Fake, knock-off, imitation, counterfeit… whatever you want to call it. I am the kinda person who would rather tot around an inexpensive bag and shoes from the high-street brands than wear something fake. Regardless of the price, at least I know for sure that they are originals.
It’s just sad to see how people would buy something that they call ‘high-quality fakes’ when they can get items from Guess, Aldo, Topshop, Promod etc for similar price. Does it feel good to have fake stuff on your body? And is there really such a thing as ‘high-quality fakes’?
Fake D&G belt
Do you have any idea where those fake Fendi, Gucci and LV came from?
Most counterfeit merchandises are closely linked to crime rings, child labor, and human trafficking. These handbags and shoes are made in secluded sweatshops by workers who are working long hours in poor conditions. And the most upsetting part is these workers are young children who are being forced to work hours after hours on the old, rusty sewing machine just to produce some fake Ferragamo, Chanel and Hermes. How sad is that?
According to the book ‘Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster’, the writer, Dana Thomas shares her experience in Thailand, witnessing what these poor little children have to endure. When she walked into a small sweatshop, she saw these child labors all under ten sitting on the floor assembling counterfeit leather handbags. An investigator told her that ‘the owners had broken the children’s leg and tied their lower legs to the thigh so the bones wouldn’t mend. [They] did it just because the children said they wanted to go outside and play’.
Fake Prada Shoes
Don’t tell me you didn’t just die a little bit in the inside reading that?
The law has been tightened and changes are currently taking place. LVMH for instance has succeeded in their battle against eBay for fake goods from their brands which were being sold on the website throughout the years. According to LVMH, 9 out of 10 Vuitton and Dior items displayed on eBay were counterfeits.
But still not all of these changes are positive. The counterfeit industry is still rapidly growing and they are getting better at covering their trail of crime. But the good news is people (particularly consumers) are more aware of what’s going on behind closed doors and this ‘fake habit’ has started to decline.
So just ditch the habit and try to be original. Stop buying from these criminals and when that happen, the industry will collapse and there will be no more children, sewing in the dark, weeping with their legs broken.
Next time: Spotting the fakes.
Photos from: Wikimedia Commons
But if those kids don’t do that kind of jobs, they would die because they can’t get any money to buy food. Even they have to work their asses off and get little pay, at least they can still survive. Otherwise they will have to do even worse things that you can’t even imagine. And i don’t care about the high fashion brand anyway. They are so rich but still so greedy. They have their customers paid for those products that can be sold anyway. They lose nothing.The poor will always be poor and the rich will always be rich.
It’s our choice if we don’t want to support those overpriced designer’s items as long as we don’t buy fakes either.
This is not about status or luxury. This is about doing the right thing and not to further establish the fruit of crimes.