How Knockoffs Became SO Popular 

That Dupe philosophy was so ridiculous, “I reject big brands but still follow their trends” the actual cool thing to do is express your individuality

What i hate is that most of my local 2nd hand stores are now FULL of shein and low quality crap. Going to vintage resell shops is way too expensive

Dupe is more commonly used term in makeup and perfume. Like "this cheap eyeliner has a similar formula to and works just as well as that really expensive one." In that case, it's not a product being made to copy another at all. It just happens to work out like that.

I feel like pre recession a lot more people were judgmental of those who couldn’t afford designer clothing and bags, but after the 08 recession and also during the covid 19 pandemic, less people can afford the real deal and now it’s more about saving money than being able to afford designer shit

Just to point out: UGGs themselves are technically a dupe of Uggboots, an Australian fashion item that was sold simply as "Uggboots". They simply put a label on it and sold it in America, even their brand name was a dupe of the name "uggboots". The name for the fashion item came before the brand name!

Greed is what is going on. Workers can’t afford the designer prices. Thus the success of Shein and Wish. It’s a race to the bottom.

The argument that "by buying dupes you're not supporting the shitty designer brands" is so weird to me lmao. So you're replacing a shitty designer brand with a shitty fast fashion brand, wow 😂 How about we just don't buy anything...

I have my best friend living in China for 12 years now and a couple years ago he discovered a knockoff factory for designer bags in which the guys were taking the same leathers, zippers, and everything from the same producers as, for example, Louis Vuitton does. Their knockoffs are practically indistinguishable from the originals. We've brought a couple (paid $250 a pop, from the factory! Super expensive for a knockoff product) and gave them to some women with huge experience in this stuff and they were shocked. 100% same as the originals.

I’m so glad that I don’t care for fashion trends, it just makes life so much more easier to endure.

I think you said "when ugg boots first came out" or similar - when would that be, sonny? Because I was wearing them here in Australia in the 1970s. Every roadside barn through Australia's woolgrowing regions sold them, unbranded, unlabelled. Then a Yank company decided to trademark the name and concept and when challenged in court, they won. The court accepted uggs were a generic product in Australia so the company (I thought it was Teva?) couldn't have sole rights to them here, but they won international rights to the name and product. Now that's a rip-off!

Has this channel ever done an episode about charcoal products like facial masks and toothpaste? Knowing how well you guys research all this stuff, I'm extremely curious to know if it's effective, but more importantly safe to use/consume.

Once more sustainable brands start making clothing in my size (tall, size 16, shoe 12) I'm all in. But most more ethical brands tend to ignore people like me exsist. Fast fashion brands and learning to sew are really my only options for everyday clothes.

Just a note, the UGG example is a bad example. UGG is a generic term for a style of shoe. It's just that Deckers outdoor products gained a monopoly on the trademark. So much so that the original Australian manufacturers can't sell their goods outside of their own country

And then there’s me, I have no idea about most fashion so if I went to Amazon and bought a pair of shoes that were a dupe of famous shoes I likely wouldn’t know it.

In Italy, in the 50s, women were just as vain as they are today, but money was short. A lower middle-class working woman like my mother would have one single skirt suit for important events, three or four skirts, four shirts, two or three jumpers. One heavy coat and a medium weight coat for spring/autumn. Three pair of shoes and a single handbag. All of that could be held in a two-door wardrobe with two drawers for underwear and tights. That was normal. Even with a long-term job, you could afford little more than that. Today I hear people always complaining about having no money and yet their wardrobes are bursting with low quality outfits. P.S. most of those garments were made by a seamstress who would make sure that those few garments my mother could afford would suit her body shape to perfection. My mother used to have an excellent deportment and most of the times she looked like a model in those bespoke outfits.

I really wish that the fashion of repairing better quality clothing would come back mainstream. I have been purchasing better quality items for the past few years and last year I only purchased a couple of items. I hope to purchase next to nothing this year!

my honest thought was that it's too expensive for people to buy the real thing - so they buy dupes instead. it's a fair point that people actively seek out the trends, whilst holding disdain towards the luxury brands too.

