Why Do You Own Both Authentics & Replicas?

[sanitizedfashion]

Interesting conversation came up last night for me when my husband questioned why I was buying a brightly colored Treesje bag, after seeing me selling off all my brightly colored NBF bags (about 10 in total)
He said" I thought you didn't like your bright leather colored bags" And I said without even missing a beat..." "I do if there authentic"
For me carrying a replica bag in a bright pink or blue or whatver (anything other than black) was drawing attention to the bag and tempting scrutiny from savvy fashionistas, Again this is what I personally feel and experienced.
I can carry a rep black NBF or a LV from Catty for example and feel more confident (I guess it blends in more)...but for some reason I felt very uncomfortable with rep brights..anyone else feel this way? Or is it just me?

Not to stray from the topic, but it sounds like wearing reps in NY is hell. Well, especially if you work in the fashion/beauty industries, no?

 

[StotheL]

This is such a wonderful thread I know it has been pretty inactive for a few years but here goes anyway..

I've been buying authentic bags for years, authentic shoes and jewellery but I only just recently bought my first rep bag. Why? Well, I love bags but lately I've been realising just how fickle the industry is. Yes, there is no better feeling than stepping out of Gucci with a new bag. Yes, it feels wonderful to carry an authentic and walk into the same store and feel like you belong with your bag.

So why would I want to buy reps when I can buy the real deal? Really, for me it boils down to a few things.

1. My style - I love fashion & enjoy trends; if a bag is everywhere on Instagram, forums, etc I'll already have imagined 101 ways to style it. I'd rather spend $300 on a good rep than $2000 on an authentic and worry about it going out of style, selling it on etc.

2. Where I am from isn't exactly style savvy, most people can barely tell damier azur from damier ebene apart. I carry my rep Chanel in stores that sell YSL, Versace etc and always am stopped to receive compliments. Little do they know..

3. In my experience, how good can the craftsmanship of an authentic bag really be? I mean yes, Hermes that hand stitch each bag etc - that's different territory, but your run of the mill bag like Givenchy - how wrong can you really go?

4. I own an authentic Prada and as much as I love it, it honestly is not worth the money in terms of wear. I also own authentic Gucci and good grief they are not worth the money, it has worn so awfully - my rep looks better.

A tiny tiny part of me will always worry that someone will see my bag, or shoes when we're staying in a 5* hotel and will think 'hey, something looks fishy there...' but then I wake up and smell the coffee and realise, no one is ever going to be that close to me to scrutinise every detail of the bag. I take comfort in the fact that people on other forums are in suck shock at the super fakes out there - yes, there are those that can tell it isn't real from the serial code or the imprint on the inside zipper, but realistically if you get a good fake then you won't let someone examine those minute details.

At the end of the day, it's a bag. I want it for fashion purposes, I won't be in a scenario where I'm surrounded with Chanel hoarding beauties. Half the battle is styling yourself (and carrying yourself) with an air that suggests your bag is real, and voila - who would even question your brilliant rep could ever be a fake?

 

[Snow-White]

I bought a Celine box bag without the logo (yes a rep) to test whether I would like it, and go in for the real thing! After buying the black Celine box bag, I think I would prefer the real thing in a different colour Please don't judge me for it!!!

 

[fashionista-ta]

I don't own any knock-offs, but I do carry a freebie canvas bag to the gym, have a Marc by Marc bag which is less expensive but still nice, etc. So some are expensive, others not, but they're all what they appear to be.

I like to support companies and designers that matter to me by buying their bags at full price (and if you're not buying seasonal color, that's probably your only choice).

I do think it's a little hard to make a creativity argument when authentic designer bags so often blatantly 'borrow' from others However, there is virtually no artistic creativity in knocking something off, as far as I can tell.

 

[StephlovesLoubi]

I gotta say that I am against fakes but I don't bother carrying a good copy. I got one bag which looks like the givenchy antigona and is made of genuine leather. I liked its style and as I dont want to spend so much money on the givenchy my brother got this copy for me in rome.
It is the thought that many people buy fakes to be someone else who they acutally arent. They are faking it IMO. But of course there are other reasons to get a fake not just this particular one.

 

[fashionista-ta]

I think what people forget with all questions of integrity is that it's not really others' opinion that matters, it's your own. No one else can give you self-respect. I seem to detect a fear of being found out in some posts of those who own fakes (I mean 'reps' ...). Why bring that on yourself? Why not buy a bag you consider affordable that is what it is?

 

[Patty Zimmerman]

Baga: Do you have any authentic Balenciaga bags in your collection? If so when/where do you carry them? I am curious?

I think that you can understand living in NYC the general rudeness of New Yorkers on the street and on the subway which I ride a lot to get around NY. People on the subway are always carrying coffee and eating food out of styrofoam condtainers which I don't understand as the subway is certainly not a clean place. I have had numerous people bump into me and they usually injure me or my handbag. I honestly don't carry my authentic Alexa because I don't want anyone near it and I have genuine fear that someone
will ruin it by taking a chunk of leather out of my bag or spilling something on it. Some ladies on the purse forum have posted that when they carry their Alexa next to denim the blue bleeds I to and stains
their Alexa. The Jacky Alexa gets no denim transfer at all anid this is a plus for me as I no longer worry
when I carry it. I can carry my Jacky Alexa worry free but I cannot say that the same is true for my
Authentic Alexa.

