The Real Deal: Fashion versus Fakes

These days, our lives are filled with fake, especially in terms of personal presentation.  People die their hair, bleach their teeth, inject their lips, spray their tans, etc.   And, sometimes, it’s okay to fake it.

However, sometimes it’s best to stick with the real thing.  I’m talking about knock-off handbags and other counterfeit designer items.  Of course I understand the appeal of buying the new celebrity “it” bag for one zillionth of the actual price.  But see the list below of reasons why you should steer clear of Canal Street and other fake fashion sellers.

Reason #1

It’s illegal!  Doh.

Reason #2

If you are a true lover of fashion, your interests will lie with top quality products coming straight from the real designers.  Counterfeit bags are usually poorly made and are also usually pretty recognizably fake to others. All too often I see cheap-looking bags with interlocking G’s – the way fake bag makers combine Coach with Gucci.  Ugh, not cute.

Reason #3

The fashion industry is about creativity and originality.  Counterfeiters mess with this process by replicating goods that have been created by someone else.  Think about it – not cool!  This is a huge problem with global high fashion brands like Louis Vuitton and Burberry, of course, but think about how it affects young designers who don’t have the resources of a billion dollar brand to fight for their designs.  

Reason #4

Are you really saving money?  First of all, counterfeits are usually very cheaply made.  This brings us back to the question of price and value; if something breaks after a few uses, is it even worth the cheap price you paid?  Also consider that the government loses millions of dollars of tax revenue to under-the-table counterfeit goods.  We certainly can’t stop the government from collecting taxes, so we surely make this up in other ways.  Finally, the government spends quite a bit of money going after counterfeiters...wouldn't it be nice to put this towards, I don't know, education or health care instead?

Reason #5

A much lesser known but more shocking reason not to buy counterfeit, is that one illegal activity is usually linked to other illegal activities.  The fake fashion goods industry is no exception, with scams having found to be linked to child labor, drug cartels, prostitution, and other criminal activities.

Reason #6

Buying knock-offs undermines the economies of countries developing the goods, like France, Italy and the U.S.  Last time I checked, times were tough, and these countries - the U.S. very much included - are not really in a position to loose out on GDP and forgo tax revenue.  (National debt, anyone?)

I'm hoping that these six reasons are enough to convince you that buying fake just won't do!  Don't worry, though, there are lots of great affordable and real options out there!

What Are Your Options?

If you want a new bag, but can’t afford Fendi and Prada, get a real bag in a lower price category!  There are so many handbag brands that make options in the $350 - $500 range.  Some of my favorites are Marc byMarc Jacobs, Rebecca Minkoff and Cole Haan.

If you’re dying for the crème de la crème, save up!  Take a look at your budget, and see how much you could put away on a monthly basis (click here for more info).  If you could squeeze in $50 per month, you’ll have $600 in one year.  Instead of buying new, visit online discount retailers like BlueFly.com or check out vintage resellers on eBay.com.  One of my best finds ever was this vintage red leather Fendi clutch for $125!  Let me know if you can find a Fendi clutch these days for less than about $1,000.

The steals are out there, and you don't need to go fake to get an amazing handbag (or dress, or belt, etc.).   A few more ideas to look before you go: overstock retailers like Marshall's, T.J. Maxx and Filene's Basement and of course my go-to, consignment stores!  Shop away!

Fashion Court: Louboutin vs. YSL

Those that follow fashion news will know that recently, Christian Louboutin filed a lawsuit against Yves Saint Laurent.  The reason for the suit is that some of the soles of YSL’s latest Resort collection pumps were – gasp – red!

Apparently, in 2008 Louboutin filed a patent protecting its usage of red-soled shoes.  The recent suit stated that YSL was violating this patent and was seeking damages.  Unfortunately for Louboutin, the company’s efforts have so far backfired.  A New York City judge ruled on August 10th not only in YSL’s favor, but furthermore that the outer sole of a shoe is actually not eligible for trademark protection.  Indeed, “in the fashion industry color serves ornamental and aesthetic functions vital to robust competition,” and, therefore such a trademark would obstruct fashion’s creative process.

This whole legal mess is reflective of some major current issues in the fashion world today.  Counterfeiting is an enormous problem that extends to all areas of the globe.  In fact, the counterfeit fashion industry is estimated to be worth several billion dollars worldwide.  A similar problem, I’ll call it “copycatting” is also a huge issue because a lot of companies, while not selling identical recreations of other designers’ works, are making very similar items that differ only on just a few details.

Fashion is a creative industry that relies on the inspirations of designers and their teams to bring us fresh, exciting and evocative new styles every year.  Counterfeiters and copycats are essentially stealing the creative property of these designers and brands.  This cheapens the value of the brands being copied and also eats into their revenues.  On the other hand, however, fashion recycles itself, and current trends are always channeling styles from past decades.  The hem lines go up, they go down – it can always be correlated to some previous years’ collections.  Fashion has an inherent component of repetition.

What many articles on the Louboutin-YSL case have failed to mention is the nature of the Yves Saint Laurent red soles in question.  In the disputed collection, there are three shoe styles with red soles, and each shoe is red not only on the bottom, but all over.  The same three styles come in other single bold colors and the same uni-colored pattern applies.  This detail really changes the case from my perspective.  What is unique about the red Louboutin sole, to me – and to many others I believe, is that it stands out on each of the designer’s shoes no matter the style, height or material of the shoe.  The soles of these YSL pumps are just extensions of the entire red design of the shoe.

In any case, the fashion industry today finds itself in a sticky place.  Fashion brings life, color and variation to our lives.  How boring would it be if we all wore the exact same thing?  Fashion is fun because there is diversity, which allows for individuality.  Designers need protection from counterfeiters for their unique designers, but they also need to have the right to use the shapes, colors, patterns and cuts that they require to make new collections.  So…where do we draw the line?