The Harper's Bazaar Fakes are Never in Fashion campaign is dedicated to exposing the criminal activities connected to the sales of counterfeit luxury goods, which include child labor, drug trafficking and even terrorism. In partnership with the Italian Intellectual Property Rights Desk at the Italian Trade Commission, Harper's Bazaar welcomed more than 150 senior fashion and beauty executives, intellectual property rights lawyers and law enforcement officials for the Sixth Annual Anticounterfeiting Summit.
This Summit meeting included talk about the ever-growing counterfeit sales on the Internet and the fact that the Internet is allowing counterfeiters to reach millions of people with the simple click of a mouse.
With the economy in the shape that it is today, people are looking for bargains. They don't want to walk into a department store and pay $700 for a handbag when they can pay $60 for a fake one. But what the American people don't know about is what their money is actually contributing to, nationally and internationally.
According to harpersbazaar.com , the estimated annual sales in counterfeit products worldwide is $600 billion. In the United States, there is an estimated loss of $20 billion to American companies from counterfeit products and the loss of 750,000 jobs.
Harper's Bazaar has committed to bringing awareness to this growing epidemic. Below are a few tips given by the magazine for readers to be able to avoid buying a fake handbag:
1. Location, Location, Location
First and foremost, purchasing luxury goods at a brand’s boutique, website or authorized dealer is your best bet to insure buying a genuine product. Items at flea markets, home parties, from street vendors, or unauthorized websites are likely to be fake.
2. The Price is Right
Quality and exclusivity account for the high price of luxury goods. Thus, if the price seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Quality and exclusivity account for the high price of luxury goods. Thus, if the price seems too good to be true, it probably is.
3. Construction Sites
Craftsmanship is a main point of distinction with luxury goods. Sloppy stitches in less visible areas—such as the underside of a product or inside pockets—is likely the result of counterfeit production.
Craftsmanship is a main point of distinction with luxury goods. Sloppy stitches in less visible areas—such as the underside of a product or inside pockets—is likely the result of counterfeit production.
4. Package Deal
Luxury retailers meticulously package their products, including tissue paper, authenticity cards, product care information, superior quality boxes, and shopping bags. If you see a plastic wrap covering or a flimsy dust bag, it's probably a fake. For example, counterfeit manufacturers will often wrap the handles of handbags in plastic.
Luxury retailers meticulously package their products, including tissue paper, authenticity cards, product care information, superior quality boxes, and shopping bags. If you see a plastic wrap covering or a flimsy dust bag, it's probably a fake. For example, counterfeit manufacturers will often wrap the handles of handbags in plastic.
5. Spell-check
Counterfeiters will often misspell designer names. Check for letters that are swapped or a letter that is capitalized that shouldn’t be, and vice versa.
Counterfeiters will often misspell designer names. Check for letters that are swapped or a letter that is capitalized that shouldn’t be, and vice versa.
6. Check the HardwareWith most luxury accessories, you will find the logo on all the metal pieces, such as zippers, latches, snaps, and buckles.
7. Read the Label
In a genuine article of luxury clothing, most often the label is stitched in, whereas counterfeit clothes are likely to have a less expensive hangtag. Also, check the country of origin on the label.
In a genuine article of luxury clothing, most often the label is stitched in, whereas counterfeit clothes are likely to have a less expensive hangtag. Also, check the country of origin on the label.
8. Timely Tips
Makers of fake watches may not replicate unusual features, such as a helium relief valve. If the feature is available, often times it does not function.
Makers of fake watches may not replicate unusual features, such as a helium relief valve. If the feature is available, often times it does not function.
Now that more and more Americans are aware of what these counterfeit items are actually doing to the world that we live in, maybe it will make them more aware of what they are actually purchasing. I know that when I bought a purse on a trip to New York, it never crossed my mind to think about the person that made it or where/to what my money was going to.
I hope that by making this issue prevalent in our society, people will actually take a second to think about it and what they are contributing to, from organized crime to child labor.
For more information on the Fakes are never in Fashion Campaign, please visit:
For more information on fake handbags and what the experts have to say, please visit:
This is really interesting because I never thought about where or what actually my money could be doing after it exchanged hands. While I understand why most people don't think they should have to pay $700 for a luxury handbag when they could pay much less, I think they would reconsider if they knew the side effects on the economy and violence of this business.
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