Also, as you know it rains here in NYC quite a bit. I don't carry any of my authentic Bal or Mulberry bags on those days. I have a black Coach bag which I save for these occasions which unfortunately in NYC are often.

First off. I'm glad to see you carry a Coach and not some fake! I'd like to comment that you girls in NYC are brave! I grew up in Chicago, so I know exactly what you mean. I didn't worry so much about bumping and spilling as I did getting followed home to be robbed, or possibly robbed right on the spot! I would even turn my rings around backwards when getting on the subway, let alone carry a luxury handbag! You might as well put a sign on on your forehead, that says
'I'm Pretty Well Off, Come & Rob Me!' lol!
Generally for daily use I would also use my Coach bag, and not one that had the signature CCs all over it, advertising it's a Coach, I'd just use my good unobvious leather Coach bags. I save my luxury bags for only when I'm out with my husband, or a lot of friends, or special occasions

HOWEVER; I would never carry a fake, let alone buy one. I refuse to give my money to criminals stealing trademark names and designs! Buying fakes is one of the reasons the prices of luxury bags keeps getting so high! When these companies lose millions to thieves that have stolen their names and designs, what other alternative do they have but to raise their prices? Not only that, if people knew what their money was going to support every time they buy a fake? They would be appalled and I highly doubt they would buy them anymore!

The criminals that produce these illegal counterfeit goods, belong to huge drug cartels, mafias' and even terrorist organizations! They operate in illegal sweatshops where there are no government health and safety standards! They do not have the permission of the designers to use their names and designs!
That's known as 'trademark infringement' which is a felony crime punishable by prison time and hefty fines! It's against the LAW to manufacture trademark brands that don't belong to you!
Many of these people get arrested and then buyers wonder why they never got the fake they ordered? The seller is in jail or got their website removed from the internet and they lose! I would never give them a dime!
People are taking a big chance buying from these crooks!
None of the materials they use have to pass any safety guidelines! They are not approved by any of the dozens of health agencies we have. That's why they are able to sell them so cheap! They don't have to pay for permits, pass any regulations, or even taxes! They don't pay any taxes! They don't follow labor laws or even pay a minimum wage! Their employees work under terrible conditions, and many of them are underage children obtained form human trafficking!

Many of the materials they use have lead based dyes, as well as poisonous metal alloys and plastics! God forbid their baby or grandchild puts the handle of their fake in their mouth! No thanks! I REFUSE to support the criminal counterfeiting industry! So no, you'll never catch me carrying a fake, EVER!

And what shocks me the most, is how in this day and age, consumers are STILL unaware of where these fakes come from. They don't even bother to question why or how they are able to sell them so much cheaper? A simple Google search about ' the counterfeit handbag business' will verify everything I just said! And by the way? It's not only illegal to sell them, it's illegal to buy them as well! It's the consumer keeping these crooks in business, because as long as there is a demand for them? There will be a supply! So the government is not just looking for those that sell them, they are after the buyers now as well! Punishable in some places with a 1000.00 fine and a year in a jail! They're finally realizing it is the consumers demanding these fakes that are the root of the problem! Don't believe it? Check this out! If this link won't open just copy and paste it to your browser...This was written in 2011, so I'm sure this has spread....
<Buying A Counterfeit Designer Bag Could Soon Land You In Jail Or A $1000 Fine>

Here's another good one about buyers getting arrested for purchasing fakes! It's illegal!
It pays to be an educated consumer ~

<Is It Illegal To Buy Fake Designer Clothes And What Happens If You Get Caught?>

Thanks for reading my long rant, but I just wish more people knew how and why it is illegal to buy or sell fakes.
It's a wonder the designers themselves don't do more public awareness campaigns. they really should!

 

[Leveticus]

I must say in the hands of the right people I find fake handbags quite fashionable and chic. Fashion has become so commercialised that many people carrying the real thing make them look so cheap.

Here’s a true story; I’m a guy and a proper casual dresser. Whilst walking around a market in Turkey with shelves upon shelves of fake Vuitton and Gucci, my eye caught a large sequin Chanel handbag which really stood out. Some of the sequins were damaged and it looked like it had been there for a long time, and while I wouldn’t usually buy replicas (or handbags), for some reason I couldn’t stop thinking about this bag...so the next day I went and bought it!

I now have a fake Chanel handbag I will never use but I genuinely feel it being fake, a bit grubby and Chanel is what made it so desirable.

I told everyone with me it was for my mum and that she’d love it, but it’s in my wardrobe. I just had to confess!! ops:

 

[SocialKonstruct]

I use replicas whenever I have to walk into dangerous or problematic areas of LA. For example when I went to the fire torn areas of Altadena I used a replica bag because of the heavy toxins in the air which would damage my actually solid bags. It was safer to bring my faux LV bag and help out the community there. But in the end it's all up to you all to decide.