As an American transplant in London, Simone Baret Innamorati spends her days freelance writing and decorating her flat, along with her husband.  With an eye toward the Classicly Chic, Innamorati loves to pour over the latest fashion trends.

Having recently read Bazaar’s article The Fake Trade by Dana Thomas, I found myself awestruck at the social injustices, which seem to pervade every aspect of modern life. Even the cheap thrill of buying a designer knockoff has a dire effect on someone on the other side of the hemisphere.

Thomas made the distinct point that we often buy fakes thinking we are removed from the consequences of the purchase. Unfortunately, this could not be farther from the truth. We are the last link in a long chain of social injustices. Although, we often feel disconnected from the faraway countries and people who produce counterfeit bags, through the act of purchasing a fake designer handbag we are actually “financing international crime syndicates that deal in money laundering, human trafficking and child labour” (Thomas 72).

Confession: not only have I visited, one of the largest producers of the “fake trade”, I have also knowingly and happily bought a number of counterfeit accessories, including a Hermes scarf, Chanel earrings and Armani sunglasses. Did I stop to consider the negative effect my actions had on the global market and others’ welfare? Yes, briefly, before pushing aside the guilt to the darkest corner of my mind. My excitement at discovering a cache of goods, which resembled designers I had coveted for the greater part of my life, outweighed my initial apprehension.

Second Confession (please don’t kill me): not only am I a political science graduate, I am also a repeat counterfeit offender. I have consciously purchased fakes in the U.S. as well as over the internet. To make matters worse, I am too ashamed to wear any of the fakes I purchased in public. On the rare occasions I managed to summon up the courage to wear a fake out, I spent the whole evening wondering if I had managed to fool anyone. Somewhere in my psyche I knew consciously or unconsciously that being seen with a fake lowered my esteem in others’ eyes, but more importantly in my own.

The fake trade is estimated to yield $600 billion a year (Thomas 71). What has propelled the growth of such a callous, yet highly profitable trade? We have to ask ourselves are our egos really that big? The answer may lie in consumer culture. From the very beginning we are groomed to covet brands through advertisements, sponsorship and TV commercials.

What is in a name you ask? Apparently, everything. As a society we place entirely too much emphasis on “name brands”. One only has to watch a sporting event two minutes before the human eye unconsciously registers a plethora of logos.

Which brings me to my second point: maybe we could beat the fake trade, if we could only manage to squelch our rampant consumerism for a moment. In the meantime, the World Trade Organization was asked last summer to “crack down on Chinese piracy and counterfeiting” by the U.S. (BBC 1). WTO intervention in the counterfeit market represents a small, but positive step in the right direction.

In summary, buying a fake is no longer a question of money; it is a question of morals. The fake trade not only encourages gross human rights violations, it also infringes upon copyright laws. Counterfeits obscure the very designs we admire. When we wear a certain designer’s clothes or accessories we are essentially paying homage to that designer’s vision. Designs are copyrighted, not necessarily because they are couture or expensive, but because they possess an intrinsic, valuable and distinct vision of fashion and our world.

People often forget that fashion is an art form. Though I cannot blame others for wanting (even believing) that they are buying into a designer’s vision when they buy a counterfeit, I no longer condone the fake trade. Counterfeiting is a practice which ultimately de-sanctifies fashion, art and to some degree,  humanity itself.

Sources:

• Thomas, Dana. Harper’s Bazaar. Luxury Report: ‘The Fake Trade’. Jan 2008.
• BBC. ‘Nike Compensated over Chinese Fakes’. 21 Aug 2007 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6956276.stm.