Fake! Inside the Terrifying, Trillion-Dollar Bootleg Industry | Complex 

"he's looking out for the community by pointing out fake yeezys" what a hero of society

"buying counterfeit goods helps funds terrorism and drugs." yeah well paying taxes funds drugs and terrorism. at least buying fake shit gives me something in return.

Don't buy fakes from criminals who promote child labour, buy it from billion dollar companies who promote child labor instead.

The shoes cost $25-$30 to make... they sell to us for hundreds to thousands. The warehouse workers get pennies. Yet we’re the criminals? Keep letting your pride hold you down. That’s why most of us are broke.

Isn't all this shit made in sweat shops anyway?

They talkin' about child labour like sony, samsung, nike, adidas and many other companies don't do it.

I’ve seen the Yeezy turtle doves go for almost $3,000. It cost maybe $40 to make the shoe. Who’s the real thief??

Children slaves are sewing clothing for walmart and complex isn't making a video about it.

Y'all just gonna act like nike doesn't already use child labor ?

Y'all talk about child labor like no big shoe companies do it. SMH

“That’s like saying your girl is an 8 when she’s a 3” that dude seems like an awful person

1. buying fake watches is completely different from buying fake yeezys. all yeezys are made in china, either fake or real. and the quality is barely noticeable if you get some good fakes. with a fake rolex is a complete different story, a rolex is fine piece of machinery that it cant be cheaply replicated while a shoe is just a shoe. after ll that said yeezys are pure hype either way, there is no justifiable reason to pay 500+ sneakers that are just some adidas made in china.

Complex out here thinking ISIS is making yeezys lmaoo

i just realized that complex is made up of the cool smart seniors that didint go to college

Not only fake products have to do with child labor... it's been proved so many times that also big brands are involved in this.

If u know want to spend ur money on replicas etc buy all means go ahead. The issue I have is when people resell the replicas and scam others with ridiculous prices

whats the difference between fake yeezy's and real yeezy's? different shifts at the factory.

the only problem I have with fakes is if you sell them as real

Lmao. 'The terrorist financed his weapons by selling counterfeit products on the street' - Alternatively he could also have worked minimum wage at McD doing the same, would you then make an antipropaganda video against MCD for financing terrorism? If you want to get at the problem of counterfeit items, then the government/police needs to actively do something. It was even shown just how easy it is to go to canal street and buy whatever you want. You wanna tell me an undercover police officer couldn't figure that shit out?

Then stop pricing those originals so expensive 🤣🤣🤣🤣

That shit is terrible I remember I wore a fake polo to school niggas did not let me live that day. I had to pretend none of them jokes hurt fam. Never catch me in something fake again since that terrible day in middle school. It's worse when u cool with the roasters in ur school they don't let up

consumerism propaganda at its finest.

I wore my Yeezys to the mall, The guys at Adidas and the guys at Finishline couldn’t tell they were fake. Wearing replica shoes and dating someone is so different, what the hell is he talking about. 🤦🏼‍♂️

Wouldn’t need to buy fakes if the brands didn’t rip consumers off completely. As long as the quality is good fake it till you make it

I got fake friends does that count?

All you gotta do to make the Chinese stop making fakes is get Soulja boy to pull up on their block with the draco and take it from them.

Purse priced at $1000, cost to make $40 from China < replica of the same thing priced at $50. It’s not bootleg it’s called being smart

People should consider looking for other sources of validation than showing off their real and expensive clothing and shoes. I remember getting upset at people wearing fake Timbs because my real ones lost the perceived value. I was 13. Then, I just grew up.

we know emily bought that fake hermes bracelet

OK Now make a video of the trillion dollar CIA Drug Industry

The thing is. Fakes are getting better and better. Even overcoming the original because of how cheaply made the original is. Ex. Yeezys.

Question? Is something better because it costs more or does it cost more because it's better?

