Fashion replicas

I thought I’d take a look at the replica industry and the paradigm shift in language for it to be acceptable to buy ‘replicas’ as distinct from the ‘imitations’ and ‘counterfeits’ of yesteryear…

I thought I’d take a look at the replica industry and the paradigm shift in language for it to be acceptable to buy ‘replicas’ as distinct from the ‘imitations’ and ‘counterfeits’ of yesteryear.

Even softer than ‘replica’ is ‘influenced by’ and the most delicate, ‘referenced by’, although I most often hear this said in thick irony at fashion shows.

When I was young, of course there were copies. In fact my dad came home from Hong Kong with a non-Rolex and said he got it for fun at a street vendor calling out, "Copy Watch! Copy Watch!" with trays of fake watches for a few dollars.

And that’s quite an emotive term isn’t it, "fake"? It used to be a powerful word. It brings to mind connotations of back street deals and subversive dealings.

Yes, copying has always gone on. I hear this argument from anyone facing accusations. The Romans copied the Greeks, they’ll say. And in design, brands have always slightly changed things. IKEA is just one of many famous for doing this, adding a fourth leg to a Danish three legged curved plywood stool for example.

But I’ve noticed a real shift lately. It seems perfectly acceptable to wear fakes – in fact, to brag about the deal you got. Perhaps it’s a sign of the economic times combined with the Kiwi love of a bargain. You can get away with selling furniture that uses the original designer’s name as long as you term it ‘replica.’ There are whole shops dedicated to it; Homage, selling "iconic 20th Century design reproduction furniture", and Nude, who state on their website "Nood reproduction furniture is not manufactured by, affiliated with, or associated with the original designers or manufacturers" amongst others. I’ve seen Tolix-referencing stools for $69.95, which are in various stores without the trademarked Tolix name, with the genuine articles selling at the excellent Madder & Rouge.

Sometimes brands that have big fanbases here but aren’t sold here get local imitators. The Warehouse has Cath Kidston-influenced crockery called ‘Cathy’ and I’ve seen a few Cath Kidston-style rose print soft furnishings around. Cath Kidston herself drew from vintage fabrics, sure, but she has popularised the look so it is recognisably hers. A shop Crave in Birkenhead has Cath Kidston replica bags (without trademarks) and when I asked if they were real, they said "No, they’re very good imitations." Diva have black sunglasses for $20 with a black arrow reminescent of (but not identical to) Karen Walker’s. Stolen Girlfriends Club posted on their Facebook page images of their designs and some similar replicas to start a conversation around this. And who could forget the Ricochet vs a few other brands around town, or Shanton vs Thornton Hall and their ads in the Herald proclaiming "The same for less"?

Speaking of Facebook, Walk in Wardrobe shopping page has individuals selling relica sunglasses they’ve bought from factories in China. I even spoke to a beauty writer at a fashion event who said she purchased these for $30 and wore them with pride, and she’s not alone by any means. I received an email from a seller saying she was an honest replica seller, not deceitfully selling fakes to an unknowing public. "I would rather pay $20 on cheap replicas that I don’t mind breaking/losing/having as spare sunnies rather than pay $300+ on a label. And I’m sure a lot of other girls feel the same way. It’s unfortunate that people are scamming people into buying these replicas and not telling the customer that they are in fact fakes, that’s a real shame. But people need to be very weary (sic) of Walk in Wardrobe because more often than not the intentions of some people on that site are not very good at all."

In fashion from time to time I hear about design assistants who have copied their masters, and various labels who too closely referenced iconic New Zealand and/or international looks. And who hasn’t sat through a fashion show thinking, "Ooh they’ve taken a note from Zambesi/nom.d/Alexander McQueen/Prada haven’t they?"

Cotton On was taken to court – and lost – over copying. "Australian copyright judgment shows that there can be a very fine dividing line between ‘referencing’ and ‘plagiarism’ of another design – and designers should think twice before taking short-cuts in their design process." We covered it on Thread here.

I spoke to local interior designer Anya Brighouse of Beautiful Bedlam who said she’d never recommend clients buy replicas. She pointed out a useful resource is a Facebook page set up to pressure retailers and inform buyers (http://www.facebook.com/EqualRightsForDesignUK) started by a magazine that doesn’t use counterfeits/fakes. Anya also shared a photo posted by David Trubridge of his coral lights ripped off by a Hong Kong producer at a trade fair, and revealed on the HOME magazine Facebook page here, with the statement, "David Trubridge encounters rip-off copies of his lights at the Hong Kong Lighting Fair. A good lesson here, people – make sure when you’re buying design items that you do your research and ensure you’re getting the real deal, not a copy. The parasitical copy industry destroys design innovation – and the wares it produces are always of inferior quality, too."

Nicole Stock agrees, in her last editorial column for URBIS magazine:

On a very personal level, I had it happen to me. When I owned clothing boutiques, I had a competitor come in and buy my top without trying it on, and copy it and sell it in their store. I worked up the courage to go in and confront them and they admitted they copied, and said, "Well what are you going to do about it?’ I was stunned but they were right, what can you do short of a legal battle?

We hear a lot about the international counterfeit industry with lawyers from Louis Vuitton and many, many labels employed fulltime to track them down. But what about here in New Zealand? What repercussions does this have for local designers? Is imitation the sincerest form of flattery?

Have you noticed an acceptance lately of replicas? And on a personal level, would YOU buy them?

Megan Robinson, 12 March 2013