{"id":31,"date":"2023-06-02T18:18:01","date_gmt":"2023-06-02T18:18:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shoeleathermagazine.com\/2023\/?p=31"},"modified":"2024-01-16T22:53:53","modified_gmt":"2024-01-16T22:53:53","slug":"to-dupe-or-not-to-dupe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shoeleathermagazine.com\/2023\/to-dupe-or-not-to-dupe\/","title":{"rendered":"To Dupe or Not to Dupe?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo by Benjamin Williams on Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This spring I was determined to find a knockoff of the Prada Re-Edition 2005 bag and I knew Canal Street, on the edge of New York\u2019s Chinatown, was just the place to get it. On a sunny Saturday afternoon, some friends and I took the C train downtown. The Canal Street subway station was cramped and dingy\u2014a harbinger of what lay ahead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Up on the street, the sidewalks were packed to the brim with people. As we walked through the district, known for its counterfeit items, I tried to avoid awkward encounters with street sellers offering me fake Louis Vuitton wallets and bracelets. I was amazed at how much existed in one street: counterfeit clothing and accessories, grams of weed, Chinese restaurants, a McDonalds. It felt like several worlds squished into a single mile.<\/span><\/p>\n

Overwhelmed with options, I scoured through sellers to find the best counterfeit Prada purse\u2014an iconic handbag that was re-released a couple of years ago by the Italian house and quickly became the \u201cit-bag\u201d of the moment.\u00a0 I looked through items that were displayed gently on a blanket-covered floor, in case a police officer came by and the seller needed to pick everything up and run. There were hundreds of options, although none of them were what I was after. I found a couple with lopsided \u201cPrada\u201d logos and some colors that the original bags aren’t even offered in. All the while, a crowd of shoppers breathed over my shoulders and slowly pushed me out of the way for their turn to look. In hopes of finding a great knockoff, I continued on my search.<\/span><\/p>\n

As I walked, several women came up to me, whispering, \u201cDo you want a bag?\u201d Caught off-guard and a bit frightened, I said no. In the movies, I had only ever seen people go to sellers, I\u2019d never expected sellers to come and find you instead. I didn’t want to be scammed while trying to find a scam. I quickly realized, however, that many serious sellers have stopped openly selling on the street. New York City has been <\/span>cracking down on counterfeits<\/span><\/a> lately, and this was sellers’ way of coping with the changing times. I told the next woman who came up to me that I was interested in looking at what she was selling, and she quickly handed me a pamphlet of all the items she sold. It was more like a menu, really. I saw every bag, hat, wallet and bracelet she had at her disposal, and all I would have to say were the magic words: \u201cI want this one.\u201d If she didn’t have an item I wanted, she would take me to what seemed to be a business partner\u2014a neighboring saleswoman with more options.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Once I picked out my purse, we bargained. She wanted $80 for the fake Prada but I said, \u201cI\u2019m not paying $80 for a bag I can get somewhere else for $35.\u201d Which was true. I began looking at the other seller across the street when all of a sudden the woman whispered, \u201c$40.\u201d I nodded and she quickly ran away to an unknown location. While waiting I got anxious\u2014buying counterfeit goods felt illegal, though apparently in New York it\u2019s not. It also felt morally wrong. Soon she returned with a black trash bag containing my contraband Prada. She quickly left me and disappeared into the crowd of people. Once my deal concluded, my friends and I left with my black trash bag feeling triumphant but dirty. An experience that is so quintessentially New York City made me feel trashy, just like my shopping bag.<\/span><\/p>\n

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These days, though, Canal Street is far from the only option for those seeking knockoffs.\u00a0 Instead of scouring through blankets on a street squished by people, feeling overpowered by the smell of a joint, you can now simply walk into a retail store and instead of buying a counterfeit, buy a dupe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, a retail store. Why? Because dupes are perfectly legal to buy and sell.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dupes. You\u2019ve definitely heard of them. They\u2019re everywhere: Tiktok, magazines, websites, the Washington Post. It sometimes seems as if dupes are more popular than their originals. But what exactly are dupes and, most importantly, how are they legal if counterfeits are not?<\/span><\/p>\n

