BY CHEMELLE RICE
We women know the price of our designer’s items so much so that it is easier to purchase a good old fake and save them pennies. Some designer bags have a retail price of up to £16,000, some even require a waiting list, leaving a hungry female buyer hanging on for up to 3 whole years. Why would anyone, unless filthy rich, dream of purchasing such an expensive item and waiting so long when you can find a replica for under £100.
The latest talk on the high street is about the not so glam “Chamele No.5”. Let’s please not compare any comparison to the product and my first name, ha!
A market stall in Croydon had been caught distributing the “Fake” fragrance like it was the real deal. What gave it away? The pathetic attempt of a name change? Or the not so Chanel No.5 smell perhaps? The Only fools and horses sales man had 100 bottles of the ripe off product. What a bargain for just £10 I say. The boxes did look the part but inside the bottle showed the eyebrow raising “Chamele” instead of “Chanel”. A not so amused customer complained to the market inspector where the dodgy salesman had been approached but had fled the scene before the police arrived. It seems the London Del boy has left the market wounded, as the historic market has gathered a very good reputation over the years. The leader of Croydon Council spoke out about the situation “It’s a shame this rogue chose to target Surrey Street for his criminal activity, our market has decent traders, making an HONEST living, and they certainly don’t want this sort of thing happening in the midst”
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FAKES EVERYWHERE:
The Fake counterfeits cost us millions a year within the fashion and distribution industry. The crack down on counterfeits has obviously not worked as the game seems to be playing ball just as hard as it did over a decade ago. Counterfeits don’t just target perfumes, they target medication too and much more.
Cancer Drugs, HIV medication, Vehicle Airbags, Baby Formula and Cigarettes. That list alone smells of danger. Medical and baby products cause damage that no amount of profitable money can repair. How can people fake baby formulas? Surely there are repercussions for such an act. The formula is not safe and nor are the cancer and Hiv pills and concoctions. That is were the true problems lay, in fact where fakes go too far and become life threatening. Losing the government more money than you can imagine. Counterfeits are very much at home within our houses providing us with fake I phones, Dvd’s and Computers. Leaving Apple Mac and Samsung’s Bank Balance short of £150 million a year.
Does it stop there? No!
What else could possibly be fake? FOOD!!! Yes, food has in fact been sold labelled as another source. Remember the horse scandal? Asda and Tesco had been using horse meat instead of Beef for their frozen lasagnas and burgers. That is not the most hidden, Fish is in fact the most common to be faked. 17 sushi restaurants had been exposed, after being tested it showed that their Red Snapper was actually Tilapia and their Catfish had been sold as Grouper, which does sell twice as much as Catfish. The most typical fraud we encounter is a normal batch of Atlantic salmon being sold to us as Wild Alaska Salmon. We are being conned by the supermarkets ourselves, before we point our fingers solely at the dodgy stalls. The government are equally to blame for this scam if not to blame entirely. China do run the best industry for producing our fakes. China have factories upon factories that visitors goes mad for during an annually visit. China went as far to disguise an underground factory as a prison, the “Fake” Prison was producing millions of “Fake” Cigarettes until it was uncovered by police in Sichuan.
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SPOT A FAKE
The fashion aspect angers the likes of Louis Vuitton, Giorgio Armani, Michael Kors and Gucci to name a few. Michael Kors has stolen the limelight the past few years, leaving every teenager with a satchel on their arms. His Rose Gold watches have every teenage girl begging daddy for one at Christmas time. Kors is one of the more affordable designers on the spectrum on our shelves with prices starting at a nice and friendly £100. Does this stop the fakes though? NO. I shopped online for just one hour and came across several fantastic sites that produce and deliver you an unrecognizable fake. The bags that I would purchase myself were retailed at £350 but after a little bargain hunt, I found the same bag, looking the reals mirror image for only £65. When the average earner can save hundreds why would they want the real? The Quality of the item is the only real difference and I guess you can say it’s the principal of the matter. You’d be surprise, as the replicas are rapidly getting better. I ordered a fake Rose Gold Watch and a Red Satchel Bag claiming to be “Michael Kors”, an associate who had been an assistant working for Major fashion designers for over a decade in Paris and America gave me a little insight. I asked her to compare the items to what she had dealt with daily and professionally. Lucy Miriam clarified “The Products are definitely fake but they are a surprisingly good manufacture”.
I myself would sport the items, I see no real difference and they feel just as good when you were them.
“Could a normal citizen who knows nothing about fashion be able to tell the difference between the fake items and the real ones?” that is the big question. Anyone making the items would make this their ultimate goal, making the customer unaware of the items loyalty.
“Unless you are equipped with knowledge then no, you will not be able to tell the difference”
Lucy explained “As the buyer if you feel you have been sold short and you believe that your purchases are in fact fake then there are small markings you can look for on the items yourself. Most designer items come with a certificate of authentication. All designers’ products are of a certain quality and material. A simple tell-tale sign with Gucci is the print on the material itself. For example a purse will have a label on the inside corner and the G imprint will be in a certain direction. Most fakes print a C disguised as a G”
Which is what we’ve seen with the fake Chanel No.5. A simple letter change is a big give away so look close.
“Michael Kors will be missing the A from his Name or perhaps some will contain a double S but the big give away is the lack of a certificate. If you don’t want to risk it then I recommend you go to the high street store personally to purchase your high quality designer products”
There you have it then, if you want the real deal simply take no chances. Avoid stores and markets and hit up the high street for your high class gear.
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