So yes, fast fashion is bad. Cheap dupes are generally bad too. However, the argument here seems to be that dupes and knockoffs aren't actually putting a dent in billionaires' pockets, and the only reason you suggest that people buy dupes is to "fit in" or look cool, and I don't think that's true either. Many of these "dupe" brands don't only sell dupes, or they're not obvious as dupes. If I buy jeans on Shein because I need pants and they look good, knowing that they're Levi's dupes doesn't matter, being dupes or not doesn't really matter- you still need to wear clothes. Buying $20 pants from Walmart instead of buying from Shein because they make dupes doesn't even matter. The fact is, we're at a point in society where the wealth gap is so large that the affordable products for people are often made under bad worker conditions using cheap materials that are bad for the environment. Yes, reducing consumption is the ideal here, but that can only go so far. At some point, most people are going to have to buy new clothes because theirs either don't fit or are worn out and they can't mend them, and the budget options are rarely if ever ethical. Without the ability to buy longer-lasting quality pieces because they cost significantly more, these brands are going to exist and thrive. We can't fix this unless we fix the wealth inequality first.

The only "fashion" I buy new are the items that nobody really sees, i.e. underwear, socks, etc. Maybe a pair of sneakers every 5 or 6 years. Everything else is second hand. Vapor thrift stores are bursting at the seams with good quality items, at affordable prices. And the last time I watched a fashion influencer video was, uhm, never! Such a waste of time and brain cells.

Actually not all dupes are bad quality. I have dupes that are great, last me for ages (5 years and counting for leggings!) and I don't see any reason to avoid them as long as you are not overconsuming!

I just had to thank you for including the Schmidt's "Youths" video. I love this moment and everytime he says it. I would literally use it everytime if I could and met anyone else who had seen it. I am an old lady in my 30's, so... And please, make the bucket hats end already😄

“Reps” (replicas) have become extremely popular in the sneaker community since it’s become so difficult to purchase cool, trendy sneakers at their retail price whenever you want. So young people have resorted to purchasing replicas aka knockoffs for affordability and to feel included. Resellers have also been passing off reps as the real thing to make money off of marked up prices of the real shoe. The consumer on the receiving end of that gets scammed (they willingly paid the marker up price). Nike is suing Stockx for selling fake sneakers as they are supposed to authenticate sneakers that resellers bring in to be sold through them. Apparently whoever is making a lot of these replicas, they’re really good and hard to distinguish.

Always brilliant commentary and thought-provoking provocations without preaching. Love this channel.

Great watch as always 👊🏿. I like knockoffs coz they offer people an alternative cheap option to some of the stuff that gets overvalued on brand names but it always confuses me why the people who buy knock offs just don't buy the regular cheap options coz you can easily find cool reasonably priced stuff without having to find something that appears to be brand xyz but I guess it's human nature to want to follow and chase the made up trends.

If you have tried wearing authentic brand-name clothing, you probably can't return back to dupe products. The quality and aesthetic difference is just too massive.

You are inaccurate on some of the definitions: Knock off: Direct copy. Different name Counterfeit:Direct copy, same name Dupe: self-admitting knock-offs

Guy who used to wear fake Crocs: Cargo pants are ugly. How dare you... 🤣

Seeing as you mentioned uggs a couple times, maybe you should do a video on how ugg boots is a generic term that Deckers trademarked and began bullying and suing small independent makers of ugg boots. I would argue to avoid buying the "UGG" brand which is made in China and buy from a smaller shoe maker.

Slow fashion brand suggestions?? Personally a fan thrifting bc that's 90 percent of my clothes/shoes.

In Australia, “ugg” is just a generic term for the style of boot. Later on, a company from California called itself “UGG Australia”, registered “UGG” as a trademark, and then their parent company starts suing Australian boot manufacturers for accuracy describing their products as “ugg boots”

Second hand doesn't work anymore - people just offload their fast fashion addiction there. Pay more but buy quality/sustainability and make it last.

