Designer knock-offs

Clearly I am missing the point...

...why would you want to have "fake" anything? Is it to impress other people?

I collect genuine Swiss Watches. Not the most expensive ones like Patek Philippe and Rolex, but 2nd tier, such as Concord, Breitling, Ebel, Omega, TAG Heuer, etc. I collect these (about a dozen so far, probably more) because I appreciate the quality of the timepiece, and of course because I like the way they look. It isn't terribly important to me if someone else notices what kind of watch I am wearing, though it is nice to get complements from fellow watch collectors..."we" tend to notice these things, and it often leads to a conversation about our respective collections, etc.

My point / question is this: What is the reason for wanting to wear fake watches or clothes or carry a fake handbag? Is the idea to have other people THINKING that you can afford these things when you really can't? And what does that gain you - do people then worship at your feet once they see your "Rolex" watch?

Because to me - this is the thing: The only people for whom it would matter if they were impressed or not will also be able to easily tell that you have a fake. Yes, when I carry my Hartman bag and wear my Breitling watch to a meeting it sometimes makes a good impression and sets a good tone (In my line of work it is important that people think I am successful in order for them to feel confident to trust me with me with their business), but those same people would EASILY recognize a fake. I know I can - I used to snicker and shake my head at all the fake watches I'd see on the wrists of people in New York.

This applies even more with suits - All that matters is that you like the fit and look of a garment, along with how well it will wear. What is the point of having a fake “Hugo Boss” suit that looks and fits like shit? Are you going to open it up and show the label to every person you pass on the street? The BEST “non couture” suits are not “designer”...they are custom made, not off the rack. My suits cost $2000 to $3000 each, and they don't have a designer name like "Hugo Boss" (there is some name on the inside, I don't remember...the "designer" in this case is associated with the pattern of the fabric)...but they are well made and custom fitted for me, not off a rack (this is because my ass is too fat for an off the rack suit to fit properly...lol). I always get compliments like "nice suit" from people who know suits. If you go to Saville Row to have 4 or 5 suits made, they don't come with a "designer label" - they have the name of the tailor from where you purchased them.

Bottom line - the people you are fooling probably aren't worth impressing, and the people who you might benefit from impressing are not fooled. So what is the point???
 
MLAM said:
If you go to Saville Row to have 4 or 5 suits made, they don't come with a "designer label" - they have the name of the tailor from where you purchased them.

/QUOTE]

And that's how big name labels get started. They start out as "indie" or custom made, but once everyone knows their name, they go from craftsmanship to assembly line production.

And that's also the reason why "designer label" shirts fit that much better then your S/M/L "average" brands. Sometimes, when people buy designer stuff, it ain't just for the name ... its for the fit and the material and pattern too which "other" brands don't offer. LV's Damier/Monograph comes to mind or Burberry's pattern comes to mind ... also for the intriciate designs and details.
 
To Clarify...

DateMasamune said:
And that's how big name labels get started. They start out as "indie" or custom made, but once everyone knows their name, they go from craftsmanship to assembly line production.

And that's also the reason why "designer label" shirts fit that much better then your S/M/L "average" brands. Sometimes, when people buy designer stuff, it ain't just for the name ... its for the fit and the material and pattern too which "other" brands don't offer. LV's Damier/Monograph comes to mind or Burberry's pattern comes to mind ... also for the intriciate designs and details.

I wasn't asking why people buy "designer label stuff". What you are saying is true.

I was asking why buy FAKE designer label stuff, because what you are saying would NOT be true for those products.

I wear "designer label" clothes for the reasons you cite...I like the fit, finish, quality, appearance, colors. Mostly shirts; casual slacks I like just regular Dockers. For sport coats I have Burberry, Hickey-Freeman and Jack Victor. Now, from that list, it is only recently that Burberry became a "designer label" as more people became aware of their presence via the hip hop culture. Before that they were just a high quality clothing manufacturer. The other two are names most people (who don't really know clothes) would be unfamiliar with - you won't find any "knock off" Hickey-Freeman or Jack Victor on Canal Street. Hence there is no "cache" associated with this labels....they are just better quality products.