The term \u2018dupe\u2019 was <\/span>coined<\/span><\/a> several years ago to describe duplicates. There are dupes for everything now. Clothes, beauty, accessories, home goods, kitchen gadgets \u2013 you name it, there’s a dupe. Most notably, however, dupes are dominating the fashion industry. Fast fashion brands like Zara, H&M and Shein sell mostly duped items from big fashion brands like Dior, Chanel, Gucci and more. The Prada bag I so desperately sought on Canal Street now exists as a dupe at an <\/span>H&M<\/span><\/a> store.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dupes have become a new way to shop, dress, buy and sell, with their popularity reaching new heights on a weekly basis. Thanks to social media apps, dupes boomed during the coronavirus pandemic. While people were stuck at home, they turned to Tiktok and Instagram to shop. However, big luxury brands weren\u2019t focusing on advertising their items on these platforms.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, influencers and \u2018Tiktokers\u2019 were promoting their impromptu cheap Covid purchases. During the pandemic, people didn’t have the luxury (or the displeasure) of going down to Canal Street and looking for a counterfeit. So, instead, the internet popularized these \u201cdupes\u201d that look the same as an original item without technically being a counterfeit.\u00a0 With nothing else to do, might as well buy a dupe.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Do the best dupes<\/span><\/a>” \u201c<\/span>There\u2019s a better dupe<\/span><\/a>,\u201d and \u201c<\/span>Designer Dupes<\/span><\/a>\u201d are all titles of Tiktoks promoting dupe purchases. Most of the people promoting their purchases, however, touted the price. Because not many people can pay $600 for a belt, they\u2019ve turned to alternatives. Fast fashion brands have made a point to duplicate items too expensive for many people to buy. This same $600 belt will probably be sold for $40 at Zara\u2014and it will sell out in minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re looking for a literal carbon copy of the dress but for a cheaper price,\u201d said CT Jones, who <\/span>wrote about dupes for Rolling Stone<\/span><\/a>. Although a dupe lacks the logo that comes with an item, it’s essentially the same thing. \u201cThey do not care about the actual dress, they just want the look of it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This idea of a \u201cmicro trend,\u201d one that arises quickly and for such a small amount of time, accelerates dupes\u2019 popularity. Normal trends last a couple of months, maybe even a year. A micro trend, however, lasts a couple of weeks to a month, forcing people to jump on the bandwagon before it fizzles out. \u201cThe mode of consumption is accelerating and TikTok is helping it,\u201d says Jones. With the rise of TikTok, where 60 seconds is already a painfully long video, people are getting more impatient by the day. Once a trend is solidified, the next week people are rushing to buy what is new.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Although designers essentially create long-term trends, their items are too expensive for a lot of people to buy. Designers and luxury fashion companies like Chanel, Dior, and Prada create designs that eventually trickle down to the fast fashion companies. Although this usually happens quickly, micro trends are so accelerated that by the time it gets to cheaper alternatives, people don’t want them instantly anymore, creating more of a long term trend.\u00a0 So people resort to quicker trends that are created on social media and are sold by these fast fashion brands, whether they be small or large.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOn the one hand, they\u2019re using TikTok to grow this brand. But at the same time,\u201d said Jones in our interview, \u201cyou\u2019re promoting Amazon to make a cheaper version of the dress.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Kelsey Kotzur, a TikTok Influencer with more than 150,000 followers, promotes dupes, and enjoys them herself. Because of their popularity, Kotzur\u2019s videos on dupes gain more views, comments and attention than her other types of videos.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI am all about dupes,\u201d said Kotzur, as she raved about her duped Bottega Veneta Jodie bag that she got for $20 on Amazon. \u201cI am trying not to waste my money.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kotzur said she couldn\u2019t afford the real Bottega bag so she decided to take the plunge and find a cheap dupe, which to her surprise, has turned out to be a great purchase. The bag has made it through a couple of years, including trips and nights out, without a scratch.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dupes are almost identical to the original item, but go for less than half of the price. A lot of people see dupes as a great solution to accelerating fashion trend cycles. If you were to keep up with these insanely paced trend cycles, you\u2019d be having to pay thousands and thousands of dollars to stay afloat. Dupes are the perfect solution for that conundrum.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow is everyone supposed to keep up all the time?\u201d asked Kotzur. \u201cJust the other day I bought this Orseund Iris top and it was so expensive. The next day, I went with my friend and she had the same top from Abercrombie.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dupes are taking the world by storm and have successfully differentiated themselves from their counterfeit siblings. Although counterfeits are taboo and kept hush-hush, dupes are sold at chain stores, advertised on social media, and recommended to others. Kotzur says that the \u201cOrseund Iris top was $300 and I would\u2019ve happily bought the Abercrombie version which was $60.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The majority of dupe culture\u2019s popularity comes from social media, specifically TikTok. Kotzur says that her videos focused on the way dupes perform better and garner more views than her other videos. \u201cI see a lot of people saving those videos,\u201d Kotzur said. The posts are usually flooded with comments like, \u201cOmg I\u2019m screenshotting this,\u201d or \u201cWhere can I find the link to buy?\u201d People are going crazy over dupes, and it seems like it’s become an addictive way to shop. In my interview with CT Jones, they declared that it is selfish, and that we think we are entitled to owning everything. On the other hand, Kotzur says it breaks down barriers that were created in luxury fashion and it therefore promotes more accessibility in the fashion industry. Kotzur even believes that \u201cdupes are never going away.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Real Prada (left)<\/i><\/div>\n

