are dupes ruining fashion?

this is what erupts into pajama gate yes an article literally used that name alex3 hey sunshiners Alexa Sunshine 83 here so today I wanted to talk about fashion dupes knockoffs and specifically something that recently came up which is the jerf Avenue controversy Lanie Ozark did make a video at the beginning of the year about dupes so definitely check that out after this video I think the drift Avenue brings up a lot of interesting parts and how people have changed their opinions on dupes being right or wrong and I want to talk about it before we get into it let's define what a dupe knockoff and counterfeit is a dupe is an item that has qualities or similarities to a designer item but doesn't copy logo or a trademark features and isn't trying to trick consumers to thinking it's the real thing which is legal a counterfeit or fake is an item that copies trademark details and logos to pass itself off as the real thing which is illegal a knockoff is defined as a carbon copy of a design but not in the same way as a counterfit because it doesn't have the logo honestly I saw a lot of back and forth about what a knockoff is because some people say it is basically another word for counterfeit and then other people say it's another word for dupe and from what I gathered it's as similar as a counterfeit item without the logos kind of what I already said but basically that it isn't trying to fool the customer in my personal opinion I feel like dupes have kind of turned into what a knockoff is like before it would be you know similar maybe both of the for example a top being floral maybe they're both floral but different floral patterns different like sizing maybe it is the same color but again there are enough differences that you would know that they're different whereas now I feel like dupes are really just a carbon copy to where now they are copying the specific ific type of design of the floral the size of the floral the placement of the floral Etc I don't know if this is just me but the word knockoff versus dupe like one of them sounds better than the other a knockoff sounds bad it sounds like you are stealing something or the design is stolen whereas a dupe kind of I don't know it kind of sounds like it's just as good like it's a great option as well maybe it's just from being on Tik Tok and seeing so many D videos where my association with the word is different than a knockof but dupe definitely has a more like glamorous look whereas if you said knockoff it kind of has a negative undertone I mean you can see that with the amount of dup videos on Tik Tok or even Instagram like people have made their entire social media presence just about sharing dupes from Amazon and different fast fashioned retailers I did want to mention that there's some things that are quite General quite basic that I feel like a dupe of it it's just for example like a gray Blazer you know like they may both be gray and they're a Blazer I feel like every company sells a great Blazer and you're really just getting a different quality of that fashion does not have the same copyright protection as other Creative Media such as art literature and film which means that fashion designers are vulnerable to having their work copied getting a Paton for a design is expensive it can take up to 2 years and I'd say even just having a design up for a month makes it possible for different fast fashion brands to copy your work there is a deeper conversation within this anytime somebody does push back on dupes they are meant with comments saying not everyone has over $100 to spend on the original and it is elitist to assume people can afford designer clothes or always shop ethically maybe an unpopular opinion but I think everyone deserves clothes that makes them feel good that fits them that is cute to them you know I love clothes lots of people love clothes it's literally art but I think people do sometimes get a little entitled specifically with small businesses I mean if you go on any small business that is sustainable and ethical and especially like handmaking items even sweaters oh my gosh the handmade sweater small businesses usually will always have comments saying that they're classes or that they are scamming people because they're charging over $100 but for them to even be sustainable and ethical they have to charge those prices because they're factoring in so many things that fast fashion brands don't factor in an independent designer is saying that she insta one of their designs I see comments like this where they're like your dress is x amount of dollars I would never pay that I'm going to buy the $11 version and I'm not judging people for shopping fast fashion when they can't afford a more sustainable alternative but it is messed up to attack someone for trying to pay themselves a living wage and then go and say you want to buy the $11 version when you know it's made by people who aren't paid enough to live 93% of fast fashion brands don't pay workers a fair living wage a lot of people don't see the value of clothing the value of how long it takes to make an item especially a wellmade item but a lot of people have been