terimichele
- Apr 20, 2020
- 5 min read

Season 6 – Episode 8: The Importance Of Buying AUTHENTIC Products

Updated: Jun 13, 2022

This is a IMPORTANT topic.

A topic that needs to be talked about.

A topic I care about.

I think this topic has come at a perfect time. People are out of work but will still trying to be the person that has xyz first no matter if its fake or real, no matter the cost. We all want to look good but at what cost?

I will say this one and one time only…. I DO NOT BUY FAKES… I DO NOT BUY FAKES… I DO NOT BUY FAKES. Ok repeating this three times counts as one right?

So we have established that I don’t buy fakes.. its time to talk about the why.

You can buy a Louis Vuitton bag online from your favorite instagram page, you can also buy a pair of “Hermès” slides from the cart on the corner in your city but you can also buy those items from the retailer itself. The counterfeit industry is worth 450 million dollars and increasing every year. In 2018 and 2019 counterfeit goods ranged from fashion, medical supplies, drugs and other goods. It was the largest criminal enterprise. Sales of said counterfeit goods was 1.7 TRILLION DOLLARS. That’s money that legit businesses lost weather they were small or big businesses. That’s money that employees that worked at those companies didn’t get. There is a huge gap here obviously of how much fashion workers on all levels get paid, but thats kind of besides the point, or is it? I mean everything is ran by the green that we call money.

Do you know what the difference between a Knockoff, a counterfeit and a replica? The definition(s) are

Knockoff – Products are those that copy or imitate the physical appearance of other products but which do not copy the brandname or logo of a trademark. Think Fashion Nova and Forever 21

Counterfeit – Made in imitation so as to be passed off fraudulently or deceptively as genuine; not genuine; forged

Think fake Instagram pages that pass there bags off as real and only accept wire payments.. making you think you are buying a authentic item.

Replica – A replica is a high-quality recreation of the original by a small or unaffiliated group or any close or exact copy or reproduction

The only thing with Replica is that the replicated logo could or couldn’t be the item depending on who produced it

Think handbags or small items… I remember seeing one that resembled the Givenchy Antigona a long time ago at HM just didn’t have the logo.

Replica and Knockoff are at times the same.

Wha t do you think of when you hear the words Counterfeit, Replica or knockoff?

I think of the guy/girl on the corner of a busy city street with his cart of “Louis Vuitton” and “Chanel” bags. I also think of organized crime, sex/human trafficking, terrorism, drug cartel and gangs, tax evasion and child labor. I also think of our environment the fact that a synthetic leather bag that can pass for a “Chanel” gets used for instagram 3-4 times. Then tossed in the garbage then that garbage goes to land fill where it cant fully breakdown, From there anything that cant be broken down could go straight into our oceans, and to the rest of the ecosystem.

The counterfeit industry is at an estimated 2.3 trillion dollar economy. 80% of the worlds counterfeit goods are produced in china and of course we (America and other surrounding countries) support china on a global level. We get EVERYTHING you can think of from china from our designer handbags that are authentic to our iPhones and medicine. Counterfeits, Replicas and Knockoffs are not manufactured to comply with regular safety standards. These items are more than often hazardous to the consumers and the environment

Think about it, you want the newest eyeshadow palette thats 75$ but you cant afford it because you got things to do and bills to pay with your hard earned money. So you decide to buy the palette you saw some guy on the corner of Michigan Ave and State selling for a awesome price of $40.Then you get home and the next day you put that eyeshadow on your eyes and go about your merry way. Throughout the day your eyes are starting to get itchy, puffy, red, and irritated. Fast forward you have had an allergic reaction to something that is NOT FDA APPROVED and you now have to go to the emergency room. You end up with a big ass medical bill and when you go home you throw out the palette in the garbage that ends up in the landfill and the remains dumped in the ocean. Do you get my point yet?

I know that example was a bit of an extreme but I feel that in my scenario above this person does know that the item isn’t authentic and still purchases without thinking of the repercussions. Everyone will figure out their mistake but we don’t want that mistake or knowing intentions to effect our overall health. This example is also the only one I thought would be a great example of buying counterfeits and knockoffs as well as the repercussions of purchasing such items knowingly or non knowingly.

Buying fakes not only effects the world and environment it also effects us as a society. The money that you just used to buy your item that isn’t authentic (knowingly or non knowingly) could have gone to you saving up for the real deal ie the bag, the pair of shoes, the makeup pallet or whatever it was that your heart desired. That money could go to your savings account or your vacation you keep thinking about. The amount of money you spend on fakes could be put to better use for whatever lifestyle you desire.

In my personal and at times a bit shallow opinion when I learn someone that I know buys COUNTERFEIT products (I bolded counterfeit because knockoffs and replicas/dupes I don’t care about that much because if you like a fashion piece that you know is aligns with your budget then thats amazing for sure buy the dupe) But if I learn someone is purposely buying counterfeits knowing they are not real and knowing they are being passed as real I have a issue with that. That tells me that person isn’t very credible and is trying to be something they are not and trying to keep up with the joneses when they know they cant.

No need to put your health and the environment at risk because you want a handbag… Trust me getting that handbag feels better when you get it from the source… Don’t keep up with the joneses because half of there stuff is probably fake.

I hope not only that you made it to the end of this post but also you learned something today about Counterfeit, Replicas and Knockoffs. Linked below are multiple sources that speak about the problem. I would also like to know your thoughts on buying counterfeit/ Knockoffs/Replica items? Am I being dramatic or shallow? Or am I just a puppet in the fashion industry where I let brands and logos control everything and influence every fashion decision I have made or will make?

P.S I am fully aware that I could be shallow and let these brands run me a muck at times…

But I think its good to just be aware of it and to try to do what’s right not only for your wallet but for the environment.

Until Next Time

XOXO

Teri Michele.

Articles and Videos/Movies on Counterfeits, Replicas & Knockoffs

https://www.ted.com/talks/alastair_gray_how_fake_handbags_fund_terrorism_and_organized_crime?language=en

https://consumer.findlaw.com/consumer-transactions/buying-counterfeit-goods-laws-and-resources.html

https://share.america.gov/whats-wrong-with-buying-counterfeit-goods/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickwwatson/2016/11/13/counterfeit-products-hurt-the-consumer-and-the-economy/#3e06496f3a7c

https://wwd.com/business-news/retail/counterfeit-knockoff-replica-legal-10437109/

https://youtu.be/GYjW3V1uzdA