'Imitations are no longer a source of shame'

Do you love products from big luxury brands like Chanel, Dior, and Balenciaga, but don't have enough money to spend on them? If so, we have the perfect solution to solve your problem. Find the brands and replica websites that offer exacting quality solutions at an affordable price. With AliExpress, you can find high-quality imitations of luxury clothing at affordable prices and with a wide range of options for all tastes. These are just two of the dozens of suggestions that appear in search engines when we search for a branded item online. In other words, while people in the past generally seemed embarrassed to admit that some of their accessories, clothing, or footwear were fakes—purchased mainly at flea markets or Chinese stores and presented as Valenciaga, Erméche, Gutxi, or Chenel—it seems that this "market" is increasingly normalized. In fact, because imitations are becoming increasingly sophisticated—making it difficult to tell whether they're genuine or not—some people proudly display them and make a point of revealing the "absurdly low" price they paid for them. AliExpress, Shein, Temu, Alibaba, and Dhgate—there are countless websites offering this type of sale, and you don't need to look far. On TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, at any time of day, you can join live streams of sellers showcasing the imitations they have for sale.

"I've never cared about designer clothes. I wear what makes me feel comfortable, and I don't like or can afford to spend a lot of money on clothes. But over time, a lot has changed, and while before we only heard about imitations at Chinese markets and stores, nowadays we can easily find them in 'digital stores,'" begins Maria Pereira, 62. "I remember that 30 years ago, in a village in Alentejo where people didn't live on much and couldn't afford to buy designer clothes that were fashionable in the big city, a police officer was known for seizing these types of products at markets. So far, so good. It's illegal, and the authorities have always been aware of this. However, this particular officer would seize items and then sell them to the townspeople," she recalls jokingly. These were mainly Adidas, Nike, and Levi's items. "Everyone wanted a pair of Levi's pants, and he fulfilled that desire by committing illegal acts," she continues. "Some pants that, at the time, cost around 100 euros, were now 25 or 30. It was a big deal. At one point, everyone was wearing a pair!" he adds.

Something that used to be done in secret is now being done quite transparently, and it seems to have also won over younger consumers. While adults were once most interested in this type of shopping, now pre-teens spend much of their time searching for the best imitation of their favorite brand. In fact, a survey and analysis by the Business of Fashion platform, released in March 2023, already indicated that most Generation Z consumers feel comfortable buying copies of luxury brand items and consider it "acceptable" for others to do the same, ultimately normalizing a form of access to inaccessible products.

Perfect imitations?

Mateus, 15, remembers his first purchase of this kind well: a pair of Nike Air Jordan 1 sneakers that cost him 60 euros (originals of that model would have cost over a thousand at the time). These days, he searches mostly for items on CN Fans, which describes itself as "the ideal platform for simplified global shopping of Chinese products." "But I've used other platforms like Panda Buy and DhGate. Another platform that sells many replicas is Vinted," he reveals.

The criteria he follows when purchasing something depend largely on the item. "I try to find 1:1 replicas, which are exactly like the originals. I don't even need to pay attention to the details because on this platform, all the replicas are perfect. If someone on the street is wearing Louis Vuitton sneakers purchased on CN Fans, anyone would guess they're real. Furthermore, the tags are identical. Some items, like watches, come with boxes, stamps, velvet cloths, and even receipts. It's impossible to tell them apart," he assures, adding that "there are replicas with identical materials but made in different factories."

Regarding the durability of the items, Mateus recalls the first replica he bought. "The Jordan sneakers were purchased from an Instagram store. But the people who sell them on that platform order them from the same source, which are factories in China. I wore them a lot, but they ended up getting damaged. I admit they may not have lasted as long as if they were originals," he admits.

When searching for an item, he tries to find the links in spreadsheets, "a kind of Excel document with the photo, price, and link." "Spreadsheets are usually found on TikTok accounts. Then I follow the link, which takes me to the CN Fans website. I add the products to my cart, which then goes to my CN Fans account," he explains. "The ordering process works like this: we buy the products, then they go to a warehouse, and only once they're there do we pay for shipping to Portugal. The shipping cost is about half the cost of the products (if a pair of sneakers costs 60, shipping costs 30)," he continues.