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Fake Prada (right)<\/i><\/div>\n

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Once I got home, I took a closer look at my Prada Re-Edition bag, or rather Chinatown\u2019s own \u201cRe-Edition\u201d bag. I started examining its shape and build. At first glance, there were no discrepancies. My black, nylon bag looked as if I\u2019d spent $1,500 at Prada\u2019s store on Fifth Avenue. It was the same black color, it had the same Prada logo, same strap, and same decorative detailing. Inside a nightclub with dim lighting, no one would notice. However, on close inspection, I could see that the Prada logo it so fearlessly wears on the front has the p and r letters spread too far apart. It almost reads P \u00a0 RADA instead of the actual PRADA. The strap handle has a cardboard-quality fabric that almost feels like it scrapes you when you put it over your shoulder. And of course, the decorative detail outlining the name of the bag wasn\u2019t even spelled correctly, instead reading \u201cR-Edition.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I decided to compare my counterfeit Chinatown bag with a dupe. Because dupes are in fact legal, I strolled to a store I knew would carry the same style. Steve Madden was just the place. I noticed the bag at the back of the store, styled next to some bright green heels that give Bottega Veneta\u2019s same heels a run for their money.\u00a0 I saw the bag was essentially the exact same thing as Prada\u2019s\u2014same color, build, style, strap; the only thing it was missing was Prada\u2019s logo. Its\u00a0 quality was the same as Chinatown\u2019s bag, and I participated in a completely innocent act of buying a copy right inside of one of America\u2019s largest shoe retail stores for $84.<\/span><\/p>\n

