A generation obsessed with labels and trend setting, it is no wonder businesses like Net-A-Porter which give us access to items initially only available to the rich and famous, have thrived so well in these times. But you can't help but wonder about another even more successful industry, "The Business of Knock-offs". A stroll down New Bond Street (a strong contender for one of my favourite hang-out spots in London), makes you seriously ponder why people would rather buy a pair of faux Fendi shoes from a car boot or thrift store, when you can save up and buy your one genuine Italian leather good or walk down this street, inhale the pleasures of new leather and fabrics, then call it a day. So I did what I love doing best, I researched the area and shockingly discovered that some women in the same earning bracket as myself, are willing to even indulge in designer rentals (remember Jennifer Hudson had a few of those as Carrie's assistant in the first SATC movie). They felt it was irrational and hugely materialistic to part ways with huge sums of money for designer items that would only go out of season before you had the chance to wear them (ever heard of classic buys like the Chanel flap bag??). Another best friend of mine who is a label freak and like me only believes in the real deal, claimed it was preposterous for people to think they could get away with this lol. I just plainly thought it was a bit hypocritical to want to wear these items and yet condemn people who actually paid good money to own the same thing. What about the designers or everyone else behind the art and beauty of these luxury goods? Ever think about how you had feel to see a knock off version of yourself posing as the real you? Not great huh. For me it is the experience that comes with shopping for authentic luxury items that further enhances the joys of them. If you happen to be doing it at the store, it is the impeccable customer service, the packaging and the untainted look of your new goods that makes it worth it. And if online, via the likes of Net-A-Porter, it is the convenience, efficiency, and that special black and white bow that makes you want to do it over and over again :-)Thursday 8 July 2010
Would you Fake it?
With so much time to kill, I found myself indulging in one of my guilty pleasures, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/. Ever since I had the exciting (hardly) task of pitching in a "Did you know?" segment in our daily equity market report to over 2,000 clients, I became very acquainted and unhealthily attached to reading celeb gossip on this site every day. It was one of the best things about having so many PC screens and multiple Bloomberg chats for further analysis on whatever hot story of the day my friends and I had read about (oh how I miss it). Today, I learnt one of my favourite fashionistas, Mrs Beckham, had been partying away with fellow designer pals and fashionistas at the 10th anniversary party for fashion web only retailer Net-A-Porter. Just like a lot of career women, I have indulged in the beauty that is convenience luxury shopping a la Net A Porter. The highly successful business founded by Natalie Massenet (who sold her share of the company for £50m in April), has been able to offer a unique mix of two addictive leisure activities -- shopping and perusing a magazine -- into one designer drug, doing for £575 Jimmy Choo shoes what Amazon did for "The Da Vinci Code" and iTunes for Coldplay.
A generation obsessed with labels and trend setting, it is no wonder businesses like Net-A-Porter which give us access to items initially only available to the rich and famous, have thrived so well in these times. But you can't help but wonder about another even more successful industry, "The Business of Knock-offs". A stroll down New Bond Street (a strong contender for one of my favourite hang-out spots in London), makes you seriously ponder why people would rather buy a pair of faux Fendi shoes from a car boot or thrift store, when you can save up and buy your one genuine Italian leather good or walk down this street, inhale the pleasures of new leather and fabrics, then call it a day. So I did what I love doing best, I researched the area and shockingly discovered that some women in the same earning bracket as myself, are willing to even indulge in designer rentals (remember Jennifer Hudson had a few of those as Carrie's assistant in the first SATC movie). They felt it was irrational and hugely materialistic to part ways with huge sums of money for designer items that would only go out of season before you had the chance to wear them (ever heard of classic buys like the Chanel flap bag??). Another best friend of mine who is a label freak and like me only believes in the real deal, claimed it was preposterous for people to think they could get away with this lol. I just plainly thought it was a bit hypocritical to want to wear these items and yet condemn people who actually paid good money to own the same thing. What about the designers or everyone else behind the art and beauty of these luxury goods? Ever think about how you had feel to see a knock off version of yourself posing as the real you? Not great huh. For me it is the experience that comes with shopping for authentic luxury items that further enhances the joys of them. If you happen to be doing it at the store, it is the impeccable customer service, the packaging and the untainted look of your new goods that makes it worth it. And if online, via the likes of Net-A-Porter, it is the convenience, efficiency, and that special black and white bow that makes you want to do it over and over again :-)
A generation obsessed with labels and trend setting, it is no wonder businesses like Net-A-Porter which give us access to items initially only available to the rich and famous, have thrived so well in these times. But you can't help but wonder about another even more successful industry, "The Business of Knock-offs". A stroll down New Bond Street (a strong contender for one of my favourite hang-out spots in London), makes you seriously ponder why people would rather buy a pair of faux Fendi shoes from a car boot or thrift store, when you can save up and buy your one genuine Italian leather good or walk down this street, inhale the pleasures of new leather and fabrics, then call it a day. So I did what I love doing best, I researched the area and shockingly discovered that some women in the same earning bracket as myself, are willing to even indulge in designer rentals (remember Jennifer Hudson had a few of those as Carrie's assistant in the first SATC movie). They felt it was irrational and hugely materialistic to part ways with huge sums of money for designer items that would only go out of season before you had the chance to wear them (ever heard of classic buys like the Chanel flap bag??). Another best friend of mine who is a label freak and like me only believes in the real deal, claimed it was preposterous for people to think they could get away with this lol. I just plainly thought it was a bit hypocritical to want to wear these items and yet condemn people who actually paid good money to own the same thing. What about the designers or everyone else behind the art and beauty of these luxury goods? Ever think about how you had feel to see a knock off version of yourself posing as the real you? Not great huh. For me it is the experience that comes with shopping for authentic luxury items that further enhances the joys of them. If you happen to be doing it at the store, it is the impeccable customer service, the packaging and the untainted look of your new goods that makes it worth it. And if online, via the likes of Net-A-Porter, it is the convenience, efficiency, and that special black and white bow that makes you want to do it over and over again :-)
