Comments on: he’ll compromise on never

By: Jen

Jen — Mon, 04 May 2009 18:10:25 +0000

this post is ridiculous?
why do any of you care what i think? this is my blog where i can sure as hell talk about the bag i own getting ripped off. if you all have such issues or really give a fuck what i say that’s your own deal but if you have no qualms with buying it, why say anything? just go shopping. END OF DISCUSSION.

By: Sofie

Sofie — Mon, 04 May 2009 17:58:24 +0000

I agree that knockoffs are tasteless but come on, this post is ridiculous. And honestly, “Chris Peters”, “tasteless people pretending to be rich” – unless somebody’s trying to pass off the Steve Madden as an original Alexander Wang they’re not PRETENDING to be rich.

By: piracy much?

piracy much? — Mon, 04 May 2009 16:41:08 +0000

To Calm Down,

I can see where you’re coming from, about the accessibility of fashion and what not; especially so, as I’m still studying, and can obviously not afford any designer bags of my own, as much as I do love fashion, and do frequently drool over $800, or $8000 bags that I can’t afford, but I still don’t see the point of carrying a knock off.

I don’t think it’s so much of a personal thing, like a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ knockoff, but a matter of intellectual property?

Let’s just pretend we’re talking about DVDs, like I’m sure many many fans of movies (who isn’t) know of the availability of illegal downloads online, if we go by your reasoning of ‘accessibility of movies’ for all, then shouldn’t everyone just skip cinemas and DVDs, and just watch free downloaded movies?

It’s undeniable that 100001 items on high street are ‘designer-inspired’, but that’s more like, say a ‘Chanel-inspired’ quilted chain bag with modifications, vs. a Chanel 2.55 replica being passed off as an original design by whichever brand ripping it off…

By: chris petres

chris petres — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:29:19 +0000

exactly, knockoffs are for tasteless people pretending to be rich

By: Melissa

Melissa — Mon, 04 May 2009 09:19:48 +0000

I also wanted to add that Steve Madden et al. do not just knock off the big designers, they also steal from small independent designers. I own a pair of shoes from the collaboration between the Campana Brothers, one of my favorite furniture designers, and the Brazilian shoe company Melissa. They were not expensive shoes, maybe $60? Well Steve Madden rips them off EXACTLY and sells them for $50. Ripping off an under the radar designer and then charging practically the same as the original is not about making fashion accessible. It is theft pure and simple.

By: Sofie

Sofie — Mon, 04 May 2009 08:53:53 +0000

Oh and, wait for it – where is Alexander Wang’s handbag made? A little hint: It’s not USA or Italy.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Mon, 04 May 2009 08:52:41 +0000

Calm Down you’re justifying buying fakes and knock-offs because you can’t afford the real thing??? There was a time I couldn’t afford designer handbags/shoes/clothes but I would NEVER dream of buying a knock-off because

1. It’s TACKY 2. The quality is shit and it’s pretty obvious to anyone within a 2 foot radius that it’s FAKE 3. I would KNOW I was carrying a fake and be self-conscious and most importantly 4. By carrying/wearing a fake you are supporting someone who STEALS someones original idea to make a buck. It’s completely unethical.

I’m a designer and I’m so fucking sick of people thinking it’s ok to buy knockoff shoes, bags, dresses from F21, Steve Madden, Jeffrey Campbell, Bebe etc. How the hell do you think it feels as a designer to create something unique, original, beautiful and QUALITY to see it COPIED in cheap materials in some sweat shop in China and sold to the masses in every cheesy mall! My design is my LIVELIHOOD! It is what I spent countless years studying & working for and it’s not ok for anyone to plagiarize. EVER. It’s not “flattering” to a designer to be plagiarized LOL! It is not elitism to expect to be paid for your ideas.

If you can’t afford the real thing there are plenty of mid-range original bags out there. Jen, good for you for posting this. I too owned the Wang moto bag when it first came out. I’ve since sold it because it was too small for me but it was beautiful!

By: Sofie

Sofie — Mon, 04 May 2009 08:52:33 +0000

Oh come on E M, we all know that it does not cost $800 to make a good quality leather bag. I own six Balenciagas, and with the newer models, the price has gone up but the quality of the leather, in comparison to the older seasons, has gone down. The ground costs to make a Balenciaga – leather, studs, zippers, worker pay comes to a maximum of about $400 per bag.

The actual cost of making a real leather bag is nowhere near the astronomical price we pay for designer bags. And before you get started and wrongly try to justify the price of the bag by mentioning “third world countries” – most of A. Wang’s goods are made in China. Just thought this is something I’d point out. I’m not choosing sides in this discussion.

I understand why one wouldn’t want to buy a knockoff, but the points being made by some commenters here arguing against the knockoff are just ridiculous.

By: Niki

Niki — Mon, 04 May 2009 04:46:29 +0000

Oh my, designer vs knockoff wank. . .

I dunno what to say about that, except that a lot of people who buy the steve madden knockoff probably don’t know about the wang original, or even the whole designer ripoff issue. before I started reading fashion blogs I didn’t really realize how close the copies are, etc. besides it being briefly mentioned in ‘the devil wears prada’ in that scene where the boss tells hathaway’s character that all fashion is just trickling down into the mainstream.

it sucks in some ways, but so does the fact that almost everything is from the developing world even stuff that was ‘finished’ in italy or something. I mean, I could go live on a commune somewhere and only wear a recycled burlap sack. . . but yeah. people who are well off and respect alex’s ‘art’ can go buy the original and as for the knockoffs, well, that’s kind of how fashion works, it just seems as though the internet is bringing it more to light now.

By: calm down

calm down — Mon, 04 May 2009 04:16:39 +0000

I’m not looking to impress anyone honey. I like the design of that bag. Why should I get another one? This bag is the closest resemblance to a design I like but can’t afford so I will purchase it. And there’s no need to be a bitch. Even if I saved up, I have a lot more important things to spend 800 dollars on, such as mothafucking rent. You don’t know about what I spend my shit on and what I strive to achieve so maybe you should stop taking a fucking knockoff bag so personally. There is a reason cheap clothes exist, because that’s all a lot of people can afford. Are we all supposed to save up and buy Ksubi’s instead of 30 dollar jeans? I feel like you have no sense of what reality is or you live in a bubble where everyone saves up and buys expensive purses.