Knockoff luxury items no longer taboo as Gen Z shoppers embrace ‘superfake’ designer bags, shoes
- Gen Z shoppers wear fakes with pride and think it cool to buy dupes and knock-offs, opposed to previous generations that deemed them taboo
- Makers of ‘superfake’ luxury items are known to source leather from the same Italian suppliers as established fashion houses
There is a new type of knock-off that is making it even harder to ensure your Gucci handbag or Yeezy sneakers are authentic.
Designer brands have been combating knock-offs for decades, but a rising category of “superfakes” can trick the most experienced experts. Fabricators have become increasingly savvy at making a product look eerily similar to the real thing.
Here is how superfakes became so difficult to tell apart from the real thing.
What is a superfake?
While knock-offs of designer clothing and accessories have been around for more than a century, they gained prominence in the 80s and 90s as logos became a status symbol on everything from Juicy Couture tracksuits to Tommy Hilfiger bucket hats.
Those who could not afford the designer price tags went to thriving street markets like Canal Street in New York City, where sellers hawk counterfeit handbags, wallets, and shoes. Most of these fakes were not fooling anyone. They may have had a Gucci or Chanel logo, but they were cheaply made and often had telltale signs of inauthenticity, like fake leather, inconsistent stitching, or low-quality hardware.
Knock-offs have a long history. Genuine and counterfeit Dior bags are displayed at the Counterfeit Museum in Paris in 2009. Superfakes have taken the practice to a new level.
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Chinese shoppers snap up used luxury goods amid economic slowdown
But superfakes are not your Canal Street knock-off. Chinese manufacturers have become increasingly skilled at replicating designer goods in such detail that even the most experienced authenticators can struggle to decipher a superfake.