Both bags, dupe and counterfeit, are successful in their goal to deceive. As previously mentioned, anyone a couple feet away would mistake my duped bag from Steve Madden as the real Re-Edition Prada bag. So then why buy the original in the first place? While counterfeit knockoffs are taboo and frowned upon, Gen-Z has created its own loophole.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe big thing about these brand items is not that you’re buying it because it’s necessarily fancy and looks good,\u201d said Anthony Velez, a renowned luxury goods authenticator and the owner of Bagriculture, a luxury goods authentication company based in New York. \u201cYou\u2019re also buying the warranty and the guarantee of craftsmanship.\u201d Velez has seen his fair share of luxury handbags, from my Prada Re-Edition to Louis Vuitton to Hermes\u2019 Brikins.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhether it’s fake or unlicensed, it is the same exact thing,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The terms dupe and knockoff, along with pirated and counterfeit, have been used interchangeably for decades, as confirmed by Douglas Hand, a fashion lawyer and partner at the law firm Hand, Baldachin & Amburgey LLP. He says that when dealing with cases regarding copying and stealing, all terms are essentially the same. It\u2019s only outside the courthouse that the two terms have recently separated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDupes are just a clever way to market the counterfeits,\u201d said Velez, because at the end of the day, the bag being duped or ripped off will not have the guarantee that these luxury brands are known for. With a real bag, you can have your bag\u2019s leather replaced, the hardware fixed and other repairs or alterations it may need.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because this luxurious guarantee comes with a hefty price tag that not everyone can afford, a counterfeit at times seems like a clever choice. \u201cIt is a status symbol,\u201d says Velez, \u201cif someone thinks it’s real, they may treat you differently.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Historically, that has been the driving force behind the knockoff industry, as seen in pop culture like <\/span>Sex and the City<\/span><\/i>. It has, however, always been something frowned upon or to be ashamed of. With the rise of a tech-savvy and defiant generation, Gen Z popularized a different way\u2014the dupe.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gen Z has successfully created a way in which we can enjoy nice items without an enormous price tag. At Steve Madden, I wasn\u2019t the only one looking for that Prada bag. There were a couple of other girls trying to get their hands on that same bag, and in different colors. Once the item has been bought and secured, they proceed to talk about what a great bargain it was. I mean, a Prada Re-edition for $80? Who wouldn\u2019t think that was a steal?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The images above show the difference between the counterfeit Prada bag (the black nylon to the left) and the authentic Prada bag (the nude bag to the right). At first glance, they look identical, regardless of color and texture. However, on closer look, the logo on the counterfeit bag is too big and has weird spacing between the letters. The logo on the inside of the bag is also entirely different, with the authentic bag’s logo engraved in metal and the counterfeit logo stamped on a piece of fake leather. The inside of the authentic Prada bag is lined with satin, elevating the bag’s price, while the inside of the counterfeit bag has no lining.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Aren\u2019t dupes just glorified knockoffs? Well, no. A knockoff is an exact replica and\/or copy of an original trademarked item. For example, you can buy a black Boy Chanel handbag that retails for $6,000 for $40 on Canal Street.\u00a0 Same design, color and logo. The knockoff version actively impersonates the Chanel bag, while the dupe just resembles it. According to Jones, \u201ca common version of a dupe is something that takes a designer item and then mimics it to a point of outright copy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While selling a fake handbag is illegal, dupes are perfectly legal, and sometimes even encouraged by other users on social media. Why buy Bottega Veneta\u2019s Jodie Bag for $2,700 when you can buy Zara or Amazon\u2019s dupe for $20? Why the discrepancy between reactions for knockoffs versus dupes? Jones says that dupes are \u201csubverting the narrative of what is taboo,\u201d and I mean, it’s essentially the same thing without saying they’re the same thing. But that’s just it \u2013 one of them says what they\u2019re pretending to be, while the other is secretive about it.<\/span><\/p>\n

While knockoffs are illegal and sellers can face prison sentences between five and 20 years, dupes fall in the gray area of trademark and copyright law outside the influence of lawyers and brands. Douglas Hand says that designs themselves aren’t protected under current intellectual property law. \u201cWhat Zara and H&M do isn\u2019t illegal,\u201d says Hand. \u201cThey may look identical to those designs, but the designs themselves are not protectable under current intellectual property law.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

To understand\u00a0 dupes, one must understand trademark law.\u00a0 Trademarks protect manufacturers, designers and creators from having their creations copied insofar as they\u2019re identified with a distinguishing marker, such as a brand name, logo or slogan. So when you see a $6,000 Boy Chanel Bag with the double crossed C\u2019s on the opening clutch, know those C\u2019s are trademarked. Since dupes circumvent these distinguishing markers, retailers are able to use the same design as the Chanel bag, without using the double crossed C\u2019s. The dupe is a bag that looks like Chanel, without it pretending to be Chanel.<\/span><\/p>\n

