Why young shoppers are cool with counterfeits

In 2012, a classic Chanel flap bag could be yours for $4,400. Today, the price has gone up to $10,200. In a TikTok video, user Amanda Rennick shows a duplicate, or “dupe”, of the bag she bought for $55 on Chinese cross-border site DH Gate, complete with a receipt and a branded dust bag.

Would you be tempted?

Young people, driven by price rises at luxury brands, financial difficulties and “thrift culture”, increasingly are. Among the 22,021 people aged 15 to 24 that the EU Intellectual Property Office surveyed in 2022, 37 per cent of respondents said they bought at least one fake product in the previous 12 months, up from 14 per cent in 2019.

Clothes, accessories and footwear were the top categories, with “simply not caring whether the product was a fake” among the main motivations behind these purchases.

“Counterfeits have definitely become more acceptable for young shoppers,” says Bella Hales, junior talent researcher at London and Los Angeles-based social creative agency The Fifth. “Nowadays, every young shopper has a bit of fake in their wardrobe and they are comfortable owning it.”

On TikTok, where the trend for “dupes” has boomed, this attitude towards counterfeits is not universal. Heated discussions often flourish in comment sections among users who are pro and against knock-offs. For most of them, however, the real faux pas seems to be paying full price for authentic products when replicas, allegedly of comparable quality and at one-tenth of the cost, are just one click away.

“I’m glad they [knock-offs] are getting that good bc these brands dropped their quality below sea level and their prices skyrocketed,” writes one user. “Designer used to mean quality, and now a lot of cost cutting has meant you’ll buy an expensive bag and it will have threads or defects,” writes another. “Buying the real thing is for self validation. At the end of the day, it’s still a purse,” writes a third.

According to Chris Beer​, data journalist at audience research company GWI, cost of living concerns and higher inflation are two main drivers behind the “dupes” trend. “The economics behind it is quite simple, it’s people moving to cheaper alternatives,” he says, drawing a parallel with the 2008 recession. “Consumers, particularly younger ones, are turning away from conspicuous consumption. They’re still interested in gaining status, but are looking to achieve it through thrift and frugality instead.”

In a 2023 survey by GWI of 2,110 Gen Z respondents across 12 countries, 20 per cent say inflation has had a “dramatic” impact on their finances.

We just baddies that’s smart with our money

“Frugal flexing”, as Beer​ calls the showing off of products or lifestyles that look much more expensive than they actually are, is a key element of the “dupes” trend. On TikTok the hashtag #bougieonabudget, which includes videos giving tips on how to be thrifty in categories such as fashion, beauty and food, has 554mn views. It also goes to explain why for many of these young consumers admitting to be buying a counterfeit is not a taboo anymore, but rather something to show off on social media. 

“Finding a bargain is seen as a win and something to feel proud of and share on social media,” says Hales. “When financial times are tough, you want to feel relevant and there is an easy solution, then the attitude is why not?”

On TikTok, the #dupes hashtag has tallied up 2.1bn views. #Reps, shorter for replicas, has 1.9bn. Videos often feature detailed reviews of luxury counterfeits and where to find them. Also on TikTok are step-by-step guides on “how to find the best dupes” and “how to never get a haul seized” by customs.

“We are baddies on a budget,” says Jada, a young TikTok influencer speaking from behind a stack of fake-branded shoe boxes in a typical example of these videos. She unpacks a pair of shoes that are dead ringers for white Yeezy 350s, priced at $266 on secondary platform StockX. A price appears on screen: $46. She then unpacks pairs of “Nike Jordan” 4 ($45), “Louis Vuitton” furry slippers ($75) and “Dior” canvas sneakers ($71). “We are not even on a budget,” she concludes, satisfied. “We just baddies that’s smart with our money.”

The video is a review of “DH Gate finds”, products from Chinese cross-border platform DH Gate. A link under her bio brings interested users to the DH Gate website, where they can buy the same products. Clicking on ‘Christian Diors’, for example, will lead you to a shopping page for “B23 Dupe Slippers AAAAA Casual Shoes,” priced at $68. They are explicit copies of Dior’s B23 low-top sneakers, which cost $1,050 on dior.com. (DH Gate is listed in the US 2022 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy.) DH Gate did not respond to a request for comment. 

This trend illustrates the camaraderie amongst Gen Z and young millennials to help others navigate the challenges of the cost of fashion

A spokesperson for TikTok wrote via email: “Our community guidelines are clear that we do not allow content that facilitates the sale of counterfeit goods. We take the protection of intellectual property very seriously, and creators found to be selling counterfeit products on our platform may be removed.”

American designer Sonique Saturday, founder of Saturday House, launched her “You Fake Like This Birkin” bag design in 2015, a vegan leather carryall bag with a shape similar to the Hermès Birkin bag painted with the slogan it takes its name from. Other designs in her line include a “Can’t Afford Hermes” and “You Fake Like This Chanel” bags. For Saturday, the current knock-off trend has the feel of a “fun scavenger hunt”.

“That’s always been an idea in fashion — bargaining, hunting and trying to find out those deals,” she says. “Fakes and dupes have always been around, the fact that it’s a trend now it’s because people are just having fun with the exchanging [of information].” Cue the #hotgirlsdontgatekeep trend on TikTok, which promotes sharing tips and knowledge on fashion, beauty products, travelling, finance and more. “This trend definitely illustrates the camaraderie and sharing amongst Gen Z and young millennials to help others navigate the challenges of the cost of fashion,” says Hales.

Whatever the reason behind engaging with counterfeits, promoting and sharing information regarding these products carries risks, especially if these items include brand names and logos.

“In the UK, promoting any infringing product will very often amount to an infringement itself,” Nick White, partner at law firm Charles Russell Speechlys, says. Using brand names such as Hermès or Louis Vuitton in a social media video could also amount to an infringement if there is an element of trade involved, such as an affiliate programme.

White believes that TikTok content creators are underestimating the risks they are taking.

“It is hard to get at the companies producing the counterfeits, especially those based in China,” he continues. “Brands will consider all angles when trying to strangle the trade in counterfeits and they may feel they are more likely to have success pursuing creators based in western jurisdictions.”

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