Replicas, knockoffs, bootlegs, whatever you call them they are not the real thing. In the Lolita world this is a big debate, and in the fashion industry it is a slap in the face to designers who have worked hard to define their brand and product as uniquely theirs.
NYC’s Chinatown is known as the mecca to find counterfeit goods — men and women come from all over just to find a cheaper version of the real thing. And everyone is sick of it and taking action.
Lolitas tend to go one way or another. On one hand it’s affordable and bespoked for more fuller figured girls. On the other hand it lowers the value of an actual brand item, and the quality is not as good as the real thing.
The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CDFA) have been constantly taking a stand against counterfeit goods. More active than ever, designers have become more active in contributing.
eBay and the CDFA have collaborate to create one-of-a-kind bags made by designers such as Donna Karan, Betsey Johnson, Badgley Mischka, etc.
For the most part each designer worked with a plain canvas tote bag emblazoned with the phrase “You Can’t Fake Fashion.” Naturally, these bags quickly sold out (at $150), but there are plain ones ($35) available for people to decorate, create, and, most-of-all, make a statement.
I would love to know what indie Lolita Designers would do to this bag. Fuzzy stars and pop-kei charms for Pretty Pop? Embroidered macarons and sweets from Little Macaron? A screen-printed skeletal outline by Morrigan?
