It was William Shakespeare who said it best, "What is in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." In our materialistic society, names matter. They define who we are, our status and our mentality. Designers help us with this way of thinking by making their items the "must haves" of the season. To own something, especially handbags, with the moniker of Versace, Coach, Louis Vuitton or Burberry, shows the public that you are trendy and care about what is "in" and what is not.
It seems that everyday, more and more people walking down College Avenue have fashionable new handbags. At the same time, the handbag phenomenon leaves us to wonder: why do so many people have designer handbags that cost well above what the typical college student can afford? After all, the average sized Coach purse cost about $158. The answer is simple: designer knock-off handbags, of course.
The explosion of the handbag industry gives many knock-off companies the freedom to make replica designer purses at a much lower price. With our materialistic society rapidly growing, people are buying in to the industry and instead of paying $158 for the newest Coach purse, people are paying street vendors on Canal Street in New York City $30 for bags that looks somewhat identical to an authentic Coach bag, or paying $50 for a Nine West handbag that assimilates a Coach purse. People even throw "Fake Purse Parties" in their homes where their friends can look and buy the newest fashions in knock-off purses.
Professor Vasilios Christofilakos, Professor of Accessories Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology, believes that the sale of knock-off handbags is both positive and negative to society. Christofilakos warns all handbag fans not to mistake knock-off handbags for those of the black market. Knock-off handbags are better defined as the imitation purses that are sold in retail stores such as Macy's or Walmart, while black market bags are those sold illegally (namely by street vendors) that are copies of originals by such fashion houses as Louis Vuitton and Gucci.
With regards to knock-offs sold in stores, Christofilakos said, "I think it is marvelous. There is room for everyone in the marketplace." The designers of the knock-off purses use the original designers as a source of inspiration; a definite form of flattery Christofilakos said. Christofilakos believes however, that the black market handbag industry is negative because it cuts into retail store sales. "We don't know where they came from. "Who are we supporting?" he said about black market bags.
Although some fake purses on the market today look fairly authentic, many of them, particularly ones sold in the Black Market, give clues to their false identities. It is fairly easy to buy an incredibly phony "Goach" bag instead of a reasonable looking Coach bag that could be mistaken for the real thing.
If you still are not satisfied with a knock-off purse, but cannot afford to buy an authentic purse, there are ways to buy the real thing without paying retail prices. A little known secret is the power of eBay. If you type the word "Coach" in to eBay, you will be surprised to see how many authentic Coach bags are on auction. Of course, one must be cautious in reading the entire description and naturally, as with any auction on eBay, there is a slight chance that the purse might not be authentic. However, many believe that buying handbags off of such auction sites, despite the possibility of being duped, is worth the risk, as $45 is not a hefty price to pay for a functional handbag that will serve its purpose. Outlet stores are also a great way of buying genuine designer purses at lower prices. Many designers retire certain lines if they are not doing as well as other lines, thus offering us average Janes handbags that are absolutely beautiful-the low price is your little secret.
So that which we call a rose by any other name may, very well, smell as sweet. The industry offers us so many choices, from the real $800 Louis Vuitton Papillon to the $30 reproduction that will also turn heads. There's something for everyone, no matter what your budget may be.
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