fake can make you feel REALly good...appearently

Because the post that I chose to bring in and discuss during class was not a post from Threadbared, but was actually a link to another site I would like to focus on the site counterfeitchic.com.

Firstly, My post came from a series of blog entries from the site counterfeit chic written and compiled by Susan Scafidi. I was interested to hear what others had to say from a fashion standpoint when it comes to designers being copied and recreated for a cheaper price. I learned about the IDPPA, which stands for the Innovative Design Protection Piracy Act. The act is an amendment to chapter 13 of the copyright act offering a 3 year term of protection for new and unique designs. The rest of the blog talked about specific instances were designers products were replicated like the Louis Vuitton LV monogram and specific bridal gowns remade at a more affordable price for the normal consumer. For consumers this is awesome because they can look like a million dollars without really needing the money to do so. I relate this back to our visual culture class because image is everything, especially in the United States. When I think back to all of the images I’ve seen in this class, the persons clothing or uniform played an important role in how they were/are perceived. For example, the poster with the three white male able bodies, they were in police, fireman and military uniform. This has a very important influence over how you feel about these individuals because it perpetuates a certain stereotype. In this poster, these three uniforms made the audience view the individual as meritous. Comparably, the movie Menace to society showed the stereotype you black men in baggy clothing. They were perceived as gangsters and violent incapable bodies.

I found this article/site so interesting because I had to consider why does one’s apparel matter so much that they would buy fake clothing of poor quality jut to appear on a higher social status. In, the lives of middle class Americans people aspire to be as successful as possible and a way to display that is through your physical appearance. People do this in many different ways depending on the environment and what promotes status. In the black community wearing a lot of jewelry promotes status. I have seen many people wearing fake diamond necklaces and earrings to make themselves look more wealthy than they truly are. This is deceptive but it works for that person and attracts the attention they want. In the military one’s ranking in sewn on your uniform. I suppose someone could replicate that or even a purple heart to reach a higher status and get the benefits from that. So we see how counterfeit apparel can have positive affects on the consumer. However, this hurts the economy.

With over 200 billion dollars lost on replicated goods sold in the black market, government officials have tried to crack down on replicating any and everything from movies to fashion. I personally feel like wearing fake designer clothing doesn’t make a person look any better or more wealthy, but some people feel like they need to do this.

The last point I want to add is how much more concerned with designer labels people appear to be internationally. My experience in China this summer was overwhelming because of the amount of fake products that were sold. In China there is no law forbidding people to sell burned dvd’s or real designer merchandise. Although, the quality was bad, there were so many young Chinese people wearing replicated designer apparel. My guess is that they want to keep up with popular western styles and culture and this is a more economically way to do so. I just felt like they took it overboard with a Burberry headband, a Louis Vuitton belt and Gucci shoes, all bought on a street corner.

http://www.counterfeitchic.com/