conditioned that if it's over $15 that is a scam that is not worth it of course though there's something else that has made us even more into getting a good deal and wanting lower prices and that is living is expensive fast fashion is almost most people can afford and there is a big movement from Brands to put the blame and responsibility on consumers and it should not be we are all just trying our best and yes it's important to do what we can do but even if your wardrobe is 30% secondhand or sustainable heck even 10% you're doing something and I know that's a controversial take but I think it's realistic however if you had a clothing brand that you poured your heart your soul your money just for it to be ripped off by Sheen or Amazon you would be upset there is definitely so much more to this and I'm sure I missed something but I wanted to at least mention a disclaimer before moving on also I have bought dupes before I bought the wannabe disco pants from Forever 21 I had the fake Uggs from Walmart and I recently bought dupes from a shoe maker on Etsy I am not perfect nobody is perfect I don't want this video to be seen as shaming anyone it really is just to look at how dupes are interacting with the current fashion industry buying copies used to be seen as taboo the whole point was for people to think it was the real thing and now I would almost say it's seen as embarrassing to buy the real thing and it's more of a positive if it is a dupe throughout history knockoffs of designs at a cheaper price have existed fit had an entire exhibit in 14 called Faking It Originals copies and counterfeits where they featured the real designs next to fakes and some of them dating back all the way to the 1920s now most people don't have the income to be spending $1,000 on designer pieces which is how Trends trickle down to normal consumers basically being inspired by or copied by middle to low price point stores but to me the boom of the dupe was with makeup according to To Know Your Meme the oldest known YouTube video using the phrase dupe was in 2008 we see real versus dupe makeup videos all the time now some brands are a little bit more obvious like makeup Revolution I'd say makeup dupes are seen in a way more positive light especially because maybe the formula is actually better or that other brand has your skin tone doing Amazon fashion or Sheen Halls on social media has been a thing for a while but it definitely skyrocketed in 2020 on Tik Tok I think we are all aware of the House of Sunny hawne green dress or the strawberry dress both Rose in popularity very fast and it showed just how powerful and how fast fast fashioned brands are in creating copies in this article by style Caster the journalist explains the dress kept selling out and by that point everyone had it and she wasn't big on buying what everyone else is already wearing but after seeing a Creator share the Amazon dupe she went ahead and ordered the $25 one there were some differences but she ended up loving it so much that it made her want to buy the real thing she ended the article with I highly recommend snagging an inspired piece like this one to see how you feel about an item if the real thing is particularly pricey you might find yourself wearing it so often that justifying the Splurge becomes easy or you'll find it was more of a trendless moment and be glad you didn't shell out on that dress everyone else is wearing Trends are moving faster than ever so it doesn't make sense for some people to spend $100 on a piece of clothing when maybe next season heck maybe next month they will be told that it's outdated and they should stop wearing it as silly as it sounds repeating a clothing item or wearing something that is outdated is considered unfashionable to a lot of people so with the rise of dupes it just makes sense for fashion creators on Tik Tok that are trying to gain an audience I came across a Tik Tok that said cowboy boots are out and Moto style boots are in I just started my love affair with cowboy boots I spent money on the cowboy boots I searched for the cowboy boots it has been a journey to collect them and I will not throw them away with everything I mentioned in this part I think it 100% makes sense that dupes are definitely seen in a more positive light than they used to be and it just makes sense for a lot of people to go with the cheaper alternative and with the rise of dupes and fast Trends it's like they kind of are growing together nobody actually allows a trend to be completely flushed out and they're taking it so fast and when they take the trend they're also lacking the creativity to make it towards their customer or to tweak it that now dupes are becoming like Stitch for stitch design for design which then turns it and only reason bigger brands are okay taking the on from Stitch now is because the general population is now okay with [Music] knockoffs okay now on to why I even wanted to make this video so if you don't know Matilda jerf is a Swedish influencer who became an IT girl for her luscious locks and simple style now having over 3 million followers she captured an audience that loved everything and anything about her