WTF

[CUTUP]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Chrome-Hearts-Double-Zippered-Bomber-Motorcycle-Jacket-/200535524230?pt=US_CSA_MC_Outerwear&hash=item2eb0d94386

Nuff said

[Servo2000]

I'm not especially fond of the Chrome Hearts aesthetic myself but I don't really see what's so WTF - if anything since it's from their relatively early work it's still pretty tied to its biker roots. Price is outlandish but it's probably rare to find leathers from that time period.

[CUTUP]

^I posted it for the almost $10,000 price tag.

I know Chrome Hearts runs big bills, but even for a rare piece that is stupid expensive to me. I understand rarity for a probably one of piece drives cost upwards, but this seems brutally excessive to me

It would be differant if it was an iconic and rare item, but just because there is only one of something/rare, doesnt mean its worth big money IMO

[lowrey]

lmao

About Us
Pay a incredible price for fairly decent good

what I found most absurd was that they go through the trouble of mimicing the olive coloured tags on the back of the neck, but then on some items they write "made in italy" on the second one. this is not only a lie, but its not something you even see on the original garment

[beardown]

Isn't it kind of irresponsible as a community that discourages fakes and knock-offs to directly link to a site that manufactures them?

I know most of the regulars would see it as a WTF but there are a lot of lurkers on here who are going to see it as OMG.

[nictan]

Isn't it kind of irresponsible as a community that discourages fakes and knock-offs to directly link to a site that manufactures them?

I know most of the regulars would see it as a WTF but there are a lot of lurkers on here who are going to see it as OMG.

[mizzar]

it's all from china
and for a 100%+from original taobao price price :)
men pieces i've seen alot.
But women's is something new.
need to research :)
but their fake RY zippers is

[BUMMER]

Jun Takahashi

Does anyone know why the "A Magazine" curated by Jun Takahashi (Undercover) is listed at $2,495.00 USD on Amazon.com?

[MetroBulotDodo]

A thought.

Isn't it kind of irresponsible as a community that discourages fakes and knock-offs to directly link to a site that manufactures them?

I know most of the regulars would see it as a WTF but there are a lot of lurkers on here who are going to see it as OMG.

I don't buy copies -- it doesn't quite do it for me, but it helps to know, because I have made a personal choice not to buy them, what the ambitious copy-kats are up to. (And naturally, it makes sense that this happens in China, where there is an extensive, rising middle class -- those with enough capital to finance RO fakes-operations, and those with enough to buy a $200 custom "RO-inspired" jacket -- as well as pathetic-to-absent laws to protect intellectual property/creative property rights.)

Still, I'm not certain that this is a question of ethics so much as it is one of taste/class. Are the jackets made by the fake-maker in the link above all so different from the mass-produced crap with designs that look uncannily similar to runway items sold at large Swedish retailers whose stuff too many of us own? They are certainly much more ethical than the middlemen who then dump the stuff on eBay as authentic -- those are the real jerks -- at the very least, the company above never claim to be selling authentic goods, just reproductions.

Let's not be too harsh. The stuff that some of us are lucky enough to own is aspirational, right? And there are certainly many aspiring out there. Of course I, too, would like for what feels right -- for the designers who are imitated to be compensated, but it is a huge privilege when one can choose to buy authentic clothes from the designers loved by SZers. (I mean, what percentage of the world population could afford a pair of MA+ leathers? Like, .000000001% -- and they/we all seem to be here!)

Yes, the copying of others' intellectual labor leaves a bad taste in my mouth, too, but we must all be dreamers and romantics of a sort to have arrived here in the first place. Let's poor(er) dreamers have a piece of the fantasy in the form of a $200 copy...at least they continue to dream.

Apologies in advance if I've pulled a "granny" here. I certainly don't mean to lecture any one. I think we should just be kinder and not forget our incredible privilege.

[MetroBulotDodo]

Does anyone know why the "A Magazine" curated by Jun Takahashi (Undercover) is listed at $2,495.00 USD on Amazon.com?

WHUT. Yes, please explain!

[beardown]

I don't buy copies -- it doesn't quite do it for me, but it helps to know, because I have made a personal choice not to buy them, what the ambitious copy-kats are up to. (And naturally, it makes sense that this happens in China, where there is an extensive, rising middle class -- those with enough capital to finance RO fakes-operations, and those with enough to buy a $200 custom "RO-inspired" jacket -- as well as pathetic-to-absent laws to protect intellectual property/creative property rights.)

Still, I'm not certain that this is a question of ethics so much as it is one of taste/class. Are the jackets made by the fake-maker in the link above all so different from the mass-produced crap with designs that look uncannily similar to runway items sold at large Swedish retailers whose stuff too many of us own? They are certainly much more ethical than the middlemen who then dump the stuff on eBay as authentic -- those are the real jerks -- at the very least, the company above never claim to be selling authentic goods, just reproductions.

