Should knock offs knock it off?
Chinatown, New York is arguably the best place in the world to score some of the top quality designer knock offs ever made. If you could buy an identical replica of a Chanel bag worth $12,000 for under $500, would you?
I kind of swing both ways when it comes to fakes. On the one hand, I truly respect and understand the process and immeasurable efforts a designer and their team commit to when creating a collection. To see their vision get ripped off by a cheap mall store kills me and I especially take it personally as my student peers are the future of the industry.
Andrea, my extremely talented and ridiculously hard working designer sister (call me biased), spends endless hours sketching, drafting, draping, textile shopping and sewing; I would not hesitate to choke someone if they stole her designs. However, on the flipside, as much as I am a self admitted label whore, I realistically can't afford my love affair with all the luxury goods I lust after. Spending $785 on a Yves Saint Laurent cocktail ring is a dream of mine, but I sadly had to settle for a similar design from Fashion Crimes on Queen Street West (in Toronto), as it was merely $35.
Since I can't decide how I feel about knock offs and fakes, I turned to some fellow fashion students and asked them how they feel about the topic.
Kate Cameron, one of my favourite stylistas in my fashion merchandising class, is so against them.
“I fucking hate them! I'm sorry. I can't bring myself to buy them. When I think of people buying knock offs, I think they're cheaters. They're trying to nose their way into looking fashionable, but they end up looking cheap and fake,” she said.
“I really appreciate the designing process and respect their work. As a fashion student, I can see the efforts taken to create a collection and it's disrespectful to the designer. If you love a Louis Vuitton purse, save up for one! It's so rewarding and you would appreciate the item so much more knowing that you saved for it and that it's real.”
I can totally relate to Kate's thinking and agree with her to the fullest; real designer pieces are such a pleasure to own and I feel so much more honest and appreciative when I know it's real.
Fashion design student Gordon Coutts is on the same side of the fence and agrees that, “if you want to get noticed for looking trashy, get a knock off. You will get noticed for all the wrong reasons. I have no respect for people who buy knockoffs. Designer pieces are expensive for a reason; you're paying for quality, craftsmanship, materials, design and outside costs like shipping and treatments to the textiles.”
Although both Kate and Gordon feel so passionately about knock offs, some people don't really care. Lindsay Irvine expresses her carelessness.
“I think they're kind of pointless, really,” she said. “I bought a pair of fake Versace sunglasses but they broke the next day, so why bother? That was a waste of money. Even though it wasn't a lot, I still could have had the money in my pocket for something more worthwhile.”
There are still plenty of people out there who are all for knock offs, though. Rosanna Shetler, a nursing student uninvolved in the fashion industry, can see the benefit of them. “It's a good opportunity for people who can't afford designer labels to still express their love for the fashion industry. I also think there are more important things in life than designer labels, and if label lovers were to be faced with some of these life altering obstacles such as: terminal illness, divorce, catastrophic disasters, and homelessness, they would think twice about being a consumer of knock off merchandise”.
Knock offs are clearly a subject that offer two strong viewpoints and I can really see both sides of it. While designers and insiders of the fashion industry deserve to sell their collections without other stores ripping them off, everyday people who like the trends still want a piece of the pie. These stores making replicas of designer garments simply want to mimic the fashion frenzy created by couture houses, and ,after all, copying is the most sincere form of flattery. Just please, don't ask me if my Yves Saint Laurent wallet is real. . . I REALLY appreciate it!
I kind of swing both ways when it comes to fakes. On the one hand, I truly respect and understand the process and immeasurable efforts a designer and their team commit to when creating a collection. To see their vision get ripped off by a cheap mall store kills me and I especially take it personally as my student peers are the future of the industry.
Andrea, my extremely talented and ridiculously hard working designer sister (call me biased), spends endless hours sketching, drafting, draping, textile shopping and sewing; I would not hesitate to choke someone if they stole her designs. However, on the flipside, as much as I am a self admitted label whore, I realistically can't afford my love affair with all the luxury goods I lust after. Spending $785 on a Yves Saint Laurent cocktail ring is a dream of mine, but I sadly had to settle for a similar design from Fashion Crimes on Queen Street West (in Toronto), as it was merely $35.
Since I can't decide how I feel about knock offs and fakes, I turned to some fellow fashion students and asked them how they feel about the topic.
Kate Cameron, one of my favourite stylistas in my fashion merchandising class, is so against them.
“I fucking hate them! I'm sorry. I can't bring myself to buy them. When I think of people buying knock offs, I think they're cheaters. They're trying to nose their way into looking fashionable, but they end up looking cheap and fake,” she said.
“I really appreciate the designing process and respect their work. As a fashion student, I can see the efforts taken to create a collection and it's disrespectful to the designer. If you love a Louis Vuitton purse, save up for one! It's so rewarding and you would appreciate the item so much more knowing that you saved for it and that it's real.”
I can totally relate to Kate's thinking and agree with her to the fullest; real designer pieces are such a pleasure to own and I feel so much more honest and appreciative when I know it's real.
Fashion design student Gordon Coutts is on the same side of the fence and agrees that, “if you want to get noticed for looking trashy, get a knock off. You will get noticed for all the wrong reasons. I have no respect for people who buy knockoffs. Designer pieces are expensive for a reason; you're paying for quality, craftsmanship, materials, design and outside costs like shipping and treatments to the textiles.”
Although both Kate and Gordon feel so passionately about knock offs, some people don't really care. Lindsay Irvine expresses her carelessness.
“I think they're kind of pointless, really,” she said. “I bought a pair of fake Versace sunglasses but they broke the next day, so why bother? That was a waste of money. Even though it wasn't a lot, I still could have had the money in my pocket for something more worthwhile.”
There are still plenty of people out there who are all for knock offs, though. Rosanna Shetler, a nursing student uninvolved in the fashion industry, can see the benefit of them. “It's a good opportunity for people who can't afford designer labels to still express their love for the fashion industry. I also think there are more important things in life than designer labels, and if label lovers were to be faced with some of these life altering obstacles such as: terminal illness, divorce, catastrophic disasters, and homelessness, they would think twice about being a consumer of knock off merchandise”.
Knock offs are clearly a subject that offer two strong viewpoints and I can really see both sides of it. While designers and insiders of the fashion industry deserve to sell their collections without other stores ripping them off, everyday people who like the trends still want a piece of the pie. These stores making replicas of designer garments simply want to mimic the fashion frenzy created by couture houses, and ,after all, copying is the most sincere form of flattery. Just please, don't ask me if my Yves Saint Laurent wallet is real. . . I REALLY appreciate it!