A trademark is infringed upon when another person uses a device (or a mark) so as to confuse or deceive. Sellers across New York City selling Gucci wallets and Rolex watches on sidewalk blankets are all infringing on trademark law\u00a0 because their products aren\u2019t actually produced by Gucci or Rolex, yet they still use their logos. Hand says that \u201cunless there is a feature of those designs that’s been trademarked, like Louboutin\u2019s red sole, it isn\u2019t illegal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\n<\/span>In other words, since dupes aren’t using logos on their items or any other trademarked identity \u2013 like Christian Louboutin\u2019s red sole or Tiffany and Co\u2019s blue boxes and bags\u2014they’re not infringing on anyone\u2019s trademark. Trademarks protect the manufacturer from having their word, phrase, symbol, product shape or logo used without their consent. Dupes don\u2019t appropriate any logos; instead they copy designs.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

Many people around the world buy dupes for the design and general look of the item. The logo has nothing to do with it. \u201cIt\u2019s a cute version of what I wanted it to look like,\u201d says Kotzur about her duped Bottega Veneta bag.\u00a0 Although you would think designs are also protected, United States law doesn\u2019t really protect designers from their ideas being copied. In this case, trademark law and infringement have nothing to do with it; instead, dupes are majorly concerned with copyright law.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Copyright is a form of protection granted in the U.S. Constitution for \u201coriginal works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression.\u201d This includes \u201cliterary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works.\u201d I know what you\u2019re thinking: can\u2019t fashion designs be copyrighted? Well actually, no.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fashion isn\u2019t considered to be art or creative expression in the eyes of the law. Fashion is considered more as its general function \u2013 as clothing. Clothes are something we all need; they are a basic human necessity.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor fashion, specifically talking apparel, it becomes very hard to think of a non-functional design feature\u201d says Hand. He says that even though a designer might create a cool opening on a piece of clothing, it still has a functional element: \u201cit’s where your head goes through.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The law sees clothes as having a utilitarian purpose rather than being about artistic expression. We all need clothes, and if the United States were to copyright clothes, no one would be able to afford them. Hand says that the law does not see clothes as a form of art or creative creation. And, thanks to the Geneva Conventions, most European countries agree and follow U.S. copyright laws. So there\u2019s no escaping for these designers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIntellectual property law wants people to have choices amongst functional items,\u201d says Hand about copyright, \u201ctherefore every brand can use the same collar width\u2014like Burberry\u2019s for example.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Even if designer Manolo Blahnik wanted to copyright his classic Hangisi heels, he couldn\u2019t, because the law thinks having heels is utilitarian and necessary. In simple terms: the law doesn’t recognize fashion as art, it’s just seen as clothes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I doubt the founding fathers of the United States really thought about fashion\u2019s development when coming up with copyright and its limits, although I think they would\u2019ve allowed for some revision. I mean, who would\u2019ve thought that people would be taking advantage of this gap in the law to make copies of other people\u2019s designs to sell at a fifth of the price?<\/span><\/p>\n

As with every rule there will be exceptions. One way something in fashion could be copyrighted is when \u201ca portion of your clothing, if taken off the clothing, could independently meet the requirements of copyright protection.\u201d For example, the \u201cVan Cleef & Arpels material\u201d has been copyrighted because the materials they use for their pendants, even if seen without the necklace, are very clearly Van Cleef & Arpel. Brands can copyright certain fabrics or patterns, although it’s rare. Many fabrics and patterns look similar, which makes this whole thing even trickier. This gray area is called <\/span>fair use.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Dupes fall into this gray area. Fair use falls under copyright law and is a doctrine which allows some leeway in copyright. It has some parameters, but for the most part, it allows people to wiggle around copyrighted items. Thereby spawning the dawn of the dupe during the pandemic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fair use describes the nylon material on my Prada dupe, for example, so making a black nylon bag is legal. Because the design of my bag was never copyrighted, companies like H&M and Steve Madden are perfectly able to use black nylon and recreate the same bag, without the Prada logo. Thereby creating a Prada Re-Edition 2005 dupe bag.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fair use allows brands to sell products as long as these brands are not deliberately causing any consumer confusion. In the U.S. Supreme Court case<\/span> KP Permanent Makeup Inc., v. Lasting Impression I, Inc,<\/span><\/i> the court found that the defendant was not causing any customer confusion. The burden of proving that there was indeed confusion lies on the entity holding that trademark, and in this specific case, KP Permanent Makeup Inc. was not able to prove that there was any confusion from the defendant\u2019s use of the term \u201cmicrocolor\u201dto describe their permanent makeup \u201ccolor pigment.\u201d This happens as well with dupes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dupes never use the logo from the items they are copying, and therefore cannot be said to cause confusion. Counterfeits cause confusion, not dupes. Although counterfeited items are illegal to sell, dupes are a nice and cost friendly way to continue keeping up with trends and designers. And the best part \u2014 it’s totally legal.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Because of dupes\u2019 gray area, luxury brands aren\u2019t the only ones affected. In fact, most luxury brands don\u2019t have the time, money, or care to crack down on all the dupes that are counterfeits roaming in the world. Their profits alone make them cushioned enough to forget about those pretending to be Louis Vuitton, or in my case, Prada.<\/span><\/p>\n

