I have a very love-hate relationship with fast-fashion. On one hand, I love having the opportunity to indulge in fast changing trends without the financial burden. On the contrary, I am all too aware of the negative impact the clothing industry on the environment (not to mention fair trade.) That being said, as much as I love buying something that looks expensive with a contradicting tag; where do we draw the line at knockoffs? I’m not talking about a stick-on Kate Spade tag you sported on the bag you bought on a trip to NYC in middle school, or the “Chanel” studs you had freshman year of high school. I’m talking about respected retailers who blatantly rip off other designers.
I first noticed Forever 21’s tendency to replicate other designers when I saw a CLEAR knockoff of the 3.1 Pashli satchel this past winter. As I was perusing their website today, I couldn’t help but be a frustrated by their blatant replication of popular designer bags.
Valentino:
What its supposed to look like: Valentino’s “Va Va Voom” shoulder bag (available in many colors)
Everything from the hand-slip to the double stranded chain, this bag is a complete knockoff. Although currently Valentino doesn’t have a burgundy tone with gold studs available for retail, they do have a maroon version with maroon studs. Either way, this style has existed for quite some time, and with the major success of Valentino in the past year– can you blame F21 for knowing there would be a buyer?
Rag & Bone:
What its supposed to look like: Rag & Bones “Enfield Mini Crossbody Bag”
To me this was one of the most blatant knockoff, and considering the fact this Rag & Bone bag (while popular) is certainly not iconic, they probably thought few people would notice. The clasp… seriously?
Loeffler Randall
What its supposed to look like: Loeffler Randall “Rider Top-Handle” bag
Loeffler Randall may not be a designer name that people know immediately, unless they take an interest in contemporary fashion. Thus, plenty of people are buying this bag having no idea that it is a replica of a more expensive brand. Now you know.
Herschel Supply Co.
What its supposed to look like: In the past couple of years the Herschel backpack has become extremely recognizable due to their logo. Although many people do not know the brand by name, Herschel has been extremely successful among fashionistas– it is sold on Shopbop as well as Revolve clothing.
It is worth mentioning that almost all of Forever 21’s backpacks on sale right now have this same diamond logo…
Chloe:
What its supposed to look like: Chloe “Drew” Bag……………
Nearly every mainstream fashion blogger has been sporting the Chloe “Drew” bag in recent months. It could be due to the fact that “Chloe Girls” are ultra-popular on social media, or just that this is a dope bag in general. Either way, F21 this is a knockoff.
Rebecca Minkoff
What its supposed to look like: Rebecca Minkoff “5 Zip Convertible” bag.
Straight-up Rebecca Minkoff has won awards for being an innovative designer. Her’s is one of the few contemporary brands that offers distinguishable bags that are not inspired by higher-end brands. They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, but if fast-fashion is filling the wardrobe-gap traditionally filled by the contemporary designer; what is going to happen to them??
*There are also about a million quilted crossbody bags currently for sale that are clearly inspired by Chanel, which is to be expected.*
So what’s worse: buying a fake Louis Vuitton bag on a street corner, or buying a clear replica from a “respected” retailer like Forever 21? I’m not claiming that there were any copyright violations (although definitely some close calls), but is this era of logo-less popularity allowing fast-fashion retailers to abuse the creative-output of luxury fashion-houses???