But this can also be a "swampy terrain," and Mateus has already been disappointed once. "When the Chinese authorities seized the goods in Pandabuy's warehouses. My orders had already been paid for, they remained there, and I never received compensation. I lost about 100 euros," he laments.

On another occasion, she ordered a Hermès belt identical to one she'd already purchased in Barcelona, but it was held up at customs. "And I received a letter from a law firm saying I had to pay a fine of around €100 for ordering items from criminal factions and harming their clients. My mother spoke to a lawyer friend who told her not to pay anything. The belt had cost €20. I asked for a refund (the purchase was made on the DH Gate website) and received my money back," she explains.

Right now, the 15-year-old has a Hermès belt and Air Force sneakers. "I just ordered some Asics sneakers, some LV sneakers, a Casablanca t-shirt, a Gallery Dept t-shirt, and a Stone Island sweater. I've also had t-shirts from OFF-White and Ralph Lauren. These are the brands I like, and I could never buy the originals. For the price of an original, I can buy almost an entire wardrobe. This last order, for example, cost approximately 130 euros," he reveals. The original price of the Asics sneakers alone, for example, exceeds that amount.

Mateus admits he knows counterfeiting is illegal. However, he believes he's not harming anyone by buying these types of items. "Especially because for a brand to reach the point of having counterfeit items, it's already at a very high level," he believes.

In June 2022, a study by the 2022 Intellectual Property and Youth Scoreboard, released by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), indicated that young people in the European Union are increasingly purchasing counterfeit products and continue to access pirated content. Of those surveyed between the ages of 15 and 24, more than half (52%) said they had purchased at least one counterfeit product, either intentionally or accidentally. Regarding access to digital content from illegal sources, about a third (33%) said they had.

In Portugal, more than a third (34%) of young people have intentionally purchased counterfeit products and around 20% have used, reproduced, downloaded or transmitted content from illegal sources.

And seizures in the country have also increased. In May, a report by the Anti-Counterfeiting Group (GAC) revealed that the number of counterfeit product seizures in Portugal in 2024 increased by 398% compared to the previous year, the highest figure since 2016. According to the document approved on April 30, a total of 3,264,653 counterfeit products were seized by authorities in 2024, worth over €6 million. In 2023, seizures totaled 655,000 products.

Change of mindset

"I remember when I was little, my mother would buy me some imitation sneakers and clothes from well-known brands like Nike and Adidas. We didn't buy them because they were imitations of the originals, but because that's what we liked, and there was no way to buy originals," says Mariana, 18. At school, she was even "teasing" when her classmates noticed that things weren't real. "As a child, I really cared about whether things were original or not because of these situations, but nowadays I don't care anymore and I have some imitations," she says.

The young woman recalls that, for many children, it wasn't just a piece of clothing; "it was used as a label." "When you couldn't afford originals, you were relegated to a lower position," she laments, asserting that today the way we view this "has completely changed." "Knockoffs are no longer a source of shame; they've become a trend," she explains. "I see people from all walks of life buying replicas, often without even trying to hide it. Normalization came with globalization, with social media, and with access to platforms that sell these types of products easily and cheaply. The irony of all this is that what once made me feel excluded is now something I see being deliberately chosen, even by those who can afford originals," she reflects. "It's as if being 'real' has lost importance, and in its place, style, aesthetics, and price are more important," she points out.

Mariana doesn't remember exactly the first time she independently purchased a knockoff online, nor what it was like. "Currently, the platforms I use most are AliExpress, Shein, and, more recently, Hacco. I choose these stores because they have a wide variety, lower prices, and sellers with good reviews. Plus, it's easy to find real photos of how the product arrives in the comments," she explains.

When buying, he first considers whether it's actually worth buying the imitation or opting for the original, "because the price often doesn't differ much." "I pay special attention to details, such as stitching, logos, and materials, because they're the most telling sign of a fake," he admits, adding that "there are situations where the product clearly shows it's a fake." "Others manage to go unnoticed. Even though you can tell the difference, there are imitations so good that, at first glance, they're even deceiving," he states.

Mariana starts by searching for the name of the item she wants to buy. Then she studies several options, compares prices and reviews, and looks for sellers who post real photos. "I also read a lot of reviews to see if, for example, the size matches what was advertised," she notes, having been disappointed with some orders, "mainly because they didn't match the pictures." "I never complained; I ended up using the products anyway, because often it's not worth returning them due to the shipping costs," she believes.

