Over the last few weeks, I think at least a dozen people have sent us this piece from The Cut, about the rich NY women who love their fake HERMÈS Birkins. It’s a great article!! And of course, it relates to CRIS&COCO, haha.
We are very aware of the “Repladies” subReddit and follow it to see what buyers of replicas are looking for.
We know of the many objections to the fake industry and discuss them all the time. We are also aware that our buyers are not low-income, and there are many reasons to buy fake HERMÈS Birkins. One reason is that you paid retail for too many Birkins already.
Once you start reading those Repladies threads and thinking about it, everybody, even the most honest person, gets tempted. There are many designer bags, and they all seem to be available for so much less! Why am I being a sucker and paying $$$$ when there are items that look exactly the same?
Getting the side eye from HERMÈS salespeople when you mistakenly try to walk into the store without an appointment is another reason to avoid an HERMÈS store to get your hands on a Birkin. You can quickly feel disgusted by luxury brands for charging so damn much and playing the exclusivity game!
CHANEL isn’t breaking the law by charging $8K or whatever it is now for a classic flap, and don’t coerce somebody to pay for their overpriced bags, they put it for sale, and people freely buy it on the open market. But it uses all forces of the fashion system to make you feel inferior standing outside the luxury crowd.
One thing we find appalling is people who buy super fakes and then return them to places like The Real Real. Everybody wonders how often fakes go below the radar, even luxury brands. Buying replicas is not illegal, but selling them and misleading others is evil. The last story in the article of the woman at the consignment store who offers her a buyout for her fake GUCCI… is vicious.
We approve buying replicas for personal enjoyment and extending a stylish wardrobe without breaking the bank. But bringing replicas into the vintage trade is wrong.