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The geopolitics of fake goods
The market for counterfeit luxury goods has exploded in recent years. © Studio Pachamama

Running story
The geopolitics of fake goods

The counterfeit market has exploded in recent years, from fake Hermès Birkins to fake Chanel 2.55s, fake luxury trainers to fake Rolex watches. Thanks in part to the internet, but first and foremost to the current global geopolitical situation, the quality of counterfeit luxury goods is improving - to the extent that even experts have a hard time distinguishing real from fake. Moreover, the networks trafficking fakes between Paris, Hong Kong, Ankara and Moscow are becoming better organised.

The geopolitics of fake goods
The market for counterfeit luxury goods has exploded in recent years. © Studio Pachamama

France
Hermès scores small victory in battle against scarf knock-offs

The brand's iconic silk scarves are much easier and cheaper to replicate than its Birkin and Kelly bags and are thus frequently copied.

LogoSubscribers only Houses 06.03.2025

France, United States
Luxury sector struggles to rid Instagram of counterfeiters

Instagram has become indispensable to the luxury sector, but its owner, Mark Zuckerberg's Meta group, largely ignores companies' complaints about the widespread use of the platform by counterfeiters.

Free access Entourage 06.03.2025

United States
Hermès ramps up its defences as copycat bags continue to crop up stateside

A few months after Walmart released its 'Wirkin' bag, Hermès is seeking to counterattack in the US.

LogoSubscribers only Houses 27.02.2025

Turkey
Instagram bans Cumaliibags counterfeiter

The Turkish counterfeiter Cumali Demirci, who specialises in fake Hermès products, has had his Instagram account deleted.

LogoSubscribers only Entourage 27.02.2025

Front Row | France, Turkey
Cumali Demirci, the counterfeiter thumbing his nose at Hermès

Like the brand whose iconic bags he knocks off, the Turkish-based manufacturer of fake Birkins and Kellys has waiting lists and an Instagram account, and is giving the luxury house's legal department a hard time.

Turkish national Cumali Demirci is taking advantage of the lax attitude the authorities in Ankara have adopted towards counterfeiting.
LogoSubscribers only Entourage 20.02.2025
Turkish national Cumali Demirci is taking advantage of the lax attitude the authorities in Ankara have adopted towards counterfeiting.

France, United States
Whatnot shopping platform, an eldorado for luxury or a hotbed for fakes?

The shopping platform, recently valued at €5bn, is seeking to establish itself in the luxury second-hand market in France. But the way it operates favours counterfeiters.

LogoSubscribers only Entourage 20.02.2025

France, Switzerland
Cartier overwhelmed by fakes of its bestsellers

Jewellery from Cartier's two most iconic - and bestselling - collections are being copied on an almost industrial scale. The Richemont subsidiary is fighting back.

LogoSubscribers only Houses 30.01.2025

France
Van Cleef & Arpels opts to ride counterfeit wave rather than fight it

The French jeweller Van Cleef & Arpels appears not particularly bothered by the flurry of counterfeits of its hugely popular Alhambra range, and continues to charge a high price for the authentication of its items.

LogoSubscribers only Houses 19.12.2024

United States
Texas becomes gateway for fake Goyard and Prada merchandise entering America

The southern US state has acquired the dubious distinction of being a hub for counterfeit luxury goods coming into the country, causing increasing headaches for both the customs authorities and second-hand platforms doing business there.

LogoSubscribers only Entourage 12.12.2024

France
Saint-Ouen flea market in luxury brands' firing line over counterfeits

Three months on from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which prompted a series of anti-counterfeiting operations, the flea market north of the French capital remains a hub for counterfeit products. But local mayor Karim Bouamrane, who nurtures higher political ambitions, is reluctant to take on the illicit traders.

LogoSubscribers only Entourage 14.11.2024

France, United States
Chinese counterfeit site DHGate slides into front row fashion

The Chinese counterfeit site popular with football fans looking for cheap player shirts is branching into affordable luxury.

Free access Entourage 19.09.2024

France
Counterfeiters quick to thrive on Celine's quiet success

As a pioneer of the "quiet luxury" trend, Celine and its bags have become the target of a major imitation operation.

LogoSubscribers only Houses 05.09.2024

France
Paris shuts some 30 shops in pre-Olympics clampdown on counterfeits

The French authorities have clamped down on counterfeit activities in the Paris region in the build-up to the Olympic Games, especially near to where the athletes will be competing.

LogoSubscribers only Entourage 25.07.2024

France
Second-hand luxury retailers cut deals with likes of Cash Converters

Companies that sell second-hand luxury goods are increasingly signing contracts with more mainstream operators such as Cash Express and Cash Converters. It's a handy way of offloading less popular items and cutting down on storage costs at a time when the market is slowing down.

LogoSubscribers only Entourage 13.06.2024

Turkey
Counterfeiters selling out their hot fakes on Shopify

The Canadian firm's online sales services, which are used by a number of luxury brands, are also used by copycat companies to sell their fake goods.

LogoSubscribers only Entourage 30.05.2024

Spotlight | Europe, United States
Anti-fraud services and tax authorities target Instagram 'live' luxury sales

The rising numbers of Instagram accounts selling luxury bags, jewellery and clothing items are getting a close look from anti-fraud services on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as from tax authorities. In providing a distribution channel with little regulation, the app is being used by counterfeiting networks and money launderers alike.

Fraud investigation services are closely monitoring sales of counterfeit luxury goods on Instagram.
Free access Entourage 22.02.2024
Fraud investigation services are closely monitoring sales of counterfeit luxury goods on Instagram.

Spotlight | France
Luxury resale specialists: are Monogram's discount goods the real deal?

By selling discount luxury items that are impossible to find elsewhere, second-hand retail site Monogram has elicited the incredulity of fashion houses and the suspicion of France's consumer watchdogs.

The second-hand retail site Monogram regularly offers rare luxury items at discounted prices.
LogoSubscribers only Entourage 01.02.2024
The second-hand retail site Monogram regularly offers rare luxury items at discounted prices.

France
Counterfeiters concoct fake VIP gifts

Gifts offered by luxury houses to their best customers have been popping up for sale online in recent weeks. The trouble is, they're fakes.

LogoSubscribers only Houses 18.01.2024

Europe, France
Counterfeiters hone in on luxury

European customs authorities have recorded a significant decrease in seizures of counterfeit products. But while the number of seizures has dropped, the value of products seized is steadily increasing, as counterfeiters shift their focus to luxury products.

LogoSubscribers only Entourage 14.12.2023

Italy
Quiet luxury label Loro Piana plagued by counterfeits

The LVMH-owned Italian brand made its lack of logo a defining feature, but Loro Piana is now facing a sharp rise in fakes on a major resale website.

LogoSubscribers only Houses 12.10.2023

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