You’ve probably seen or heard about the stigma associated with counterfeit clothing, whether that be from the documentary “Counterfeit Culture” — portraying a “deadly world of fake products” — to inspired creatives who style and create fake clothing all in the name of artistry.
One example of this is Ava Nirui. She has gained a fairly huge Instagram following with 194K followers currently. Ava, who works for Helmut Lang, also makes intriguing and jaw-dropping counterfeit creations. From what could be seen as ‘cheap,’ Ava rebrands it to high fashion even without paying the full price.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BOVrJ-lhkUy/?hl=en&taken-by=avanope
Ava Nirui seems to turn everything into a piece of wearable gold. In more recent events, she has also collaborated with Nike alongside artist Alex Lee and Marc Jacobs with her “bootleg of a bootleg” hoodie.
Another artist prints Louis Vuitton and Gucci monograms on anything you can imagine. Printing the infamous monogram on biker helmets, a Lamborghini kiddie car and a fish tank. Though it may seem nonsensical, I believe that it was his main idea. In reality, Imran shows that his own take on the monogram designs works well on practically anything. You be the judge.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb-X05QlJnv/?taken-by=imran_potato
https://www.instagram.com/p/BY8uTeGldGF/?taken-by=imran_potato
https://www.instagram.com/p/BX1hi9gF-lN/?taken-by=imran_potato
So, what can counterfeit clothing actually contribute to the latest fashion trends?
In my opinion, this counterfeit trend shows that practically anybody can wear anything. High fashion may be expensive and available to those who can afford it, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they can style it. Believe me, I’ve seen a person who decided to spend his money on some Balenciaga sneakers but paired it with khaki shorts and an H&M shirt. Yes. You bought it with your own money. But why did you buy it? To look good? Or to fit in with the trends? Think about that the next time you make a big purchase.
In counterfeit clothing, you are able to express yourself in a much cheaper and less guilty way. You have the freedom to do whatever you want to do with it. Patch a new design, stitch a cool phrase. I don’t care. There’s no guilt in adding something new, fun, creative and expressive when you buy counterfeit clothing or design your own counterfeit items — because you made something that feels luxurious to yourself.
This, however, doesn’t mean that counterfeit items are always good. Counterfeit items post bad threats to clothing companies themselves, risking their sales and potentially getting bad reviews for items they did not even make. It is also very difficult in times where you simply cannot tell the difference between a real or a fake. Some interesting examples of said includes South Koreas incredibly active fake streetwear movement. Look at Highsnobiety’s video :
There are pros and cons to everything, and this also applies to the fake and real. Take my article with a grain of salt! You should always know that you should be expressive and not be limited to the opportunities you can take with literally everything. Even in clothes.
