Does Social Media Help Promote The Fake-Fashion Industry?

At some point in our lives, we’ve all found ourselves lounging on the beach sipping a cocktail, only to be approached by a cheerful chap offering out some sunglasses, sneakers, purses… the list goes on. For some, copping a pair of “Ray-Bans” for five quid is a no brainer, while others may scoff at the idea and send the man on his merry way without so much as a thank you, next.

The reality of the situation is that the counterfeit fashion ring is worth over $461 billion. One of the biggest epidemics in the industry, it affects not only luxury brands, but sportswear and high street retailers too. In fact, this October, police in America seized $2.2 million worth of fake Nike sneakers which were intercepted from China. Some of Nike’s rarest silhouettes were fraudulently designed and found in the shipment, including limited-edition Off-White x Jordan 1s. Proof of how in demand fakes are, the rise of fake fashion directly correlates with the increased popularity of social media.

Not only does social media encourage a certain lifestyle and shame those who can’t afford to keep up with that lifestyle, it promotes and delivers counterfeit-fashion retailers right to your feed. Making it easier than ever to get your hands on a pair of high-quality fake sneakers, people are able to keep up with the latest trends at a fraction of the price.

In a study for The Guardian on the effect of cyberbullying, Lucy Russell, campaign manager at Plan International, said that online “girls are being told what to wear, how to look to shut up about their opinions.” With so much pressure for the younger generation to stay on trend, why wouldn’t they log on to IG and grab a pair?

It’s not just the desire to “fit in”, social media is making us all more receptive as consumers, even to the idea of fakes. Recent studies confirm what we already know – social media is addictive. Liking posts online, and people liking your posts, activates your brain’s reward centre. This is what makes scrolling through your feed so enjoyable and what keeps you hitting that refresh button. As we become more dependent on social media, it becomes easier to absorb a ton of information without really noticing! We even buy into the idea that whatever celebs are wearing must be the real deal because, well, they’re rich, right?

Well, YouTuber Yeezy Busta has busted A-listers from Rich the Kid and Soulja Boy to Zac Efron wearing fakes. While some would dub this “fake flexing”, others may argue that that’s just a part of the culture now.

Before the advent of social media we might see a dodgy looking advert for brand-new £15-Nike sneakers on Google and think, “looks a bit suspicious, I’ll give that a miss”. But it’s now showing up on our feed and some are buying into the lie without much thought. Users are being presented with fake goods left right and centre, and due to the lack of education on how to differentiate real from fake, not everyone can spot the difference. And it can be dangerous…

In 2016, Kylie Jenner’s beauty line, Kylie Cosmetics, fell victim to the counterfeit industry. Her loyal customers thought they were spotting a bargain online, assuming that the beauty mogul was behind it and copping themselves a nice new lipstick filled with, wait for it… glue and gasoline. Finding themselves in a, ahem, sticky situation, consumers were flocking to Jenner to complain. Which poses the question, should brands be held responsible for not educating their customers on which retailers stock their authentic products?

After browsing on the Nike and adidas websites, both brands offer a list of confirmed retailers and even encourage customers to send them the information about where they purchased the fake goods. This then leaves it in the customer’s hands to ensure they’re shopping via reliable retailers. In the case of Kylie Cosmetics, the brand actively works to remove counterfeits from the market not only to protect the brand, but to keep users who may be tricked into purchasing fakes safe.

Clearly, gasoline is never an acceptable alternative to lipstick but in other industries such as footwear, the quality of counterfeit products seems to be improving. Home to the biggest counterfeit operation in the world, Putian China is the central hub where a huge percentage of fake goods are made. In August 2018, Vice visited a fakes factory and observed that “Nike and adidas have both had official factories in Putian since the 1980s, which means that it’s pretty easy to find the same materials and employees that you’d find in a legit factory”. Resulting in fake products that are similar in quality and style, consumers are offered practically the same shoe at a fraction of the price. But there’s significant evidence that they come with a backstory that’s rich in crime and exploitation.

The real reason you shouldn’t invest any time or money in fakes runs deeper than you might think. Ariele Elia - an assistant curator at the Museum at FIT – says in an investigative documentary for Complex, “One of the worst stories I read was where they had raided an illegal factory and the children were actually handcuffed to the sewing machines,” just one of the many harrowing stories of child labour in the counterfeit industry, the whole operation is notorious for exploiting the poor and abandoning all Human Rights practices.

Even more claims have surfaced that the sale of counterfeit good directly contributed to the 2016 Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris. Bruce Foucart, director of U.S. Homeland Security's National Intellectual Property Coordination Center, told Complex that "The sale of counterfeit goods went into buying these guns." The group behind the attacks had been selling fake products on the streets of Paris to accrue the money that they used to purchase guns and grenade launchers.

Even for petty criminals, a vocation in counterfeits seems particular attractive given the current laws. Penalties enforced on those who are convicted of intellectual infringement are significantly lower than those in drug-related cases. It’s with the click of a button that most counterfeit-goods factories can sell their products worldwide. And therein lies the problem. How long do you think it takes to find a retailer of fake Yeezys on Instagram? It took me a mere 23 seconds to find a page that would sell me a pair for a humble $45. With little-to-no censorship from Instagram, pages like this are popping up every day, giving users easy access to a market that actively breaks the law.

Although the pressure to flex and keep up with trends is massively overwhelming, it’s more important than ever before to ensure you’re shopping at reputable retailers. Not only does the counterfeit goods factories infringe on Human Rights law, there’s evidence that they fund significant criminal activity – not to mention the fact that they will just never match the quality of the original products. So, make like Nike and when it comes to investing money into the real deal, Just Do It.

Let us know what you think about the counterfeit goods industry. Do you fake it or do you exclusively go for the real deal?