The real way to be apart of dupe culture is find what you want, research the origins and then buy used / vintage versions of the items + get them tailored to a specific, trendy, fit if needed. This way your style can stay "relevant" and probably get higher quality pieces that you love.

I like a bag company out of London, UK. Their bags are easily $400+ each. I buy second-hand on eBay and they arrive new-to-me and in great condition. I own 4 of said bags for under $150 total. Secondhand is my first choice nowadays.

I can’t wait for the baby product vids. It’s crazy out here as a parent

Who knew 20 years ago that sewing your own clothes would become a cool, radical thing.

DON'T BE DUPED BY DUPES.

This will be an interesting ongoing topic as it is one of the most interesting anthropological subjects but as a guy who loves sneakers and works as a creative director, it's common to see creators make or support their friends' dupes and justify themselves saying support small businesses stealing from corporates for the people (we are robin hood) narrative but when they become rich and famous, they frown upon small businesses that makes dupes of their products and uses their fandom to attack them or cry about how much blood sweat and tears goes into making designs......huh?

It's hard to believe, but I still repair my clothes and wear it for years

Levi mind-reader confirmed! Levi makes a statement, i have an opinion or critique, 5min later Levi states exactly what i thought

knockoffs are never cool. i rather wear authentic from a cheaper brand than a knockoff of a luxury brand.

Knockoffs and dupes are the same thing - brandless products sold through legal channels. If it copies the designer logo and is sold through gray/black market channels then it's counterfeit.

i wish you had talked about the correlation between knockoffs and terrorism/other illegal activities in this video as well

Levi, interested topic! Would have been interesting to hear your thoughts on 'Bootleg' clothing, which is another sub category of 'fakes' again.

9:20 I thought I was watching a mid roll ad. Great editing editors.

I have had a pair of UGG short boots since they came out and I like them. But I absolutely love my fuggs and I have two pair now. I live at the beach, fuggs can be washed in the washer as they are synthetic, so when they get to scuzzy from the dogs or sand or salty musky smells, I can simply throw them in a cold water wash and let them air dry. Can’t do that with real sheepskin. There are also practical reasons to liking knock offs.

Ok one thing I think you got wrong here or missed is the quality or perceived quality of dupes. Influencers recommend dupes because the quality and effectiveness is supposed to be on par of the original. Now who knows if that’s accurate but for some shoppers that’s the intention at least. I don’t think a big majority of dupe shoppers or purchasing to “subvert” designer brands. They’re purchasing it because it’s a cheaper version.

I just discovered your channel this evening , and I really enjoyed the informative but also witty way you approach all your subject matter. Great choice of topics as well. Keep it up with the awesome content. You definitely got my subscription and likes from now on!

I don't use Tiktok and I don't pay attention to fashion. I just wear clothes until they break. Sometimes if I'm bored I'll fix the holes in my underwear.

Dupes/reps/knockoffs (imo) became popular because people realized you can get a 1:1 copy for x100 less and no one’s going to know…there’s so many websites to get 1:1 jackets, bags or shoes and their made in different factories yes but their made with the same materials and there’s dupes that are a little more , a couple hundred and are exactly the same down to ever stitch

Wow I just remembered I used to visit a website that was dedicated to dupes of eyeshadows, lipsticks, blush. Every time a palette or a single come out from Natasha Denona or Anastasia Beverly Hills, I would be sitting in front of a monitor scrolling for hours looking at one shade of orange, and comparing all the other similar shade of orange from other companies reading reviews of texture, blendibility, shimmer, vibrance, etc etc. omg the insanity of finding that dupe. It was pretty normal to end up with 10 slightly different shades of orange, or brown, it’s like Sherwin-Williams but for make up.

Influencers are the one who control what we want in the social media world.

