Two thirds happy to buy designer rip-offs

 

By ANDREW LEVY - More by this author » Last updated at 23:42pm on 22nd July 2007 Comments

Is that Gucci bag you're carrying really a Gucci? How about that Cartier watch you're wearing?

If you've resorted to buying a fake to get your hands on that expensive designer label you crave, then you're not alone.

And a survey suggests that you'll be perfectly willing to admit that it's not the real thing.

Researchers say that up to two-thirds of us claim we are proud to buy fake goods - up 20 per cent on last year.

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Genuine article: A model wears a Burberry pashmina

 

 

Even wealthier shoppers are cashing in on the cheaper versions and are happy to have them sitting next to genuine designer goods in their wardrobes.

The market is now worth an astonishing £14billion each year, a 10 per cent increase on 2006.

Globally, the figure could be as high as £200billion. Most purchases are made at market stalls in Britain, but a large number are made abroad or come through Internet auction sites.

 

Among those known to have bought a fake is Renee Zellweger, who has admitted picking up a counterfeit handbag in Hong Kong.

The scale of black market purchases is laid bare in Counterfeiting Luxury: Exposing The Myths 2007, a report based on a survey of 2,000 British consumers. Simon Tracey, of

intellectual property law firm Davenport Lyons, which commissioned the survey, said: 'The social acceptability is a deeply concerning shift in consumer behaviour.

'Given the blance of findings in our 2007 report, the time has come to tackle the UK demand for fakes head-on.'

More than three million British adults bought fake luxury items last year. The most desirable brand was Louis Vuitton, followed by Gucci, Burberry, Tiffany, Prada, Hermes, Chanel, Dior, Yves St Laurent and Cartier.

Most popular items were clothing, then shoes, watches, leather goods and jewellery.

The market is not being fuelled solely by those unable to afford designer goods - one in five purchases was made by households earning more than £50,000. While most fakes are bought here, purchases in India and the Far East rose by around half in the past year. There were also increases in China and Europe.

Nearly a third admitted buying a fake on eBay, which has told sellers they will have to prove items are the real thing and not counterfeit.

Such goods are usually made in China, South Korea, Taiwan and South America and shipped to the Middle East or Eastern Europe to be packaged in genuine-looking boxes before being sent to Britain.

The report said nearly three-quarters of consumers would be put off buying fakes if it could result in a jail sentence - an option not available in Britain. But nearly as many said they were opposed to a crackdown and many thought criminalisation would be impossible to enforce.

Instead, Mr Tracey said, companies and the authorities needed to emphasise that the proceeds of fake goods often funded organised crime. The report said the quality of fakes is increasing all the time, making them more desirable and more difficult to spot.

Nearly a third of the population has bought a counterfeit item believing it to be the real thing and only one in six is confident they can tell the difference between a fake and the genuine article.

why would you want any of that shit anyway? it's ugly and it's a blatant waste of money, even for the fake stuff.

 

that picture was totally photoshopped and it's hilarious.

why would you want any of that shit anyway? it's ugly and it's a blatant waste of money, even for the fake stuff.

 

that picture was totally photoshopped and it's hilarious.

 

I can't understand the obsession with designer labels at all, genuine or otherwise.

It's extremely lame.;)

I can't even afford the fake ones.... :laugh3:

 

 

Almost $50 for a pair of fake designer sunglasses? I got similar ones for $5 at Old Navy.... :P

 

 

If you want something designer, might as well go for the real thing for not at all.

why would you want any of that shit anyway? it's ugly and it's a blatant waste of money, even for the fake stuff.

 

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Couldn't agree more.

 

These days, apart from work, I wear Tesco/Asda/Matalan branded goods, apart from a couple jumpers which are from BHS. Nothing designer, nothing expensive, no badges.

I don't buy designer clothes....those are way too expensive.

However, if I spot a wonderful t-shirt at Diesel, I'd seriously consider into buying it.

Couldn't agree more.

