1,000–2,500 (eBay, Flight Club), about the same price as 2 to 5 PS4’s
Louis Vuitton “Inventeur” 35 MM Reversible Belt (any color) — $760–780 (stamped damier leather), the full price of an iPhone 6s Plus
Supreme X The North Face “Cheetah” Nuptse 700 Jacket (2011 F/W, the same jacket Drake wore in the video for “The Motto”) — costs $305 new, $3,000 resale, the price of a fairly used Honda Civic
Rolex Submariner — $8,550, average price of a used BMW 3-Series
Hermés Birkin Bag- Starts at $12,000 to $60,000 optioned out. (if you get on the waiting list for the waiting list), the average price of 2 year old Toyota Corolla to a new BMW 5-Series
Cartier Love Bracelets (Kylie Jenner wears 6 of these everyday) — $6,300 each x6= $37,800, enough for a semester at UCLA (out of state costs before boarding, textbooks)
You can see my point here that yes, there are people in this world that buy these ridiculously overpriced pieces of clothing, however those who may want the same look will buy replicas. And us being sensible, responsible people who are financially secure, it begs to wonder why replicas are often criticized and looked down upon. The amount of communities, forums and subreddits for real watches and designer clothing/handbags are the same, or even more for those that aren’t.
The people who are a part of these communities are normal people like you and me, who buy things for a said purpose and adequate fulfillment for how much money they put into it. Those who buy replicas have an enhanced eye for errors and flaws, knowing the crucial differences between real and fake.
The fake game is a controversial topic, as the people who participate in it are normal, everyday people. However, attention is more garnered towards the link between the producers of counterfeit goods and organized crime and many other human rights and social justice issues.
However, the replica game is evolving. Type in 1:1 on r/RepTime or r/FashionReps and you will find guides to buying a plethora of merchandise that would boggle the minds of most people that would call you out for donning a fake one. The “Superfakes” — as the press may call them are sold on iOffer, Aliexpress and the backpages of Replica Forums, Reddit and even Instagram daily, you just need to find them. These near-perfect clones make the best of Canal and Centre St. look like Donatella after her last botox session. The products and their sellers get better as the people want more.
But you may ask “What about the designers?, or “What about the fact that counterfeits are made in Chinese sweatshops using slave labor?”, or even “Did you know it’s illegal to buy counterfeit goods?”
Case in Point #1 — The designers and the counterfeit pushers alike use the same tactics for selling their product. One of Louis Vuitton’s most well known silhouettes, the Speedy in 30 size has risen from $550 to $970 within the last 10 years. Why? The perfect textbook example of supply and demand. Over the last 10 years, the social pressures and celebrities wearing LV and overall “envy” for the brand has made the bag more desireable, creating the demand aspect, which allows for Inventeur to raise the price of the product. The same case, and a more notorious one is with Supreme, as when the brand started in 1994, was a mecca for NYC skateboarders, reminiscent of the movie Kids. Then came the brand being more present, and collaborations and people like Tyler the Creator (before Odd Future was available at Zumiez) and Kanye, which creates hype, which allows for Supreme to be masters at their “limited release” business model, which creates the inflated resale prices of their most coveted gear. You can say the same for the both kinds of counterfeit producers and sellers. However, one has brand reputations that is near bulletproof and can handle losses with quick methods from a boardroom or an office, and the other is being tracked by the FBI.
Number 2 — You must know a fashion designer named Alexander Wang, he was the creative director at Balenciaga and produced a collaborative collection with H&M in 2014. Wang was hit with a $50 million lawsuit in 2012 after allegations of unsafe working conditions in a factory in NYC’s Chinatown, as a worker collapsed after a 25 hour shift. The fast-fashion giant he collaborated with and a couple of “commoners clothing” companies like Forever 21 and Gap was hit with sweatshop allegations, which were broadcast to the world when one of H&M’s factories in Bangladesh caught fire and a VICE documentary revealed the Cambodian factories that produced underpaid workers to the point of seeking work in the sex trade, the latter which was mentioned on Last Week Tonight With John Oliver. Not to mention the many allegations toward Nike and Adidas and the manufacture of their shoes and apparel. Type in “supreme jordan factory” on google images and look at the first few images and click on some related ones. Now type in “nike factory china” I don’t see any difference. You’ve heard the stories of the people working at Foxconn that make your iPhones. I don’t see anything wrong.
Number 3 — There is no law that specifically says that one should not purchase counterfeit goods, it is the people who produce and sell counterfeit goods that can face lawsuits and injunction from LV, Gucci, etc., as it is a form of trademark infringement under the Lanham Act. And not to mention, there’s no link between organized crime and counterfeit goods.
To Conclude: I could just go off the bat here and call all of you hypocrites. In fact, I will. You are all shallow hypocrites. The iPhone that you are holding costs less than $10 to make, $2 of which was used to pay the near-suicidal guy who assembled it. The H&M shirt may cost $6, but costs less than 50 cents to make, at least that’s how much she makes an hour in a Cambodian factory. The Forever 21 dress that your girlfriend wore to homecoming is no different, and so is the Victoria’s Secret lingerie that you wish you’d see her in either. The Jordans that you saved up for is no different either, and so is the replica Goyard card case in my pocket.
Fake or real, there’s no difference. If you want to make sure you aren’t hurting anyone, do your research.
If you don’t mind, I’m just about done buying an 1:1 Inventeur Belt on iOffer.
- Pikachu
