Friend Friday - Copycat Designers

Hello and welcome to another installment of Friend Friday! This has been such a great way for all of us bloggers to communicate on current issues in the blogosphere. Katy Rose, moderator of ModlyChic, sends us pertinent questions to what's going on in the fashion world each week. We all link up and answer them on Friday! If you are a blogger and are interested in joining, you can check it out here.

Can you spot the copycat?

Ha.

Well, I don't even like cats, so just this picture on my blog is making me uncomfortable. Sorry, cat people.

Below lies my wisdom. Soak it in. We're talking about copycat fashion designers. 

1. Which side do you take… Copycat designs are a way for the average consumer to stay current and wear runway styles without breaking the bank OR Copycat designs take business from the designer and cheapen the value of their work. Explain.

I am definitely 100% on the side that copycat designs are a way for the average consumer to stay current and wear runway styles without breaking the bank. I mean hello! What are people who are on a budget supposed to wear? Should they only be confined to wear shapeless scrubs? I think not. 

I also don't think that it is exactly "copying." Haute Couture designers set the mold for fashion and trends. It is actually an important part of the fashion economy that additional designers and clothing manufacturers replicate and produce the same styles at an affordable price. 

And, do they really need to make any more money? They're doing just fine, I believe.

2. Sometimes we do things, even if they are unethical or illegal (downloading music for free, watching full movies on YouTube). Do you think it is unethical for a designer to copy a vintage piece, make it current and sell it?  

I think it is called "inspiration." If a designer is inspired by a vintage piece and if they can make it current and marketable to a wider audience, they have talent. The consumer has the freedom of choice and intelligence to purchase or not. We can't place the blame on the designer. We hold the buying power.

3. Would you buy an item that is a very well done copy of a runway garment if it fell within your budget?

Yup - as long as it is a VERY, VERY well done copy. I don't go for stuff that says that it is Coach or Prada, but is a cheap rendition of quality. I'm not going to spend $100 on something like that for a fake persona. I'll spend $100 bucks on a couple pairs of sunglasses from Target whose designs might be inspired by top industry designers that are good quality and don't pretend to be something they are not. And if I had the money to buy a runway garment, I would do that, too. However, since I don't, I don't think that should exclude me from looking good!

4. According to the fashion laws, at least in the US, apparel design is seen as too utilitarian to qualify for copyright protection. Would you think this is detrimental to the industry or beneficial. (Check out this video on The Taxonomy of My Wardrobe to get a better idea of this concept:http://taxonomyofmywardrobe.blogspot.com/2010/08/fashion-and-copyright-laws.html)

I think that it would be detrimental to the fashion industry. It would greatly affect economics. Inspiration is everywhere. You can tell when something is fake and says "DNKY" and not "DKNY." Fabrics and materials differ in quality and there is no way that someone can think that "FRADA" is the same as "PRADA." Not everyone can pay $1000 for a stylish pair of heels! I'm sorry. Tom Ford, the lead designer at Gucci said, "We found that after much research that the counterfeit customer is not our customer." If designers weren't able to mimic trends, then we wouldn't have a global trend available to us.

5.  Own up… share the things in your closet that is a knock off. You know those things you got in China Town, on the streets of New York, or where ever. 
Now that I think of it - nothing! Nothing I own is a knock off and nothing I own is a haute couture brand. I stick to department store labels, Target brands, and quality clothing from mall stores.

Besides, isn't imitation the highest form of flattery?

Fashionably Yours,