I’m 55. If I could give anything (except a sustainable environment - that’s pretty much water under the bridge) to younger generations, it would be this: none of this shit matters AT ALL. The only thing that really matters are the people we love and care about. But what they wear, what they drive, how much money they have (above basic necessities) also does not matter AT ALL. Status seeking is a totally empty, dead-end effort programmed into us by people who want our money. Set yourself free of the endless bullshit.

Walmart & Amazon became mega empires prying on people being duped - unfortunately, price will always be king above all else despite quality and ethics.

Yeah, dupes are depressing: they are trying to say 'hey, I don't need high fashion to look stylish", and yet, at the same time they *need* high fashion so they have the style to copy off of. Really??? [insert face palm].

I think there is some subtlety missed in dupes ARE fast fashions. Most of the denim jackets out there could technically be considered dupes of Levi's types 1 through 3, and very wildly in quality

If you're buying an outfit that isn't replacing an old outfit that is worn out, you're doing it wrong.

As an Australian I see Ugg's as a knockoff of 1980's bogan fashion with a trademark slapped onto a generic name

I somewhat agree, but Tommy Bahama for Instance, has some of the most comfortable shirts I’ve worn and the only 2xlts that I can find that fit me exact

I’m cool with dupes of large fashion brand items, I usually buy them or items from the thrift store when buying new clothes, but I don’t buy many new clothes and mostly buy what I want to wear

Love you, Levi. Don’t worry about sounding like a dad. Just shows that you’re ready.

The cognitive dissonance is strong when you buy dupes just to pretend that you don't fall for the marketing tricks of the big names

Talking about DIY stuff, what is the impact of 3D printing for the environment? I don't have a 3D printer, but I see value in making your own stuff or repair using 3D printed parts vs getting something to replace

Ive got the problem where the Dupes carry my size while the actual brands do not. Im just really tiny, and the smallest big name brands carry (shoes, clothes, etc) is too big for me, while the dupes have my size and fit

I got to say growing up in the 90s in Australia Ugg boot dupes were everywhere in winter. Kmart had them, Big W had them….. as were Dr Martin dupes…

Looking forward to a Future Proof episode filmed in a Prius! Come on, do it, I challenge you Levi!

The only "designer" thing I own is a pair of Rayban Wayfarers that I didn't even buy. A family member found them at work and gave them to me since I was eyeballing buying that exact pair.

As soon as you took a breath at 2:04 a Shein ad popped up on the bottom of my screen 😂

Wish this RU-vidr would quit assuming I have TikTok, I don't and won't install it. Maybe if he said, "I'm sure TikTok users have noticed clothing brands..."; otherwise good video

Still waiting for the day that these "dupe" people realize that wearing casual and timeless clothes will always look better than dressed in cheap dupes and pretending to be something you are not. I would never judge anyone wearing Uniqlo or H&M basics, but I can't help judging people that buy knockoffs or just exact replicas/ripoffs of a current trend. Wearing a trendy piece means nothing if the seams and fabric are cheap looking.

some people carry dupe designer bags for decades like my late maternal grandmother did a dupe quilted Chanel bag for over 30 years. she couldn't afford a real Chanel bag

I don't buy into all that high fashion trendiness bullshit, which is why I'm going to buy cheap imitations of the those exact pieces of clothing. It really makes no sense. If they really want to show how they're not taken in by all that, the real move is-as you suggest-to opt for alternatives to that entire paradigm of buying clothing.

I don't care about sustainability, brands, condition of workers crap. Just cheap use and throw stuff. I love dupes and knock offs.

I'm 100% against dupes. Because they don't have to pay for the designs or marketing, they should offer better quality products, but they do the opposite. In my opinion, that makes them as greedy as the brands they are copying. If you want to fight large and overpriced brands, buy something original from companies that offer good quality for a fair price.

*laughs in my once stolen from a friend t-shirt that I absolutely love and been using for the last 20 years*

Great messege and one of your best videos yet!

