JOIN USThe growth of India’s fake luxury goods market, at twice the pace of the real branded stuff, is being spurred not just by the country’s logo-loving middle classes but also the rich looking for cheap purchases.
Be it Sarojini Nagar, Ghaffar Market, Karol Bagh or Lajpat Nagar Central Market, you can find row upon row of make-belief luxury. Louis Vuitton handbags, Armani suits, Prada shoes, Chanel, Gucci, Oakley sunglasses, Calvin Klein jeans, Woodland belts or wallets – the market has it all. There are replicas of Louis Vuitton monogrammed stoles, a few good but mostly horrible copies of YSL clutches, some Chanel scarves so convincingly elegant that one has to be an expert to spot the flaws.
To learn more about this growing sector Metrolife went on a shopping spree. Traversing the cramped, overcrowded lanes of Lajpat Nagar we found many bag stores and men standing urging customers to enter the shop.
A man asked in Haryanvi accent “Madamji I have Prada, LV which one do you want?” When we entered the shop it was crowded with customers browsing the racks filled with bags glittering with chain tags of Chanel, Michael Kors and Gucci. When asked the price of one bag which had tag of MK he replied, “Madam this is a Michael Kors bag, just Rs 4,500 it’s genuine quality.”
Though the starting range of MK bags would be Rs 15,000, the bag doesn’t seem like a copy but only till you open the zip of the bag and check out the finishing and touch. If you know something about bags you would be able to spot the difference, if not, you’d be happy with your purchase of a Rs 4,500 MK counterfeit.
A man with a bag full of belts and wallets in the streets of Karol Bagh, a Woodland wallet and box in his hands, is softly telling shoppers and passersby, “This is customs material. Do you want to buy?” He starts bidding at Rs 1,000 and goes down till Rs 100. The price sticker in the box says Rs 2,300. When Metrolife enquired in the nearby Woodland showroom Ajay Ratnawat, the showroom manager said, “We don’t have any idea how these people get these products. But these are not actual products. We can easily differentiate the products by the tag which is present inside the wallet and our logo, which has 18 leaves.”
He suggests that people should not buy such high-end products from roadside vendors and instead go for authorised dealers and after purchase get their bills too. “Recently, keeping in mind the copyright issues Woodland has changed the logo,” he says.
At the Ghaffar Market, known for electronic goods, some dealers get replica of Samsung models whose market value is Rs 34,000. But here you can purchase a Samsung phone for Rs 5,000.
There are underground shops where they sell jeans saying it’s branded and if customers haggle enough they get the items at very reasonable rates.
“This is not just the case of regular markets. I have seen Quikr and OLX advertisements giving offers like --- ‘we have a range of designer-inspired handbags and clutches at affordable prices. We have replicas of Ted Baker, Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, Prada, Chanel,” says Niharika Verma, an IT consultant.
The large population of the city is aware of the fake products but can’t resist the temptation to buy fakes at pocket-friendly rates. “Call it art of cloning or mere copying, there is a demand by the customers and we are happy to fulfil it,” says a shopkeeper in Lajpat Nagar Market. Gleefully showing his WhatsApp message, he adds, “By next week we are getting these bags of new styles.”