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 usine”. Resulting in fake products that are similar in quality and style, consumers are provided practically the same shoe at a fraction of the price.Mais il existe des preuves importantes qu’ils viennent avec une trame de fond riche en crimes et en exploitation.
La vraie raison pour laquelle vous ne devriez pas investir de temps ou d’argent dans les contrefaçons est plus profonde que vous ne le pensez. Ariele Elia – une commissaire adjointe au musée de Fit – a déclaré dans un documentaire d’investigation pour complexe: «L’une des pires histoires que j’ai lue était où ils avaient fait une descente dans une usine illégale et les enfants étaient en fait menottés aux machines à coudre», ” Parmi les nombreuses histoires déchirantes de travail des enfants dans l’industrie contrefaite, toute l’opération est connue pour exploiter les pauvres et abandonner toutes les pratiques des droits de l’homme.
Même beaucoup plus de revendications ont fait surface selon laquelle la vente de Good Bood a directement contribué aux attentats de Charlie Hebdo 2016 à Paris. Bruce Foucart, directeur du Centre national de coordination de la propriété intellectuelle des États-Unis, a déclaré à Complex que “la vente de marchandises contrefaites a été consacrée à l’achat de ces armes”. Le groupe derrière les attaques vendait de faux produits dans les rues de Paris pour accumuler l’argent qu’ils utilisaient pour acheter des armes à feu et des lanceurs de grenades.
Fake Supreme Shop en Chine. Image via NSS Magazine
Même pour les petits criminels, une vocation dans les contrefaçons semble particulièrement attrayante compte tenu des lois actuelles. Les sanctions imposées sur ceux qui sont reconnus coupables de violation intellectuelle sont sensiblement inférieurs à ceux des cas liés à la drogue. C’est en cliquant sur un bouton que de nombreuses usines de contrefaçon peuvent vendre leurs produits dans le monde entier. Et c’est là que réside le problème. Combien de temps pensez-vous qu’il faut pour trouver un vendeur de faux Yeezys sur Instagram? Il m’a fallu seulement 23 secondes pour trouver une page qui me vendrait une paire pour un humble 45 $. Avec peu ou pas de censure d’Instagram, des pages comme celle-ci apparaissent tous les jours, ce qui donne aux utilisateurs un accès facile à un marché qui enfreint activement la loi.
Bien que la pression pour fléchir et suivre les tendances soit massivement écrasante, elle est beaucoup plus cruciale que jamais pour vous assurer que vous magasinez chez les détaillants de confiance. Non seulement les usines de marchandises contrefaits portent atteinte au droit des droits de l’homme, mais ils financent une activité criminelle importante – sans parler du fait qu’ils ne correspondront jamais à la qualité des produits d’origine. Alors, faites comme Nike et quand il s’agit d’investir de l’argent dans la vraie affaire, faites-le.
Faites-nous savoir ce que vous pensez de l’industrie des marchandises contrefaites. Le simulez-vous ou optez-vous exclusivement pour la vraie affaire?
Image par les coutumes et la protection des bordures américaines
Leave a Reply