Louis Vuitton
WWD reports today that the launch of the Murakami / Louis Vuitton exhibition in Brooklyn tonight will ‘celebrate’ fake Louis Vuitton products as a way of drawing attention to the problem of counterfeiting; an issue, which according to the Ethical Corporation has exploded by 10,000% in the past two decades.
Outside the museum, Vuitton is setting up 10 New York-style street vendors — not to sell fakes, but rather authentic Louis Vuitton product and special Monogramouflage canvases that Murakami has created specifically for the exhibition.
While it may seem lighthearted on the surface, the presentation is meant to underscore just how serious Vuitton executives are taking the counterfeit trade, and how diligently they are working to stop copycats from getting their merchandise to consumers. — (Via WWD)
Counterfeit
We reported last week on the “Marc Jacobs plagiarized my dad’s scarf” story from the Swedish press. The Local press in Sweden has just reported that the son of the original designer, Goran Olofssen, has now received compensation from Marc Jacobs’ homage to Härjedalen…
Olofsson said he would prefer not to reveal the “cash amount” promised to him after he had written a number of emails to the celebrity designer demanding an explanation.
“We have reached an agreement. It all took quite a long time but I am happy with how it has worked out,” said Olofsson.
As far as he was aware, the firm would continue to sell the scarves as before. — (Via The Local, Sweden)
Counterfeit
A 55-year-old Swedish man Göran Olofsson has accused Marc Jacobs of plagiarizing a scarf made by his father, Gosta, an entrepreneurial petrol station owner who sold memorabilia until his death in 1982.
With its picturesque little church and wood huts, the scarf is very much a product of its origins. In fact, the two bears, the pasque flowers and the coat of arms depicted on the fabric are all symbols of Härjedalen, a county located in northern Sweden.
“It looks like he has just copied it straight off, this Marc guy. I definitely don’t think he has been to Härjedalen,” Malin Nyqvist, a spokeswoman for the local tourist office, told Metro.
Apart from the words ‘Marc Jacobs since 1984′ and a wider border, the design is pretty much identical to the original.
The Local has contacted Marc Jacobs for a reaction, but has so far not received a reply. — (Via The Local, Sweden)
Counterfeit
After last week’s controversy over Gucci’s “launch” party at the United Nations, now New York fails to reciprocate the love of the Gucci hearts NY campagn…
The famed Italian fashion house blanketed the city last week with a “Gucci Loves NY” campaign to celebrate the opening of the world’s largest Gucci store, a 46,000-square-foot flagship on three floors of Fifth Avenue’s Trump Tower.
Billboards, taxicabs, even coffee cups were emblazoned with the message. And when the store finally opened its doors Friday, the company began selling a line of limited-edition products - all stamped with “Gucci Loves NY,”
The only problem is that the company did not get permission to use the New York state logo - even in an altered way - with its iconic red heart and black letters. — (Via NY Post)
Counterfeit
The game of cat and mouse between the runway, and the the counterfeiters, speeds up daily. In a blurring market, constant product innovation, and speed-to-market become vital. Two recent approaches come from Dior and Halston
Last week, the intricacy of the graphics in the Dior haute couture designs was widely considered to be an in-built, unusually elegant, anti-counterfeiting device.
And this morning, the online luxury website Net A Porter announced that in a new landmark shift, the clothes from the relaunch of Halston - previewing at New York Fashion Week - will be available immediately for purchase…
“As the collection goes down the runway on February 4 and the press and buyers are seeing it for the first time, two of the key pieces will be sitting, wrapped, packed and ready to go in our distribution centers in Manhattan and London for worldwide delivery,” said Natalie Massenet, chairman and founder of Net-a-porter.com.
– (Via FemaleFirst)
Counterfeit
In a highly ironic move, but at a time when China is increasing its need for brand legitimacy, Beijing’s most notorious location for counterfeit luxury goods - SilkStreet - has just turned itself into a legitimate brand and threatens anyone who tries to counterfeit the intellectual property of the SilkStreet trademark…
The first items to bear the SilkStreet name, displayed on Wednesday, include apparel such as neckties shirts and scarves, as well as a few household items such as tablecloths. They are marked “quality guaranteed” with a label that tells buyers that “the goods are certified by the Silk Street Market. If any quality problems are found, the market will bear the responsibility of compensation.”
“SilkStreet products are sold exclusively in the market. Anyone using the brand outside will be held liable,” the Beijing Evening News quoted Wang Zili, general manager of the market, as saying. — (Via China Daily)
Counterfeit
The global war on counterfeit goods - dominated by luxury goods - is now estimated to be worth $600B, according to the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition.
AFP reported a former Hong Kong superintendent as saying that the situation is escalating quickly, “It’s a war, not just an infringement situation.”
Read more the rising trade in counterfeit brands (Via Agence France Presse)
This week the police made three arrests and seized $100M worth fakes in a bust described as one of the largest in U.S. history (Via Reuters)
For a deeper look at the rise of counterfeit culture, the best resource we’ve found is Knockoff: The Deadly Trade in Counterfeit Goods: , which claims “If the knockoff economy were a business, it would be the world’s biggest, twice the size of Wal-Mart, its nearest competitor.” (Via Amazon)
The International Anti-Counterfeit Coalition (IACC) has a Guess the Fake? gallery
Meanwhile, as a Banksy mural is sold on eBay in the UK, the BBC helps out this week with a guide to real and fake Banksy (Via BBC)
