Blog # 5

Tuan Nguyen

Since my group is dealing with the topic of counterfeit I have been thinking more and more about how we buy names instead of actual products. When we’re buying shoes, we’re not buying a shoe, we’re buying Nike, Reebok, Addidas, and etc. same goes for almost everything else. One example is North Face jackets, although this is pure speculation, I swear the only reason they cost so much is because of their name. What the article, “Knockouts of Knockoffs: The Global Implication of Fashion Piracy” got me thinking is the fact that people buys counterfeits because they want to be seen as part of a group that can afford expensive brands. Furthermore, that the counterfeits are sometimes practically the same quality. It just furthers makes me feel conflicted about how ridiculous it is that we pay to be able to show a brand. If they are the same quality of material then who cares what brand it is right? But of course that’s not how people think (myself included) people who shell out that cash for that brand, even if the clothes are of horrible quality. It just makes me feel that people are foolish creatures sometimes.