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Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

Why Luxury’s Counterfeit Problem Is Getting Worse

It’s easier than ever for consumers to buy fakes online. But the spike in counterfeit sales may also have something to do with how brands themselves are pricing and marketing their products.
Man with fake Goyard bags.
In BoF’s latest Insights report about Gen Z consumer habits, 54 percent of survey respondents said they think it’s morally acceptable for other people to buy and use fake luxury goods. (Shutterstock)

At their cheapest, a pair of rubber Gucci slides cost $450 on the brand’s online store. On DHgate, a Chinese website that connects shoppers to a vast network of wholesale manufacturers, strikingly similar-looking “designer slippers” can be purchased at one-tenth the price.

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About the author
Cathaleen Chen
Cathaleen Chen

Cathaleen Chen is Retail Editor at The Business of Fashion. She is based in New York and drives BoF’s coverage of the retail and direct-to-consumer sectors.

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