Set the scene: Junior year of high school. The school choir, of which I was not a member (#tonedeaf), took a trip to Manhattan. When the choir returned, I noted that many a female classmate who took the trip returned with Kate Spade purses. Previously, the only exposure I had to the designer brand was through the pages of Lucky magazine. Through the publication I knew how expensive the handbags ran. I also knew that my mom and dad would lose their shit if I spent that money on one item.
I commented to a friend how I could not believe there were parents who allowed their daughters to spend that kind of money on a bag. This friend went on the trip and witnessed several of the girls purchasing the bags from a Canal Street vendor. I had a similar reaction as Carrie Bradshaw said when she went to the Valley with Samantha in search of fake Fendi paradise. It blew my mind that anyone would be happy knowing her purse was counterfeit.
The modern day equivalent to my classmates trying to pass their Canal Street Kate Spade knockoffs are influencers promoting “dupes” on Instagram. And hoo-boy. Have I seen Instagrammers and Liketoknow.it users promote everything from dupes of Hermes belts and sandals to dupes of Anastasia eyebrow pencils.
It is my hypothesis that this influenced (ha!) Amazon into cracking down with its anti-counterfeit policy and consequently rewardStyle cracking down Amazon’s policy. Not a good look ladies.
Promoting “dupes” unethical as it is intellectual property infringement. On the higher level, the money driven by sales of counterfeit goods funds organized crime. This links to drugs and human trafficking, and terrorism. Is that enough of a reason to cut wearing (and promoting!) that counterfeit esh out?
Girls, cut it out.
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