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Designer Envy. Knock It Off

So what is a woman of modest means to do?

Enter the knock-off. The fashion industry has created a need that the replica industry fulfills, designer clothing and accessories within the reach of the middle class budget.

By pricing their wares in the stratosphere, designers are essentially causing the knock-off market to thrive. Women see these must have fashion accessories in magazines like VOGUE and ELLE and want them. But when a handbag costs what the average middle class woman makes in a year, what choice does she have? She can't afford the real thing so she buys a copy, much the same way that an art lover who desires a Picasso will hang a lithograph on his wall.

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Designer Inspired Handbags

Counterfeit fashion is a universally growing business, and it is getting increasingly difficult to differentiate designer handbags from fake ones. Industry insiders state that some counterfeit goods are actually produced by the same manufacturers who produce the original pieces; they simply produce extra batches of the same goods, change a few small details, and sell them on the black market for one-tenth of the retail price.

Authenticity is slowly losing its value as bogus imitations are being substituted for the genuine products. There is a huge market for fake items, owing to peer pressure. If people cannot afford the real thing, the easiest alternative is to head towards an online auction or a street corner to purchase a counterfeit designer handbag. Knockoff designer goods are readily available on the street in areas such as Los Angeles' Santee Street and New York's Canal Street. And the Internet is replete with online auctions offering "Inspired by" copies. The old method of spotting fakes was simple: shoddy hardware, cheap leather, and misspelled or tarnished logos were a dead giveaway. Now, the fakes are so good that only a trained eye can tell the difference.

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Designer-Inspired Handbags Vs. Replica Handbags

You've probably seen sites advertising replica designer handbags. You've probably also seen sites advertising designer-inspired handbags. Same difference, right? Wrong! And one of them happens to be illegal!

Replica designer handbags can range from exact copies all the way to very poor, laughable copies. Some replica bags claim to be 99% exact - which is scary if you are a purse buyer or seller who cares about having the real thing! The closer to exact the replica is, the higher the price - even in to the hundreds of dollars. Other replica bags use the designer's fabric, but may come in a style that particular bag never came in. Except for the very good copies, the leather is often of a poorer quality and the seams and stitches may not be as even. The craftsmanship is usually less, although the higher-quality replicas do try to match the quality of the real thing. Sometimes, they even come with replica designer tags, dust bags, and receipts.

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