A high-up employee at Prada, who asked to remain anonymous, told me that her company isn\u2019t worried about knockoffs or dupes, saying that the people buying those dupes are aspirational clients but it doesn\u2019t interfere with their business because their client base is so strong. I mean, it does make sense. People continuously buying thousands of dollars worth of items aren\u2019t really in the market for dupes. \u201cIt\u2019s not even really an issue for us,\u201d says the Prada employee. When luxury brands see these counterfeits and dupes, they don\u2019t see competition.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the Prada employee does say the dupes are pretty bad. \u201cI\u2019ve seen the baseball caps,\u201d says the employee about her brand\u2019s famous accessory, \u201cI\u2019ve seen that the logo is basically on the forehead while ours goes behind the ear.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not really something that crosses our mind because our brand integrity is so strong,\u201d continued the Prada employee about her company and its clientele. Luxury brands aren\u2019t worried about dupes and their increasing popularity because of their loyal customers. People spend thousands of dollars to get an original item; a lot of the people buying dupes, according to the employee at Prada, were never going to be in the same market.<\/span><\/p>\n

Apart from that guarantee buying a luxury item grants you, you also get that piece of mind of having the best quality possible. \u201cOf course the price point at our company is much higher,\u201d says the Prada employee. \u201cThere is excellent client service and after care that, you know, you do not get at these fast fashion brands.\u201d Dupes, on the other hand, are made from cheap fabrics, and usually in unethical ways. <\/span>Elle Australia<\/span><\/i> recently published an article titled \u201c<\/span>Why Is Shein So Bad? The Fast Fashion Brand, Explained<\/span><\/a>\u201d confronting Shein, the Chinese fast fashion conglomerate about their unethical labor practices when making duped items. The writer, Ava Gilchrist, listed the key issues at hand with the brand, like how a 2021 sustainability and social impact report reported that a whopping 66% of their suppliers\u2019 factories \u201cviolated their code of conduct.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s almost like imitation is a form of flattery,\u201d says the employee at Prada about dupes. But while her company has the privilege of not worrying, smaller brands and designers don’t have that same luxury and comfort.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Meg Cohen, the designer of her namesake brand, felt victimized and powerless when faced with that situation. \u201cIn 1992, I developed a scarf at an English factory that they had never made before,\u201d says Cohen. Her cashmere scarf has fringes on the length of both sides, not just on the ends. \u201cA few years later, I got a call from my mill that someone from Burberry had bought one of my scarves and sent it to a factory to manufacture it in their pattern.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was featured in <\/span>British Vogue<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>Harper\u2019s Bazaar<\/span><\/i> for my Double-Fringed Scarf,\u201d says Cohen, proud to have been able to show off her creation at the time. \u201cI was the first person to do this scarf.\u201d In fact, the scarf was so successful that Paul Smith, a major English brand, wanted to buy Cohen\u2019s stock of the scarf. In only a matter of months, Cohen started selling her scarf at different stores like Bergdorf Goodman and Barney\u2019s and, in London, at Brown\u2019s, Paul Smith and Harvey Nicols. Her destiny, however, was that much more shocking.<\/span><\/p>\n

