Apparel November 2019 Apparel November 2019 issue | Page 92

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
THE FIGHT AGAINST FAKE
Samir Alam takes a deep look at how apparel and fashion piracy is impacting the global
industry at large.
The problem of fashion piracy is all too common.
Imagine placing an order for a favourite branded
item on Amazon—a dress, shoes, anything
really—and discovering only weeks later that
it is fake. For some people, it may be trivial—a
misprinted label or a few errant fibres that often
disclose the true provenance of the item. But for
most, it’s the shoddy fitting, poor crafting, and
low-quality materials. In any of these cases,
the damage is already done and the consumer
ends up with merely a new dish rag. However,
this phenomenon extends farther than just
the wardrobe.
REAL IMPACT FROM FAKE GOODS
In 2019, the trade of pirated or counterfeit
products continued with steady rise. According
to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development (OECD), sales of these fake
products have continued to grow even as the
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overall industry has remained fairly plateaued. In
fact, figures from 2016 show that the total volume
of fake goods makes up nearly 3.3 per cent of the
overall market.
While this may seem like a small percentage on
a global scale, these goods have a major impact
on supply chains all over the world. The scale of
product piracy extends well beyond clothing and
impacts items such as footwear, leather goods,
and accessories as well. One of the most highly
counterfeited fashion items is footwear, which
makes for about 22 per cent of all pirated fashion
products. In most cases, these fall under the
high fashion, athletic, and athleisure categories.
Ironically, most of these fake goods are mass-
produced in the same places as their original
counterparts, i.e. China.
A key reason why these products pose a
threat is not only because of the massive financial
losses global businesses face, but also because