At some point in our lives, we’ve all found ourselves lounging on the beach sipping a cocktail, only to be approached by a joyful chap providing out some sunglasses, sneakers, purses… the list goes on. For some, copping a pair of “Ray-Bans” for five quid is a no brainer, while others may scoff at the idea and send the man on his merry way without so much as a thank you, next.
The reality of the situation is that the counterfeit fashion ring is worth over $461 billion. one of the most significant epidemics in the industry, it affects not only luxury brands, but sportswear and high street sellers too. In fact, this October, police in America seized $2.2 million worth of fake Nike sneakers which were intercepted from China. some of Nike’s rarest silhouettes were fraudulently developed and found in the shipment, including limited-edition Off-White x Jordan 1s. proof of how in demand fakes are, the rise of fake fashion directly correlates with the boosted popularity of social media.
Image through CBS News/US Customs and border Protection
Not only does social media encourage a certain lifestyle and shame those who can’t afford to keep up with that lifestyle, it promotes and delivers counterfeit-fashion sellers ideal to your feed. Making it simpler than ever to get your hands on a pair of premium fake sneakers, people are able to keep up with the most recent trends at a fraction of the price.
In a study for The Guardian on the effect of cyberbullying, Lucy Russell, campaign manager at plan International, said that online “girls are being told what to wear, how to look to shut up about their opinions.” With so much pressure for the younger generation to stay on trend, why wouldn’t they log on to IG and get a pair?
Fake supreme shop in China. image through NSS Magazine.
It’s not just the desire to “fit in”, social media is making us all a lot more receptive as consumers, even to the idea of fakes. recent studies confirm what we already know – social media is addictive. liking messages online, and people liking your posts, activates your brain’s reward centre. This is what makes scrolling through your feed so pleasurable and what keeps you hitting that revitalize button. As we become a lot more dependent on social media, it becomes simpler to absorb a ton of information without really noticing! We even get into the idea that whatever celebs are wearing need to be the real deal because, well, they’re rich, right?
Well, YouTuber Yeezy Busta has busted A-listers from rich the kid and Soulja kid to Zac Efron wearing fakes. While some would dub this “fake flexing”, others may argue that that’s just a part of the culture now.
Before the introduction of social media we might see a dodgy looking advert for brand-new £15-Nike sneakers on Google and think, “looks a bit suspicious, I’ll give that a miss”. but it’s now showing up on our feed and some are purchasing into the lie without much thought. users are being presented with fake goods left ideal and centre, and due to the lack of education on how to differentiate real from fake, not everyone can spot the difference. and it can be dangerous…
In 2016, Kylie Jenner’s appeal line, Kylie Cosmetics, fell victim to the counterfeit industry. Her faithful customers thought they were spotting a bargain online, assuming that the appeal mogul was behind it and copping themselves a great new lipstick filled with, wait for it… glue and gasoline. finding themselves in a, ahem, sticky situation, consumers were flocking to Jenner to complain. Which poses the question, must brands be held responsible for not educating their customers on which sellers stock their authentic products?
After browsing on the Nike and adidas websites, both brands offer a list of confirmed sellers and even encourage customers to send them the information about where they purchased the fake goods. This then leaves it in the customer’s hands to make sure they’re shopping through reputable retailers. In the case of Kylie Cosmetics, the brand actively works to remove counterfeits from the market not only to secure the brand, but to keep users who may be tricked into purchasing fakes safe.
Image through us Customs and border Control
Clearly, gasoline is never an acceptable alternative to lipstick but in other industries such as footwear, the quality of counterfeit products seems to be improving. home to the most significant counterfeit operation in the world, Putian China is the central hub where a huge percentage of fake goods are made. In August 2018, Vice went to a fakes factory and observed that “Nike and adidas have both had official factories in Putian considering that the 1980s, which implies that it’s pretty easy to find the same materials and employees that you’d find in a legit fabrikk”. Resulting in fake products that are similar in quality and style, consumers are provided practically the same shoe at a fraction of the price.Men det er betydelige bevis på at de kommer med en bakhistorie som er rik på kriminalitet og utnyttelse.
Den virkelige grunnen til at du ikke skal investere når som helst eller penger i forfalskninger, løper dypere enn du kanskje tror. Ariele Elia – en assistentkurator ved museet på Fit – sier i en etterforskende dokumentar for Complex, “En av de verste historiene jeg leste var der de hadde angrepet en ulovlig fabrikk, og barna ble faktisk håndjern til symaskinene,” bare en Av de mange opprivende historiene om barnearbeid i den forfalskede industrien, er hele operasjonen beryktet for å utnytte de fattige og forlate all menneskerettighetspraksis.
Selv mye flere påstander har dukket opp at salg av forfalskede gode direkte bidro til Charlie Hebdo -angrepene i 2016 i Paris. Bruce Foucart, direktør for U.S. Homeland Security’s National Intellectual Property Coordination Center, fortalte Complex at “salg av forfalskede varer gikk i å kjøpe disse kanonene.” Gruppen bak angrepene hadde solgt falske produkter på gatene i Paris for å påløpe pengene de brukte til å kjøpe våpen og granatkastere.
Falske suverene butikk i Kina. Bilde gjennom NSS Magazine
Selv for småkriminelle virker en yrke i forfalskninger spesielt attraktivt gitt gjeldende lover. Straffer som er håndhevet på de som er dømt for intellektuell krenkelse, er vesentlig lavere enn i narkotikarelaterte tilfeller. Det er med et klikk på en knapp som mange fabrikker for forfalskede goods kan selge produktene sine over hele verden. Og der ligger problemet. Hvor lenge tror du det tar å finne en selger av falske Yeezys på Instagram? Det tok meg bare 23 sekunder å finne en side som ville selge meg et par for en ydmyk $ 45. Med lite sensur fra Instagram dukker sider som dette opp hver dag, noe som gir brukerne enkel tilgang til et marked som aktivt bryter loven.
Selv om presset for å bøye seg og følge med på trender er massivt overveldende, er det mye mer avgjørende enn noen gang før for å sikre at du handler hos pålitelige forhandlere. Ikke bare krenker de forfalskede varerfabrikkene menneskerettighetsloven, det er bevis på at de finansierer betydelig kriminell aktivitet – for ikke å nevne det faktum at de bare aldri vil samsvare med kvaliteten på de originale produktene. Så gjør som Nike, og når det gjelder å investere penger i den virkelige avtalen, bare gjør det.
La oss få vite hva du synes om den forfalskede varebransjen. Falsker du det eller velger du utelukkende den virkelige avtalen?
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