Let's not be too harsh. The stuff that some of us are lucky enough to own is aspirational, right? And there are certainly many aspiring out there. Of course I, too, would like for what feels right -- for the designers who are imitated to be compensated, but it is a huge privilege when one can choose to buy authentic clothes from the designers loved by SZers. (I mean, what percentage of the world population could afford a pair of MA+ leathers? Like, .000000001% -- and they/we all seem to be here!)

Yes, the copying of others' intellectual labor leaves a bad taste in my mouth, too, but we must all be dreamers and romantics of a sort to have arrived here in the first place. Let's poor(er) dreamers have a piece of the fantasy in the form of a $200 copy...at least they continue to dream.

Apologies in advance if I've pulled a "granny" here. I certainly don't mean to lecture any one. I think we should just be kinder and not forget our incredible privilege.

You're new so I won't be too harsh.

I think it's shortsighted to refer to people who indulge in authentic designer work to be 'privileged.' There are people who literally skip meals and allocate funds from the necessities to buy clothing they relate to and enjoy. I'm not saying it's the proper way to live but it certainly does happen. And they do that because they have a passion for it and it's something that moves them, obviously.

Don't be so quick to stereotype and pigeonhole the members here. I'm pretty sure we get every walk of life joining us and it's not a wealthy, elitist squad if that's what you're suggesting.

That's the biggest problem I have with your comment...this idea that since we purchase it that we have disposable means to do so. I grew up pretty dirt poor and as I've grown, I don't mind the idea of spending a lot of money on something that I care about that's the result of an artist's vision and ideas. It makes me value the object that much more.

In my opinion, cheap copycat crap goes against everything I believed SZ to stand for. Because when you support it, you instantly go from falling in love with those ideas and concepts and vision into falling in love with the actual material item at its lowest common denominator.

My experience was that before I could afford certain items I really wanted, I did my best to recreate them using some imagination, creativity and personal effort. Which is way cooler than running down to the mall and buying some cheap chinese knock-off.
But we're in an era where consumerism is encouraged and everything is disposable by seasons. I can't change that. I certainly don't condone it but some things are beyond our control.

From an ethical standpoint, it's complete bullshit. Period. That's my take on it. It's stealing someone else's intellectual property for profit off of someone else's hard work and original ideas.

On a deeper level, will customers who buy the cheap theft versions grow up to buy the authentic versions? I don't think so. I think if you grow up looking for cheap alternatives to original concepts and work, you're suckling from the teet of convenience and the average person likely won't get weened.

But that's really neither here nor there.
Again, my problem is that it turns these brilliant ideas and concepts into cheap consumable/disposable products.

It's enough of a battle for some of these designers to keep companies like All Saints, etc. at bay. As an artist, moreso than the idea of someone stealing your work or ideas to profit of them, it stings the most that they've turned it into something it's not supposed to be.

[ProfMonnitoff]

It takes a certain level of wealth/privilege to be able to afford the clothes we talk about here, skipping meals or not. That, or financial irresponsibility. You can talk about vision and values as much as you want, but at the end of the day it's still 1000 for boots and a few G's for a leather jacket.

[syed]

Coming from a position where affording many of the pieces talked about on this forum is still a way off, I personally would never buy the copycat pieces, even if it was the only option I could afford. Whilst it may be true that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I think such companies just look to leech money from the work of others. I think there are other ways to explore an aesthetic and appreciate a designer than wearing knock offs for the sake of it.

I think there is a huge difference from a fast fashion store which makes cheap pieces 'inspired' (i.e. not an exact replica) by a certain designer, and a company which looks to copy it to the point that it can then be resold as fakes to unsuspecting buyers. The fast fashion store moves from one trend to the next, and it is exactly that, a brief trend for a majority of consumers who just want to feel like they are part of the pack. The company that creates knock offs is not targeting that same audience, it is targeting a more specialized market, and more often than not tricks those who don't really know better via resellers.

I don't think posting a link to them is irresponsible. If people are willing to wear fakes, that is up to them. Personally I would feel like a fraud wearing such blatant copies, but that is just me. Perhaps it could even be a sense of reverse snobbery on my part.

[Faust]

Does anyone know why the "A Magazine" curated by Jun Takahashi (Undercover) is listed at $2,495.00 USD on Amazon.com?

Maybe Jun needs a copy?

[kuugaia]

ProfMonnitoff: I don't think beardown is saying that people here are starving themselves for a leather jacket. More that people here aren't all major ballers of an elite rich community that shit out rolls of cash. People here do make sacrifices for the clothes they buy.

Syed: When there's a will, there's a way. People will certainly get their hands on fakes if they wish, but I don't think it's necessarily right for people on this forum to make it easy for them to do so. In a less obvious form, its giving support to the people that shouldn't exist.