Duped by designer doubles: are knockoffs worth the price?With two kids, Dorill Connell-Lake can't afford a real Louis Vuitton The Louis Vuitton Company (more commonly known simply as Louis Vuitton) is a luxury French fashion and leather goods brand and company, headquartered in Paris, France. It is a division of the French holding company, LVMH Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy S.A. bag. She bought an imitation LV for $60 while on a trip to New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. last year. Connell-Lake is not, alone in her desire to acquire the appearance of haute haute adj. Fashionably elegant: "In Washington, haute gastronomy is at least as important as the national economy" Ann L. Trebbe. couture. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. U.S. Customs & Border Protection, $94 million worth of knockoff knock·off n. Informal An unauthorized copy or imitation, as of designer clothing: "the place to go for quality knockoffs" Women's Wear Daily. Noun 1. goods were seized in 2003. There is a difference, however, between the clothing and handbags in the designer retail stores and what the sidewalk vendors peddle as high style on the cheap--a discrepancy that an unsuspecting consumer may not be able to identify. "If they are really of good quality, people will believe they are real. Of course, they're not the same quality as the original," says Joseph Gioconda, a partner in the New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of law office of Kirkland & Ellis L.L.P. "Importation of counterfeits usually come from the Far East, although we see them coming from other countries now, including Turkey and Italy," says Gioconda. Although a person buying a counterfeit product does not run the risk of facing any legal liability, the seller will often face jail time, serious financial penalties, and seizure of articles and assets. "It's a serious crime," says Gioconda. If a knock off has a shape and design that looks confusingly like the original, then the fake violates trade dress laws, which deal directly with the unique and distinctive appearance of a product. "I personally don't think knockoff is a good description. For me it's more like rip-]off. It's not only about the item. It's much more sinister. It's the brand name that's being taken," says Leonard Bess, who teaches in the design department at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City and worked in the industry for 25 years as a designer for Christian Dior Noun 1. Christian Dior - French couturier whose first collection in 1947 created a style that became known as the New Look (1905-1957) Dior . "For the customers who can't afford it, it benefits them obviously. Although the [product] is inferior, they want to be fashion conscious. But it costs the designers a great deal," he adds. So buyer beware. "Most designer products are usually sold in a higher end Coordinates: For other places with the same name, see Billinge. Higher End or Billinge Higher End is a district of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. store. Louis Vuitton merchandise, for example, only sells in Louis Vuitton stores. They're not sold in flea markets," says Stuart Drobny, a private investigator. "Someone who can't afford a real Louis Vuitton and spends $40 on a [counterfeit] bag that is a piece of garbage could have actually gotten a much better quality bag for the same amount." |
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