He currently has about 10 pairs of sneakers, two pairs of glasses, three perfumes, an iPad stylus, a power bank, a phone case, two wallets, and three bracelets. "These items are inspired by brands like Adidas, Nike, Vans, Carolina Herrera, Miu Miu, Prada, Coach, Cartier, Apple, and Guess," he lists, adding that he's aware that counterfeiting is illegal and harms original brands. "However, I understand that for many people, it's a way to access a certain style that might otherwise be impossible due to the price," he explains.

Follow trends

Catarina Beato, 47, vividly remembers the day her father gave her a pair of imitation All Star sneakers. "My parents didn't have much money, and it was a time when brand names were becoming increasingly popular. My father, in an act of immense kindness, bought me a pair of imitation All Stars, perhaps in Martim Moniz. He gave them to me, and I didn't have the courage to tell him I didn't like them, that they weren't the right ones... I kept them and wore them," she says.

In fact, Catarina isn't a "brand person" and, these days, only buys knockoffs so her children can keep up with TikTok trends, always aware that what she's buying isn't the "real" item. "I'm talking, for example, about Labubus, or those alcohol-based pens everyone has now for coloring certain types of books," she explains. Remember, Labubus are plush toys created in 2015 by illustrator Kasing Lung, inspired by Nordic folklore. They're toothy and cuddly, and usually come in palm-sized "blind boxes" and are collectibles.

"I don't pay attention to anything special... What I'm looking for is a very low price for the same item," he adds. Unfortunately, what he receives isn't always what he'd like, but he doesn't consider it a big deal. "That doesn't mean it'll work... With the dolls... When you order something, it's completely irrelevant; it's really tricky. But anyway, people end up trying to please their children," he explains. "The goal is really just to keep up with some consumer trend, not to be an object of imitation," he assures.

Identify counterfeits

But there are already tools that allow us to understand whether we're dealing with a genuine item or a fake. Based on Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Entrupy app—which comes with a microscopic camera upon purchase—aims to eliminate counterfeits. According to the app, it can detect counterfeit luxury goods with 99.1% accuracy. The tool's camera magnifies a bag 260 times, for example, and compares the collected data with a database via a smartphone app (the machine connects wirelessly to the phone). This app works with luxury brands such as Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Gucci, and Hermès.

Fashion technology company The Ordre Group has partnered with Louis Vuitton, Burberry, and Patou, among others, to capture the unique fingerprint of an item, such as a small section of the textiles and construction of a monogrammed LV bag, CNN writes, adding that we can think of it as "facial recognition, capturing details almost imperceptible to the human eye—10,000 of these quilted Chanel bags would have 10,000 unique IDs." "Called Authentique, the program records each ID on the blockchain, which cannot be replicated and is considered easily traceable and secure, compared to methods like RFID (radio frequency identification tags and readers) and holograms, which have been counterfeited," the same publication explains.

What does the law say?

According to the lawyer interviewed by LUZ, "the ease of buying and selling counterfeit products lies primarily in the fact that oversight of this market is virtually non-existent." "In fact, a few years ago, the places where we could find counterfeit products were local markets, which were periodically 'visited' by the authorities. Currently, counterfeit products are sold in a multitude of online stores and on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. This, combined with the near-absence of oversight in the digital world, makes buying and selling these products very easy, consequently conveying the idea that buying a 'luxury replica' is not a crime, but rather the opportunity to have an identical brand-name product at a reasonable price," warns the expert, adding that legal intervention depends on a complaint. According to Article 328 of the Industrial Property Code, paragraphs 1 and 2, the criminal police body or police entity that becomes aware of facts that may constitute crimes under the aforementioned code must inform the holder of the right to complain within 10 days of the facts of which they became aware and of the seized objects, also informing them of the deadline for exercising the right to complain.

According to the lawyer, the consequences for those who sell and are caught include the seizure of their goods by the authorities; imprisonment of between 18 months and three years or a fine of between 120 and 360 days (articles 318 to 323 of the Intellectual Property Code); compensation for losses and damages (article 347 of the Intellectual Property Code).