STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

I think the terms are pretty interchangeable...maybe with the difference being that a knockoff tries to look exactly like the original (including logos or nameplates, etc.) and an "inspired by" doesn't? I personally don't see much of a difference...

I think Choo's right:  "Inspired by" bags wouldn't try to be exact copies, and would be sold at places like Target, JCPenney, etc.  "Knockoffs" are fake Louis Vuitton, Gucci, etc bags that are trying to be an exact replica, only the original designer doesn't get any profit.  "Knockoffs" would be sold out of the back of a trunk, or somewhere other than a store.

Knockoff bags are illegal, and inspired bags aren't. 

NylaBelle wrote:

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Honestly, I think they are two separate things, but the differences are slight.  A 'knock-off' passes itself off as the real thing.  It may include tags with the brand/designer, possibly spelled wrong (Proda instead of Prada) and will have logos (actual 'LV's) that look like the real thing but are upside down or something like that.  Also many knock-offs (though, not all, of course) can be linked to drugs or terrorism.  There have been articles regarding this. 'Inspired-by' bags don't pretend to be the real thing by placing tags or logos that could be mistaken for the actual bag. They may have logos, but they won't have an 'LV,' rather they'll probably have the initials of the brand (for example, M, for Mossimo at Target).   They also will not include tags that could cause them to be mistaken as authentic.  Inspired-by bags are usually found in stores such as Target and mall chain stores. Most things in fashion are inspired-by or recycled and reinterpreted, but not everything is a knock-off.   Blatant knock-offs pretnd to be the real thing, while it is, in fact, fake.

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hmm...i understand your argument.  but my contention is that the underlying idea is still the same regardless of what you call it. that first bag replicates balenciaga's (sp?) bag, doesn't matter if they put balenciaga tags on it or target tags. sure fashion is cyclical and everyone bites someone else at a certain point. but luxury bags are such specific items with specific styling, etc. (and that's not even going into the whole status/class associations of owning one.)  that it's harder for me to buy that argument.

i personally don't care if people carry knock-offs or inspired by bags, whatever makes you happy. but i find it interesting that people go through such lengths to differentiate the two.

-- Edited by honey at 10:02, 2005-09-20

I have seen some of those websites that sell designer lookalike bags.  It's funny that they think they can sell them for over $50!  Once I saw a webiste that sold fake bags, they admit they are fakes but used pictures from the actual handbags makers!  Makes you wonder what your really getting because it's not going to be the same bag.  They probably do that because the real bag looks better and you think it looks so much like the real deal that it's worth the $90 they are trying to sell it for!

After reading a New York Times article a few years back about the horrible conditions in which fake designer bags are manufactured, I think there is a definite difference between buying an illegal knockoff and a bag "inspired by" someone else's original design.


However, I'm not really a fan of the "inspired by" products, either. For example, I love the Tulip table by Saarinen but don't really feel like buying the cheap Ikea version even though I can't afford the original.


That probably makes me a shameless design snob but, on the other hand, I would much rather see the original designer get the credit (as well as the profit) for the creative work he/she has put into the product.