she's been quite open about personal matters which I think made her even more appreciated and relatable to a lot of people online in 2019 Matilda founded the Brand jerf Avenue with the goal of creating a fashion brand that would stand the test of time jerf Avenue sells Blazers skirts dresses swim and even betting most of her styles are in neutrals and I'd say it's elevated Basics she basically created a brand that is her like it screams Matilda the influencer and that's basically what they're selling they're selling that image and the jerf lifestyle they even have a community tab on their website that they called jerf Angels jerf Avenue has always come across as sustainable and ethical or at least the way that they make it look trying to figure out if a brand is actually what they say can be very difficult and a rabbit hole but on their Instagram it does say ethically produced in Portugal Sweden and Italy they say that they never retouch their models and carry sizes from extra extra small to 3XL I do have to acknowledge my bias because I own four things from derf Avenue I have two T-shirts one of the fruit pattern bathing suits and the fruit pattern bedding all of which are nice like there are all pretty good quality at least those pieces that I've tried from there and I have also met Matilda jerf at the LA popup but I'm going to try to be as neutral as possible most of the pieces jerf Avenue cells are pretty Timeless basic pieces like you could probably Thrift most of them and I'd say most brands sell similar things but you have the influencer name and from what it has seemed like pretty good quality now I wanted to touch on the quality aspect because if if you're shelling out over $100 you want it to be made well and there have been some inconsistencies for customers like there's an entire Reddit thread just from customers detailing inconsistencies with quality of the jerf Avenue pieces that they have gotten and all of those are from a year ago and it's not just like one piece they had that there's like a thread loose or something it's like multiple jve Avenue pieces that they've gotten that have had an inconsistency in quality I've seen Tik toks before this controversy detailing uneven stitching and just it not making sense for the money that they had spent to all of the girlies out there that own the Breezy Top by driff Avenue let me know if this has happened to you so I'm wearing this top it cost over $100 and I noticed that almost all of the buttons have cracked off number one is cracked number two is cracked number three is cracked along with number four number five somehow is fine looking and then number five is also cracked off before I even put this on this is like what's all over the shirt all of these seams are coming out another big complaint especially right now is a lot of the items are made out of recycled polyester I did want to mention that there is a mix like the fruit pajama set is made out of 98% tensil lioel and 2% elastane I note that elastan is not sustainable since it doesn't biodegrade but in another dress of theirs they do use a biobased elastan that will biodegrade the dream mini dress is 55% cpro oh my gosh I'm so bad at pronouncing things I apologize it's not a perfect material but it's particularly ethical when compared to traditional silk and the summer Island dress is 100% % organic I really wanted to mention the material part because that has been a really big comment that I've seen on Tik Tok basically saying that everything that derer Avenue sells is 100% polyester but it isn't and in most cases is recycled I'm not trying to be a spokeswoman for derf Avenue really I don't see myself ever purchasing from them again I think it's important to at least correct that maybe a third to a half of the items they sell tend to be made out of the majority polyester which tends to be recycled sure that's great recycling awesome but it really isn't sustainable I mean especially for the price it really should be something like LEL tensel even rayon wool kind of anything polyer is plastic essentially I mean not essentially it's it's plastic so every time you wash a piece of piece of clothing that's made out of plastic it's going to release microplastics into the water even though most of their pieces are solid they did introduce a fruit pattern I think over a year ago that gave dreamy summer in a cottage feel selling it on tube Toops bedding and recently they created another fruit pattern for pajamas fruit pattern is not a New Concept heck I have been talking about how much I love fruit pattern for the past couple of years and even Lisa says G had their own fruit pattern loungewear sets because it's been quite a trend in the past couple of years if you search jerf Avenue fruit pajamas on Amazon there are loads of honestly I'd say knockoffs just because they are literally exactly the same where the fruit is placed the color they even use the same postings from the jerf Avenue website all of them ranging in material from 100% % polyester to 90% polyester there have been many Tik toks raving about these fruit pajama dupes some comparing the real thing to the dupe and others actually stating