Hence, my question remains - when a person buys a knock off of a "designer label", what are they supposedly getting? What is the motivation? Hell, even when you buy a "real" Ralph Lauren suit off the rack...do you really think it is something special? Do people understand that all that is happened is Mr. Lauren has made a ton of money via selling his name as a license...that the actual product is more than likely not unique? (Go to most high quality clothing stores and you will see the labels like Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger are amongst the LOWER priced things in the store...)
 
zzap said:
Bangkok, Thailand is a great place for this stuff. All the stores and vendors on the street are stocked well with counterfeit goods. And most of the knock off's are of such good quality that it's had for the average person to know it's not real. Gucci, Louie Vaton, Chanel, etc bags can be had for as little as $10 and this makes it even more worth while to buy. I got searched in Customs and they didn't even care at all about all the knock off stuff I was bringing back...... they were looking for Thai DRUGS ;)

Louis Vutton
 
MLAM said:
...why would you want to have "fake" anything? Is it to impress other people?

I collect genuine Swiss Watches. Not the most expensive ones like Patek Philippe and Rolex, but 2nd tier, such as Concord, Breitling, Ebel, Omega, TAG Heuer, etc. I collect these (about a dozen so far, probably more) because I appreciate the quality of the timepiece, and of course because I like the way they look. It isn't terribly important to me if someone else notices what kind of watch I am wearing, though it is nice to get complements from fellow watch collectors..."we" tend to notice these things, and it often leads to a conversation about our respective collections, etc.

My point / question is this: What is the reason for wanting to wear fake watches or clothes or carry a fake handbag? Is the idea to have other people THINKING that you can afford these things when you really can't? And what does that gain you - do people then worship at your feet once they see your "Rolex" watch?

Because to me - this is the thing: The only people for whom it would matter if they were impressed or not will also be able to easily tell that you have a fake. Yes, when I carry my Hartman bag and wear my Breitling watch to a meeting it sometimes makes a good impression and sets a good tone (In my line of work it is important that people think I am successful in order for them to feel confident to trust me with me with their business), but those same people would EASILY recognize a fake. I know I can - I used to snicker and shake my head at all the fake watches I'd see on the wrists of people in New York.

This applies even more with suits - All that matters is that you like the fit and look of a garment, along with how well it will wear. What is the point of having a fake “Hugo Boss” suit that looks and fits like shit? Are you going to open it up and show the label to every person you pass on the street? The BEST “non couture” suits are not “designer”...they are custom made, not off the rack. My suits cost $2000 to $3000 each, and they don't have a designer name like "Hugo Boss" (there is some name on the inside, I don't remember...the "designer" in this case is associated with the pattern of the fabric)...but they are well made and custom fitted for me, not off a rack (this is because my ass is too fat for an off the rack suit to fit properly...lol). I always get compliments like "nice suit" from people who know suits. If you go to Saville Row to have 4 or 5 suits made, they don't come with a "designer label" - they have the name of the tailor from where you purchased them.

Bottom line - the people you are fooling probably aren't worth impressing, and the people who you might benefit from impressing are not fooled. So what is the point???
Well at least my Bently and Explorer watches are second tier so I don't have to worry about knock offs.
People but labels for the same reason they buy knocks ....... the brand.
Why do you think companies pay millions and millions of dollars for branding.
Most people in North America would not understand quality when it comes to the rag business. Look at the Drill Linen in Cuba amazing fabric amazing texture. Where other then Cuba do you see it?
 
Choron said:
Boss does not suck... They make some of the best tracksuits around

Peace,
G

Honestly, for track suits, I'd go with Lulu Lemon ... if I were gay! :p

Lulu makes every man and women look like Shawn Crawford or Heidi Klum respectively no matter how bad your body is. However, Lulu looks kind of gay on men ... but the fit is amazing.
 
Alexa Taylor said:
Canal St. in NYC. They have a huge garbage full of knockoff handbags like Prada. Shop fast because once they see the police coming, they tend to run off. :rolleyes:
Much cheaper closer to Chinatown. Best to know someone speak the language and patient to haggle.
 
raverboy said:
Actually, its Louis Vuitton.
Sometimes the spelling is intentional imprefection, so LE turns a blindeye. Common in China & Italy less trouble that way. Name brand get pissed if the knock-off are too close to real thing.

In Italy, schools to teach make fakes, consider an art form in selective region. Then they also have school to teach advance counterfeit recognization so they benefit from both.