It's crazy that all these high end brands got people conditioned to think anything with their logo on it is worth hundreds of dollars when it cost a small fraction of that to make

Someone link this video to soulja boy

I'm sorry, but I got waayyyy better sense than to buy a shoe that cost $1,000, when I can get basically the same look for $60...Who's the REAL idiot here? I buy things because I LIKE IT! I don't give a damn what anyone else thinks, which is why I'll never overpay JUST so someone can say "oh he got those... and I THINK they're real" lmao Most people are buying shit to impress ppl they don't like anyway... which is also idiotic. just my opinion tho

The point of fashion is to accentuate PHYSICAL attraction. In other words, it's all about LOOKS. If it LOOKS good, then mission accomplished. That said, the point of EXPENSIVE fashion is to broadcast the fact that someone has large amounts of money to spend frivolously. It otherwise makes absolutely NO LOGICAL sense to spend THOUSANDS of dollars on a SINGLE watch of any kind, or on a SINGLE pair of shoes of any kind, or on a SINGLE set of eyeglasses of any kind (except such that would actually CURE blindness), etc. Whether you buy the real or fake, chances are you're supporting some form of injustice. Nike workers in China aren't exactly treated like Lebron James or Michael Jordan.

Emily was about to get her ass kicked

I'd buy fake Pablo merch. I'll be damned if I ever pay $95 for a screen printed Gildan hoodie.

Still gon rock my fake huaraches and fake gucci slides 😘

I would wear replica stuff with no shame

So isis is selling fake Yeezys now?

VICE would have maybe this shit an hour of pure interest

Did the guy in the black beanie really try and tell me the fact that i have a fake bag is gonna haunt me in my sleep and basically ruin my life?? *Not convinced.* But nice try with the scare tactic. Lol!

GAP, H&M and multiple other "official" clothes companies were caught using child labor. You should have pointed this out Bootleg companies aren't the only ones doing this

vice would have executed this film much better.

Sunglasses/glasses are all way overpriced, can see why there' so many fakes on the market.

If yal think I'll stop buying fakes you have to try again.....I'ma wear fake shoes forever......these things are just similar.......I don't really flex with my fakes doe......I just wear what makes me feel good

Ill buy bootleg shoes as long as nike addias etc keep using cheap labor and marketing up there products 10000%, when you buy bootleg the man that actually made the shoe makes more money

if only those big brands weren't charging ridiculous prices for ordinary things...people will continue thriving on fake stuff...

So real Jordans come from China and UA Jordans come from China but you want me to believe there is a big difference???

“it’s easy to spot the fake Rolex immediately” “If you take off someone’s watch and then zoom in at 100x magnification you can see this authentication feature right there plain as day” Lmao yeah ok 😂

If you like the design but don’t feel like wasting way to much money there is no problem with wearing fake stuff. Anyone who says there is a problem with it is a culprit of the huge snob effect that is being a “hypebeast”. People can wear whatever they want and nobody should feel pressured not to just because some brainwashed kids say otherwise.

Acting like Nike wasn't already doing child labor shit

Haha, basically that dude is salty because other people bought cheaper versions of the almost exact same shoe. I think he's the one that got duped into buying an overpriced shoe that looks like shit to begin with.

I've seen videos on youtube reviewing the fake shades and they come in the original exact same packaging with all manuals and documentation yet cost $20 for a pair of oakleys. I think they come from the same factory...

I love bootleg stuff lmao i dont know why i just find it fascinating

Complex make the best documentaries. Fax.

There goes complex trying to be Vice

5:10 honestly I was having trouble noticing the real vs fake lol. I guess people have to get on their hands and knees to find out if you have authentic shoes lol!

I LOVE COUNTERFEIT PRODUCTS!!!!

Im terrified when that guy asked Emily to take the glass off

Im ballin in my fake yeezys, fake fear of god jeans, fake rolex, fake goyard belt, with my fake supreme hat, in my fake lexus, with my fake dad😤

That Asian dude got really gangsta on them lol "I'll break that shit"

Lots of superficial folks here

The consignment store bought it bruhhh 😂😂

I don't care if I get a fake charger its just a charger bro

"Uh people shouldn't wear fake shoes because then the guy who wasted money on real shoes don't get the same satisfaction". These people admit all they care about is image crafting.

