Monday, September 22, 2008

Faking It

Shasha, how do you feel about fakes? I admit, that in college I was totally up for buying a fake purse, because I had no money and thought it's a good substitute until I could afford something real. And I kept trying to find one...in NYC's Chinatown and on the streets of Taiwan...but I was never able to find something that I liked. I was SO jealous when friends came back from their trips with the cutest Coach purse or Prada wallet...all fake and cheap!

Then, when I started reading on the Purse Forum and everyone on there decried and denounced buying fake bags, I started to ponder...is buying fake bags that bad? Some claim that buying fakes will fund organized crime and terrorist groups (kind of a stretch) and robs the intellectual property rights of the designers (this I can understand). But since there is actually no consequence for buyers (only sellers) the only downside is if you try to pass something off as real and then someone called you out for it - oh the shame of it!

So, I have a thing for LV (as you may know) and if you asked me a month ago if I would buy a fake LV, I would cringe and say...goodness no! But lately, I've seen some really really good fakes out there. I like to read up on all the tips on how to authenticate a bag (date code, heat stamp, etc.) and I make sure to get everything authenticated before I buy on EBay...but there have been times when my step falters and my mind starts to wander. Could I get a fake? Would I? Should I?

Oh who am I kidding? In this day of excellent fakes and bad economy, I'm not one to judge. I certainly wouldn't be struck by lightning if I buy something "designer inspired," and I definitely do not look down on others buying fake stuff...each person has their own prerogative on how they spend their money. In some ways it might be better to get something obviously faked (like the LV "Fake" Speedy) than something trying very hard to be real. But the question is, where is my line drawn in the sand? Where's yours?


Photo is from an exhibit called "Wake Up Andy Warhol" at the Ssamzie Gallery by Korean artist Zinwoo Park:

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

ok. . .so I thought about it really hard and it's still a toughie! If I think of it as art though, then no way would I want a fake! would you want a fake signe?

I guess someone could argue that art prints are kinda like fakes, except it's much easier to tell they're just prints. I guess I can't speak against prints, because what if those were the only ones I could get my hands on? Sigh - I'm going in circles with this dilemma.