that now that they've tried the dupe they want to try the real thing and this is what erupts into pajama gate yes an article literally use that name I couldn't find the exact date when this happened but beginning is of October Tik Tok creators wake up to copyright strikes on their jerf Avenue dupe videos most of the videos that had gotten this strike were showing the specifically fruit pattern pajama dupes and after creators had shared what happened on their Tik Tok Matilda ended up deactivating her personal account JF Avenue responded to the backlash on their Instagram story stating there's been a surge in websites selling products with our design and owned print SL artworks in response to it we have an external intellectual property firm monitoring copyright infringements and they have realized it has inadvertently impacted individual accounts they have instructed the IP firm to Halt reports from Individual accounts and focus on thirdparty sellers we don't know if Matilda personally wanted to go after these Tik Tok creators or even knew the IP firm was going to go after Tik Tok creators but regardless the damage had been done many are now breding up instances of her duping other brands like this stripe top and how jerf Avenue is just a copy of clothing she's worn from previous Brands I've seen multiple Tik Tok and comments criticizing Matilda for not wanting people to to dress like her and how hypocritical it is as an influencer which again it seems to just be mainly the fruit pattern pajamas and not other pieces just from what I was able to find there is an example though that did get a strike that we'll talk about in a second but people are saying nothing Matilda has done in her career has been original either one comment mentioning people share dupes all the time and that it's actually promotion for jerf Avenue in a dupe video there's definitely been comments on the other side saying why is it bad that she is trying to protect her work I think if the firm had only targeted these Amazon listing dupes it would have gone very differently but now people are buying these dupes out of spite of Matilda and boycotting the brand as a whole something to also mention is a lot of these creators that share dupes will list them in their Amazon storefront so they do make a commission from people buying these dupes on Amazon not everyone like I think showing that you bought a derf Avenue dupe just because you really like the pattern but you couldn't buy the real thing and you're just sharing how excited you are I think is a different thing but there is a different side where it is a business for people to choose the dupes over the real thing and maybe that's why the firm went after individual creators because they are making money off of the copy derf Avenue sent a message to creators they had given strikes against explaining their handdrawn prints are copyrighted under the company Matilda jerf designs AB any types of videos SLC content with our prints that are used on non Surf Avenue items such as dupes will automatically be reported I've seen some people say they don't actually have a copyright for the fruit pattern others saying that they do so we'll just say they have some sort of authority of this specific fruit pattern as frustrating as it is to see creators raving about a dupe of one of your products it is never a good idea to go towards the individuals you should be going after the people that are actually selling it and like I said there are instances of creators that had gotten a strike from jerf Avenue when they weren't even sharing dupes so I just woke up to this which is a trademark warning from Matilda jerf and if you follow me for a while you know I've made videos like I've been a fan for a while she's even commented on stuff this one where I was like recreate a Matilda jerk Pinterest look for with like a $5 Amazon top which again never called anything like even alternative I just was like here's a cheaper option if you can't afford like the expensive top and it wasn't even her brand another one coming from a Creator who has praised the original jerf Avenue fruit pajamas and in the video that had gotten the strike it was showing a similar dupe of fruit pajamas as jerf Avenue but the fruit pajamas didn't look anything like the derf Avenue pajamas like they were literally just pajamas with fruit so some instances make more sense but others definitely I don't think we showing a copyright infringement Tik Tok creators have also shared how getting a strike interferes with their growth and their content not being pushed it seems like the brand is trying to keep Matilda same out of it and keep lame off of her but it's her brand and it's literally her name and I think that's kind of the Bittersweet thing about these influencer Brands especially when they are heavily featured there also have been an influx of stories regarding interactions people have had with her from Reddit to Tik Tok saying she was rude wasn't kind once something negative has happened it's inevitable almost like the floodgates open that any small controversial thing that you've done or maybe big controversial thing you've done that maybe