Still rockin dem $50 Yeezy's

The level of ignorance in the opening scene, is too much for me to handle... I'ma keep watching though!

I have a fake antisocial social club hat. I love the design but I don't want to pay 100dollars to get the fucking hat when I can pay 10 and get it for similar quality

also take a trip to hong kong or china and then try telling me fakes are poor quality you'll fucking struggle to tell the difference i PROMISE you

Once they busted out that whole purse catalog 🤯

but here's the thing... sweat shops are out there for non fake shoes

Not enough information here. Where was the segments of the AAA++ Grade pieces? 16:39 Iv'e seen fakes that are near 1:1 (Rolex s, YSL, Nikes, Chanel). These versions use real leather, suede, and aren't sold cheaply. We are talking about $150 for a pair of high grade fake designer dress boots, $500 for high grade designer hand bags, $400 for upper echelon watch fakes. There's even ways to buy straight from the factory or through a representative that gets it right from the factories. This video implies Kidnapping, Drugs, Child Labor, and Terrorism is funded by the selling of fake goods. THIS IS A LUDICROUS STATEMENT. In Europe, there are loads of immigrants that sell counterfeit goods, I'm not surprised the murderer in the Charlie Hebdo attacks did the same. WHY DOES THAT POINT MATTER?! (Disinformation) If he couldn't get his money from the streets, he would of got it working under a legitimate business eventually. (Orlando Nightclub Shooting). There won't even be a dent against the operations of human human/drug trafficking, child labor, and terrorism, if counterfeit goods are stop in its entirety. 90% of these fakes come from China, in which is NOT the nation most subjected to these illegal matters. P.S. I've seen fakes made in better quality than originals. TRUE STORY!

Very high quality vid 👌🏼

Even the replicas are not cheap anymore. A AAA quality replica bag can set you back $400/$500 now.

They talking bout fakes yet don't talk about child labor smh

Damn my baby Emily almost got shot :(

is there a $600 difference in quality between my "fake" Yeezys made in China or the "real" Yeezys made in China? No

Great documentary.

this should be on RU-vid trending page so everyone can know the truth

TERRIFYING!!! I guess it depends on if you're happier giving money to shady overseas criminal gangs rather than helping to buy a multi-billionaire a new yacht. Hmm...1st world decisions.

This video is like one of those anti drugs videos they got at school

This was really interesting. Also, quality was amazing. Seemed like it should have been on netflix or something haha

Complex tries to do something intellectual and talk about something in the fashion community and this comment section is straight boolin nobody taking any of this seriously 😭

Emily Be on Her True Detective Shit

'It's like dating a girl, knowing she's a 3 but saying she's an 8 or a 9. That's ridiculous, you wouldn't want to set yourself low' - what a catch, a real gentleman here ladies

18:15 that is such a reach! Dude could have been selling souvenirs- would you say the same if that was the case? What if he worked at McDonald’s? The reach is comical

Emily was bout to get her ass kicked😂😂😂

Not gonna lie this video feels like the essays i write for school that are bullshitted and at the end i come up with crazy conclusionns to make it seem interesting.

I wanna know what happened after that guy found out the camera Lmao and how did he know

My grandma bought me fake sneakers online by mistake

A boy in my school got rinsed for wearing fake huaraches, they called them fuaraches, never seen him since that day

Both are made in China, Vietnam, etc. So?

This all concludes with me somehow funding Drugs and child labor

Bought fake and sold fakes to a consignment store. That's pretty low, now you shouldn't judge anyone. Credibility lost

I was looking forward to watching this

I personally know a few wealthy dudes who wear high end fakes, they can easily afford the real thing but they all say the same thing... "If everyone knows im rich why waste money flaunting with originals"

I love bootleg stuff so idgaf if it's cheep and not ridiculously expensive i would totally buy it, also video game bootlegs are the freaking best, grand dad FTW lol xD

You spend your money how you want to spending