Burberry, a global luxury brand estimated to be worth around $10 billion, overmatched Cohen. For Cohen to sue Burberry for stealing her design and essentially being \u201cduped,\u201d she would have to have spent thousands of dollars, plus time, and physical and emotional distress. Because her small company couldn\u2019t afford that, she was forced to let it go. \u201cI didn\u2019t know what to do,\u201d says Cohen, \u201cI kind of froze.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Her predicament reflects that of most small brands and designers; they tend to be the most ripped off, or duped, because they can\u2019t afford to fight back. Worst of all, no one notices because they aren\u2019t as well known, making them more susceptible to theft. Cohen\u2019s good friends at the time, Andy and Kate Spade, were the ones to break the news to Cohen about her scarf finally being available for sale as a dupe. Cohen said the three were having a drink in Paris when all of a sudden they told her they had seen her scarf at Burberry. \u201cKate Spade was upset they knocked me off too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At the time, developing a new type of scarf was a difficult task. However, Cohen had managed to do it. Her Double-Fringed Scarf was a best-seller\u2014for Burberry, that is. The English brand sold millions of dollars of what they labeled their Happy Scarf.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey basically knocked me off,\u201d says Cohen about Burberry. \u201cIt takes a long time to come up with a good idea.\u201d Now she says sees copies of it everywhere \u2014she says that Burberry\u2019s version has been duped as well. \u201cUnfortunately, it happens a lot,\u201d says Cohen, who adds she was just shocked it happened so quickly. \u201cPeople started copying Burberry not knowing it was my design.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/div>\n

Burberry\u2019s theft of Cohen\u2019s Double-Fringed Scarf design was one way to \u2018dupe.\u2019 As much as fast-fashion brands are at the forefront of copying and selling luxury items at a fraction of the price, luxury brands are also to blame. Like Cohen, many small designers are preyed on by global brands. Smaller brands are also targeted by fast-fashion companies. Marcelo Gaia, the owner and designer of the brand Mirror Palais, was fed up with his duped Fairy Dress selling on Amazon for a low price with cheap quality. Gaia turned to TikTok to vent their frustrations in a video.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In <\/span>a video<\/span><\/a> where they stitched another TikToker\u2019s video about someone shaming dupes, Gaia says \u201cit\u2019s definitely f****d up for any company to be selling direct knockoffs of another company\u2019s product, especially a small business.\u201d Dupe culture has gotten out of hand; dupes have completely turned into blatant copies. They are made in sweatshops and are straight-up copying designs. \u201cSomeone is slaving away over these recreations of my dresses and probably being paid really unfairly and probably working in really bad conditions,\u201d says Gaia in their video. Dupes are slowly finding their way back to their original meaning: being a knockoff.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Because of dupes\u2019 ridiculousness, TikTok has created a sub-trend where people find humorous dupes for basic items to make fun of the people who are avid \u201cdupe buyers.\u201d Today, people will buy white socks that look like Alo Yoga\u2019s white socks and will call white socks a \u201cdupe.\u201d Since when have white plain socks been a dupe? They\u2019re just socks. In response to this, people have started making fun of dupes by calling them \u201cdooops\u201d and will make videos like a phone being a dupe for a computer, or a Lexus being a dupe for a Mercedes-Benz, to name a few. At Target or Walmart, videos of people finding funny dupes for other random items have become viral. The dupe slowly creeps back to its shameful place.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Will dupes suffer the same social fate as counterfeits? Only time\u2014and TikTok\u2014will tell.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This spring I was determined to find a knockoff of the Prada Re-Edition 2005 bag and I knew Canal Street, on the edge of New York\u2019s Chinatown, was just the place to get it. On a sunny Saturday afternoon, some friends and I took the C train downtown. The Canal Street subway station was cramped […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":97,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[3,2],"class_list":{"0":"post-31","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all","8":"tag-culture","9":"tag-fashion","10":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTo Dupe or Not to Dupe? - Shoeleather Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A new category of fashion purchases has arisen to challenge the counterfeit. 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