Piracy Has A Brand

The holiday season is just around the corner; and while people on the Upper East Side are busy filling their shopping bags with designer originals, we see another side of the pinoy lifestyle that is just truly unavoidable- shopping for 1st class designer copies. Most of these designer copies can be found just about anywhere; but for a true pinoy baratista, there's no place like Quiapo, Binondo, Avenida and the ever sosyal Ruins in BF Parañaque where all good finds (and everything in between) can be found.

Original Louis Vuitton Designer Bag

I'm a shopaholic myself. Though I don't own a closet full of designer originals, I always make sure I stay away from anything that is obviously fake. A trip down Quiapo one day made me realize that as everything was created by God, the rest were made in China. 

Fake Crocs

The first thing that caught my eyes were these fake Crocs I found displayed at the bangketas of Quiapo. I personally find these shoes to be ugly- even the original ones. But the fact that they are "hip" to many people and they're comfortable to wear (according to some of my friends who bought original Crocs), Quiapo just couldn't resist to come up with their own line of fake Crocs. I must admit- it looks almost like the original; except that the rubber isn't quite as soft and as sturdy. The bad side of buying a fake is that you can never tell when the material wears off...

Fake Dolce & Gabbana Belt

Going farther south, I decided to drop by at Robinson's Place in Malate. Can you just imagine my surprise when I found rows and rows of set up table-stalls along the road selling fake belts! From WWE buckles, to D&G- you name it they have it! One sales person I talked to even told me that the bigger the buckle the better. Why won't it? A bigger buckle means that you can get to flaunt your belt has a brand- but its a fake mind you! Original designer belts don't have big buckles. Designer originals are subtle and they normally keep the brands as small as possible. You don't wear a designer original like a cheap bling bling. People can tell if you're wearing a fake or an original That's a relief these days when almost everything is being pirated.

Fake Lacoste Shirt

The ever popular wardrobe from the 90's are being pirated as well. Don't think anything ever escapes the pirates. Lacoste shirts are being sold for 3 for P500! Avenida carries this classic line from Lacoste- without the license to reproduce it that is. It is equally as comfortable to wear because the material they use is soft- but if you're like me who are allergic to anything that's fake, you'll easily get nasty itches with this shirt after wearing it two or three times. The material easily wears off anyways so if you happen to have one of these stashed in your closet somewhere, I'm sure that after wearing more than twice its also twice your size as well.

Fake Gucci Wallet

Another thing that caught my eye are fake designer wallets. These wallets are sold everywhere- from tiangges to ukay-ukays... even some malls carry these fake wallets and pass it on as originals. However, it is quiet easy to spot a fake wallet. The tip? Not all designer brands have a leather wallet collection. Gucci has and LV's are very popular- but when you see a leather wallet that says Christian Lacroix- you can bet 100% that it's a fake. Plus, check the leather. Designer originals uses soft but sturdy leather materials. Fake ones don't. And the stitch lining as well. Fake designer pieces have very bad stitches- you can almost see it when you inspect the item!

Fake Chanel Sunglasses

One of my favorite fake items to spot are sunglasses. Just like the wallets- they are easy to spot and sold almost everywhere. Malls and tiangges normally carry this line of wannabe items. From fake Chanels, to fake Ray-Bans... they even have some that has LV on it! Again, beware! These glasses look almost authentic- at first glance. But when you check the material, you wouldn't say they're all original at all. Fake designer sunglasses are normally made of soft and almost breakable plastic. They bend easily and the paint comes off when you scratch it. Designer originals obviously don't. 

Fake Converse Chucks

From clothes to accessories, almost everything these days are fake. But what would a true baratista would look like if they don't have fake shoes as well? Presenting you this years best fake shoes- fake Converse chucks. Almost every wannabe owns this. The originals are bad enough but the fake one's even worse! Ever heard of the saying "Worse for wear"?. I couldn't help but associate that phrase with these designer wannabe. Emos love it and A-Listers hate it! The downside with this designer wannabes is that the soles come off after 3weeks of use. Try walking on bare foot instead- it comes more fashionable naturally.

Fake Havaianas

And since we are talking about footwear- I wouldn't miss this for the world. A real laugh was the fake Havaianas I saw the other day at a mall called Starmall.  From Havanas to Hawaianas, the ever popular sandals are being sold only at a cheap price of P100. What a great deal right? Yeah right- if you want to get scabs on the soles of your foot! They look almost as good as the original alright but imagine what would people say when they read the label and it says Hawaianas. Did you buy that somewhere in Hawaii? 

I was saving the best for last- and ladies, don't hate me for this. Presenting you... this year's best designer copy ever... fake Louis Vuitton  bags!

Fake Louis Vuitton Bags

 

I agree- anything that's LV is surely on top of the list. For just P350, you can already own a designer copy of an LV bag! But don't get carried away ladies- people who knows original designer bags know that when you carry this one it's a fake. Original LV bags are made of soft leather- in fact they are so soft that if their compartment space aren't maximized, the bag loses it's shape. The fake ones are made of hard leather (if they really use leather that is). It's so hard it can almost stand on its own- with or without stuff in it! Online, you can find lots of fake LVs being sold; just because a designer bag is being sold at 10K doesn't necessarily mean it's an original.

With all that being said, let me leave you with this: A designer original costs a lot of money but the quality is definitely worth every cent you spent. Personally, I have nothing against fake designer copies and wannabes. But when it comes down to the real thing- there's nothing like having the original if you plan to stay on top! So which one are you gonna be- a fake or an original?