everyone kind of swept under the rug it will be brought back up as of right now people are questioning if derf Avenue and Matilda will be able to move on from this especially after losing trust and with new knockoff allegations coming out against them over I mean I think she'll be fine she has a cool following and I at the heart there was validity to them trying to combat copies they just directed that towards the wrong people and especially small creators like people were willing to spend the bigger price on jerf Avenue because they admired her they admired the ethics of the brand they believed in it and now all of that is kind of being brought into question I wanted the last section of this video to be about why some dupes are okay and others aren't because I was quite surprised from the jerf Avenue controversy how many people were writing hard for Amazon like I stated in the disclaimer I'm not trying to come for anyone that buys from Amazon especially buys Amazon fashion like a lot of times these days you can't even find things in store you have to get it on Amazon and there's a multitude of reasons why people need that more affordable option and there's legit businesses on Amazon but I just feel like the opinion of Amazon has changed whether it's the rise of Amazon storefronts or people wanting to know about cheaper alternatives I'd say for a majority of people they see Amazon as being better than Sheen and can we all remember literally probably only a couple of months ago how much the internet was Dr bagging through the mud creators that were sharing the sheen Innovation tour maybe it's because again Amazon does have actual businesses and there's also even small businesses that sell in there like it's not just dupes or copycats or just random bad quality stuff I just find it interesting that it's looked at in such a different way one of my biggest issues with Amazon fashion is they and all the fast fashion brands do this it's not just them but like I said they use actual photos from the original design and listings of the knockoff copy that they're doing and one example is I had bought this handmade strawberry cardigan it was like over $100 it's absolutely beautiful and they took one of my photos from Instagram wearing it and are using it as the listing photo they did change the colors but it's my photo and I have tried to get it taken down it's been like over a year I have reported it I have tried everything to get my photo taken off of it but nothing has happened so I do have you know a personal gripe with Amazon fashion because of that but anyway back to how different dupes are treated differently designer Brands when they are copied or or have dupes I'd say it's more acceptable like the meum buckle boots Steve Madden I've seen so many I've seen more people wear the dupe than the actual Mumu boots which I think the originals are like $2,000 I don't know whereas the Steve Madden ones are maybe a little bit over $100 however if Sheen made those buckle boots exactly like Steve Madden did it would definitely have a more negative association now Sheen quality versus Steve Madden quality probably very different I definitely see those exact boots kind of turning into the house of sunny hawne dress I think just because there's so much detail in it that people are going to get annoyed that everyone has it and it's going to be outdated and people are going to hate it which I don't think is a reason to stop wearing something that is not what I'm saying but with these trends that then are duped and are exact copies I would recommend trying to find something that isn't an exact copy and is more inspired I mean if you are finding a trend that's secondhand I always say this you will most likely not find the exact piece it's always going to be a little bit different and I think it helps when that piece does go out of style it doesn't feel as like stuck in oh that was really trendy in 2023 or the checkered print in 2020 the cow print the the wavy colorful print in 2020 like that is so specifically 2020 whereas if you had something that was similar but not exact it has a little bit more longevity when talking about Brands versus Amazon H&M shean Zara AliExpress there seems to be a hierarchy about which one is worse to buy from when a lot of them are kind of similar like Mumu does have a not good enough rating on good on you I will say good on you like I wouldn't put it as like the Holy Grail is this sustainable or not but it doesn't seem that they are like the most sustainable and ethical company especially for the pricing so what if you buy a dupe of something that is from a brand that's not that good like is it actually better to buy the dupe because all of the companies are bad anyway like does that make any sense I guess my reason for bringing this up is so many dupes of bigger designer more expensive Brands aren't actually even that different in the ethics and sustainability of these fast fashion brands when you're taking your money and you're like okay I could spend $2,000 to this brand that's not that great or $50 to $100 on this other brand that also isn't great but they have this same thing I can understand