 

These days, apart from work, I wear Tesco/Asda/Matalan branded goods, apart from a couple jumpers which are from BHS. Nothing designer, nothing expensive, no badges.

 

Don't forget Aldi, Lidl and Primark.:rolleyes:

The nearest Aldi is about 40 miles away (I think), I don't like Lidl's clothes and there isn't a local primark.

I refrain from buying designer stuff.

 

It seems that people are only buying those very expensive things because of the "brand". That is just crazy.

 

The price of a pair of Prada shoes here costs as much as my tuition fee for one semester! :rolleyes:

I haven't bought any designer stuff till now, they're too expensive and yes, lots of people buy them just because of the "brand" which I think is sad. You don't have to wear designer stuff to look good, elegant, and classy. It's your attitude and how you behave that counts imo.

I haven't bought any designer stuff till now, they're too expensive and yes, lots of people buy them just because of the "brand" which I think is sad. You don't have to wear designer stuff to look good, elegant, and classy. It's your attitude and how you behave that counts imo.

 

Definitely!!:cool:

i never buy clothes with brand/designer names plastered on the front or their huge logo...i wouldn't want to be a free walking billboard for them . and i don't buy these designer goods either (fake or real)

I refrain from buying designer stuff.

 

It seems that people are only buying those very expensive things because of the "brand". That is just crazy.

 

The price of a pair of Prada shoes here costs as much as my tuition fee for one semester! :rolleyes:

 

Yes - spending that amount of money on a pair of shoes is obscene!!;)

i never buy clothes with brand/designer names plastered on the front or their huge logo...i wouldn't want to be a free walking billboard for them . and i don't buy these designer goods either (fake or real)

 

 

Kids here are not in head to toe designer stuff, but pretty much every other kid is in head to toe Hollister, Abercrombie, etc. They'll pay $40 for a tshirt that says 'Hollister' on it. And the shirt's not in the best quality either. They get holes in them easily, yet kids will still pay money for the clothes. They only got the shirt for the name on it or the little deer or bird stitched on the shirt.

 

 

It's sickening.

Kids here are not in head to toe designer stuff, but pretty much every other kid is in head to toe Hollister, Abercrombie, etc. They'll pay $40 for a tshirt that says 'Hollister' on it. And the shirt's not in the best quality either. They get holes in them easily, yet kids will still pay money for the clothes. They only got the shirt for the name on it or the little deer or bird stitched on the shirt.

 

 

It's sickening.

 

Yes - just as bad. Somebody needs to knock some sense into them!! They're fashion zombies!!:rolleyes:

I don't care if they keep dressing like that-- more power to them. I just personally find it revolting and would never dress like that. I have some originality!

I don't care if they keep dressing like that-- more power to them. I just personally find it revolting and would never dress like that. I have some originality!

 

And don't you also find it revolting that parents encourage their behaviour by giving them the money to buy these clothes?:rolleyes:

That is also revolting, but what can I do? It's not like I'm gonna stop them all from shopping there. And like I said, they could keep dressing like that, it's not gonna make me like it as time goes by.

That is also revolting, but what can I do? It's not like I'm gonna stop them all from shopping there. And like I said, they could keep dressing like that, it's not gonna make me like it as time goes by.

 

As I said, the parents are more often at fault than them.;)

Some parents actually shop there. :uhoh:

 

It's pretty scary.

 

I aunt does. I'm trying to break it to her nicely that it's not good to shop there. Even though her daughter does.

Some parents actually shop there. :uhoh:

 

It's pretty scary.

 

I aunt does. I'm trying to break it to her nicely that it's not good to shop there. Even though her daughter does.

 

:stunned:

My mom told me and I notice it myself. I'm glad my mom doesn't shop there.

My mom told me and I notice it myself. I'm glad my mom doesn't shop there.

 

I'm not surprised!

Typical California people.....:rolleyes:

Typical California people.....:rolleyes:

 

Like Paris Hilton and the Beckhams?:rolleyes: