Edited by Lester Brathwaite
Counterfeiting continues to be a booming business, but knock-offs got a knock on Thursday when the Manhattan Federal Court ruled in favor of Burberry Ltd. against an online network of Chinese counterfeiters.
Edited by Lester Brathwaite
- Brace yourself, kids. An UGG that does not fly in the face of all that is good and stylish in the world. [Refinery29]
- Karl Lagerfeld, because he has a few spare seconds on his hands, will draw political cartoons for French Elle. [WWD]
- Who wants to see drunk celebrities making out in Vanity Fair‘s Oscars Photo Booth? Note that Diddy chose to go it alone since he and his ego have been in a committed relationship for the better part of a decade. [Vanity Fair]
Edited by Lester Brathwaite
- As expected, The Baby Blue Ivy Carter is already balling out of control. [NY Post]
Edited by Lester Brathwaite
After employing private investigators to visit warehouses and purchase fake handbags over the course of two years, Burberry and Louis Vuitton will receive a combined $2.5 million from three Canadian companies that knocked off their goods.
Edited by Jessica Lapidos
The devil doesn’t wear Prada. The devil wears fake Prada. Counterfeiting in the fashion industry accounts for over $250 billion in losses for businesses, not to mention drug trafficking, terrorism and the most despicable labor conditions on the planet. Harper’s Bazaar and the City of New York are both taking action against this heinous smirch on fashion.
Edited by Josh Linam
Fake Ugg makers should be shaking in their pseudo-suede booties. Ugg Australia just released its anti-counterfeiting report, and the results are staggering.
Edited by Josh Linam
Last week the Feds seized $100,000 worth of imitation goods in Abilene, Texas.
Sadly, this will NOT send a message to counterfeiters.
Known for rodeos and corn conversations at the local Wal-Mart, Abilene isn’t exactly a fashion capital of the world.
Edited by Amanda Gabriele
Knockoff designers better keep their eyes on their own tests because the Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill today that would give copyright protection to clothing designs.
Edited by Hillary Frazier
Louboutin booties for 207$? Dream on. As I’ve now learned from The NY Daily News, if you think crazy markdowns are too good to be true, they probably are. Yes, we all know that sites like Bluefly.com, Guiltgroup, and Hautelook give great deals on designer clothing and shoes (Bluefly sells Louboutin for $200-$1100), but these deals are legit, and the shoes are manufactured in Louboutin factories, not sweatshops in China or Thailand.
Each year, $600 Billion counterfeit products are sold, causing a $512 Billion loss in global sales. And each year, Harper’s Bazaar runs an editorial investigation on fake trade, and the significance of purchasing authentic luxury products. They’ve put together a site called Fakes Are Never In Fashion, to help readers learn the dangers of buying fake, and how to be sure you’re buying the real deal. There’s also a blog called Counterfeit Chic, that tips off online shoppers to fakes, and Lululemon even posted on their site a 9 step how-to for spotting their fakes on the web and on the street.
You may think that buying fakes isn’t a big deal, just a more affordable way to get designer(ish) goods, but aside from being illegal, and costing billions of dollars to the retail industry, most of these goods are produced overseas in sweatshops, under disturbing conditions. NY Daily News reported:
“In a recent sweatshop raid in Thailand, a group of children, all under 10 years old, was found assembling leather purses. Horrifyingly, their limbs had been deliberately broken to keep them from escaping. The owners had tied their lower legs to their thighs so the bones wouldn’t mend.”
After reading this, I’ll never for a second consider following one of the vendors on Canal street down a dark alley or into a shady apartment, and even though I can’t afford luxury designers, I’ll save my money for Portero or Bag Borrow or Steal or buy vintage styles or from a good boutique that’s more in my price range.
Many people might see buying fakes as a harmless crime, but when you think about who is making these fakes, think twice before you buy. You may think you’re ‘sticking it to the man’ by buying ripped off designs, but you’re basically telling the evil man that it’s okay to use and abuse children to make your fake Louis Vuitton handbags and Jimmy Choo shoes. Get smart, and if you can’t afford luxury items, look somewhere else!
Edited by Rebecca Alexander
Hermès International scored a court victory Wednesday against eBay for selling counterfeit luxury goods.
Quoting a judgment from France’s Tribunal de Grande Instance in Troyes, Hermès said eBay, plus the individual seller, had “committed acts of counterfeit” and “prejudice” against it by failing to monitor the authenticity of goods being sold on its Web site.
In a verdict billed as a first in France, it is understood eBay was ordered to pay 20,000 euros, or $31,058 at current exchange, in damages, though Hermès declined to confirm the amount.
In a statement, Hermès said the win marks “an important step in the fight against counterfeiting.”
EBay said it takes counterfeiting seriously and since the Hermès case was brought has put new procedures in place to fight it by more closely scrutinizing sellers.
Europe’s luxury players are becoming increasingly vigilant in the fight against fakes.
As reported, Christian Dior was awarded 150,000 euros, or around $230,000, in damages last April when it won a case against the French budget jewelry chain Camille & Lucie for peddling a style resembling the floral Diorette ring.
Source: WWD