“…Products made by underpaid labourers in countries with known human rights violations using exploitive natural resources.” Sounds like both dupes and designer products both use these though 🧐

I wouldn't say that dupes are a "badge of honor", but it IS seen as smart by some people because you spent less money on essentially the same product. Knockoffs of designer purses and jewelry has also become popular because their prices have increased astronomically in the past few years, while their quality has not. Authentic designer purses for example are often seen as "not worth the price" when you can get a knockoff that's reasonably close enough in quality to match if you know where to shop. (I'm not talking about Shein/Amazon) I wouldn't say buying dupes is about eschewing the trends, either... it's totally that people want to buy into it. It's just too expensive to buy the legitimate brand, and not seen as "worth it" by most average people. I agree that the fast fashion dupes are almost never good, but those aren't the only dupes out there. Hell, even some of the authentic brands have severely fallen in quality over the years, Doc Martens being a great example of that, and that encourages more people to find and buy dupes of those types of products.

I think the word “dupe” came in vogue with cosmetics. In the mid 200010s there was such a craze for designer make up, then smaller indie brands (Make Geek, ColorPop, Colour Raine, etc) start selling eyeshadows or lipsticks of better quality at lower prices. Especially with eyeshadows because dramatic smoky eye was such a big thing, when an Indie brand releases a Single (one small tin of a single color eyeshadow) with vibrant color and long staying power people lost their shit. I was one of them. Then I started to hear the word dupe more and more with skin care products, and I guess it bled into tangential fields like fashion eventually.

At 9:39: I like the fact you use a image from Paris Business District (La Défense) when you are Canadian 😂

Cargo pants will never go away... they are simply the best, as they are utilitarian.

I'm gonna be honest, as long as someone buys clothing that they are going to genuinely use and knows how to debunk the claims of brands that they buy from, I don’t consider it an issue if someone buys a knockoff product.

If both premium products actually represented better quality rather than just slapping a brand name/logo on it for an extra 100$ and people could afford premium products then people would buy premium products...

Not to mention the top brand quality as gone down the shitter. 30 years ago brands like LV and Gucci are sweatshop items all except their tiptop stuff.

Thank you for making this video. I loved it. I was wondering whether you could do a video about C.P. Company and the history of this brand?

Reminder that Shein steals not only from big fashion brands but also small fashion designers from Etsy and such.

In the sneaker world, there is a (sort of) third category called "unauthorized authentic" or UAs.

People are so cheap its costing them dearly!

Also the fashion brands have shit quality! Watch Rose Anvil’s RU-vid channel where he cuts shoes in half and puts the big shoe companies on blast for their low quality materials

I prefer slow fashion, less cloths but better quality. In the long term you save money and you always look good.

He said "Late 1900s" 😂😂

you've made a video on Fjällräven, now we need a video on Lundhags

I don’t have any friends, I only just buy whatever I need and looks good to me.

WHEN I buy, I do buy new, but i cant tell you when i last bought new clothes 😅😅 i wear stuff until it literally falls into pieces

I buy affordable high quality and keep it as long as possible in order to buy as little as possible. We all have way too much sh!t!

To be fair, i don't hate the idea of buying the dupe rather than the original. However i am not talking about clothing. I am talking about things like watches and fragrances. There is the same deal, things which are similar to a more expensive thing, just lower in price. And to be fair there are quality dupes/ homages / inspired by items out there. I mean there are even dedicated channels on social Media, which just talk about that one very specific sub genre. But sure everything you buy, just because of some hype is bad and i learned that lesson as well. Buy fewer higher quality things and you will enjoy these more.

I love "crocks" I've worn them all the way since they started to manufacture them here in Tunisia. lol I've never had the original which is not even sold here.

I've been waiting for this video of yours, for so effing long!

I'm in Mexico City and there are soooo many Nike dupes

Can you provide or do a list video on brands youd recommend?

Levi saying that he likes to accidentally dad in these videos but forgetting that his job has been Internet Dad for years 🤔