FASHION Magazine
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It’s the Return of Chick Lit–But Did the 90’s Most Divisive Genre Ever Go Anywhere?
By the time I reached university, I knew the acceptable answer to “Who’s your favourite author?” should under no circumstances be “Sophie Kinsella.” Despite her back catalogue of New York Times bestsellers—including the insanely successful Confessions of a Shopaholic series—it wasn’t prudent to cite as your scribe of choice a pretty young woman who wrote […]
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They said/We said: U.S. authorities bust one of the largest counterfeit circles in American history
Photography by wilrocka/Flickr It’s a story worthy of the next Quentin Tarantino screenplay—a sick and twisted The Godfather meets Confessions of a Shopaholic hybrid. The Shopfather, perhaps? U.S. authorities have busted one of the largest counterfeit circles in American history, after more than $300 million worth of fake fashion has been smuggled stateside. That figure puts this clothing heist on the levels of some of the biggest counterfeit cigarette and crystal meth trades. Seriously.
The questionable fakes ticked all the usual boxes: Burberry scarves, Lacoste polos, and Louis Vuitton bags. But it’s the faux Uggs (since dubbed “fUggs” for obvious reasons) that display some mind-boggling creativity. After the names of honest shipping companies were used to bring the boots into the country, fake labels and soles were peeled off to reveal faux-Ugg branding. One would think that with such creative prowess, the 30 accused smugglers might do something a little more productive with their time.
When questioned on the ethics of his business tactics, one of the crime leaders reportedly said that if you had a problem with his business you should “go be a monk.” Because only monks have morals. While we can definitely understand the appeal of a bargain, counterfeit fashion is continually being linked to horrible crimes. It’s just not worth it. Especially not for a pair of Uggs.