going for the lower priced one a lot of people try to put the purchasing of dupes in this like moral compass thing but when the brand that made the original isn't even that good like does it even matter I mean I guess somebody would argue like don't buy it at all but if you really really love the piece and you're like I'm going to hold on to this and everything I mean I guess there's the quality argument of that too I do think where most people agree in regards to dupes or sealing a design is when it is from a small business okay I feel like my point was not coming across in this section cuz it kind of gives off like oh maybe we should buy the dupe instead of the original which is not what I was trying to do I think I was just sharing how I feel dupes are seeing different depending on what compan they're coming from is it okay to buy a dupe sometimes is it not okay to buy a dupe and I think I should make it clear it is not okay to steal designs obviously with a topic like this I think you really get to see my diagnose OCD because I just have rabbit holes in my brain of like what if what if this and what about what what about that because some dupes are considered okay others or not I mean when we're looking at Sheen which Sheen does get a lot of heat but they are like the biggest fast fashion company they produce more than anyone so it makes sense also it seems a lot of times to be small designers but you even have say like UNIF who allegedly allegedly a lot of their designs are really really similar to vintage designs which is that that bad is that good because some of the companies don't make clothing anymore so you can't buy those clothes anyway and if you try to find it secondhand maybe you can't find it in your size so are they really hurting anyone but when they're doing a carbon copy like why can't they just I guess be inspired by I think that's the biggest difference is from inspiration versus a carbon copy and that's when it's like ooh it's little like Muddy Waters and what's being considered a dupe now or when brands are creating a dupe they aren't doing what a dupe is supposed to be they're just replicating it yeah I think I'm just going to say it I think dupes with how they are now is bad for fashion because it is just replicas and it's all of them doing it it's not even just like oh some of the trends are getting a carbon cop no it's like every single Trend now is just a dupe for the original there's obviously talks about you know micr Trends fast fashion the planet but if you really really love something and you're going to wear it and it isn't that like I'm going to buy this dupe and throw it away to then get the new dupe there is a sustainable way to buy fast fashion fast fashion will never be sustainable but I think you can buy it in a sustainable way because buying anything that's new a new produced item is always going to have some sort of carbon footprint whether it's more than another obviously sustainable brands are better but when we are truly just looking at hey I can only buy fast fashion I think you can do it sustainably and same with dupes like I think you can buy them it's it's the small brand ones that like really get me and the sustainable and ethical company that get me because they are charging those prices and it probably was really difficult to even have them create a brand and get to where they are because of trying to do it right and then a fast fashion brand just making a a knockoff a dupe like I don't think that's okay and I don't think like stealing designs is okay you see oh my gosh I feel like I just need to get to the conclusion of this video because I could literally go on and on and be like again what about this what about that maybe it's a gray or maybe it's black and white please let me know what you think all righty you know talking about fashion dupes kind of reminds me of what's going on with movies lately where all we are getting are literally just remakes and it's kind of like why can't you make something new and original why do we want to just keep seeing the same thing and I think that goes into fashion as well so yeah thank you so much for watching I don't know how long this video is going to be when I edit it but I'm sure it was a la one so high five if you would like to see my face again then make sure to subscribe right down below and hit that little bell to be notified every time I make a new video and also don't forget to follow me on Instagram which is Alex andine 83 I'll see you in my next video and I hope you have a super sunny day bye [Music]

Channel: Alexa Sunshine83

Views: 113,106

Keywords: aesthetic thrift haul, come thrift with me, TikTok aesthetics, thrifting my pinterest, 2023 fashion trends, trendy thrift haul, trend predictions 2023, thrifting, spring 2023 fashion trends, thrifting 2023 trends, summer trends, tiktok fashion trends, thrifting fall 2023 fashion trends, thrifting tiktok trends, fall 2023, thrifting fall trends, fall 2023 fashion trends, fall fashion trend is hate, djerf avenue, amazon dupes, shein dupes, Matilda Djerf

Id: 0jwCzsQ-bZw

Length: 37min 36sec (2256 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 25 2023