Counterfeit Fashion Design

1390 Words3 Pages

Everyday I wake up and go through my morning routine: get up, brush my teeth, and get dressed. The last of which usually includes standing in front of my closet for fifteen minutes staring at my clothes, trying to figure out what to wear. I spend a lot of time thinking about what clothes will match with each other, or what clothes are most comfortable, but I hardly ever think about where they come from and the process by which they come to be. For something that is so commonly used, people hardly think about where their clothes actually come from.

Tracing back to the beginning of clothing design, clothes first begin their origination in the hands of the designer. Designers use trends to help them manufacture new garments each season, and their high fashion clothing is displayed on runway shows. Because of high prices, clothing piracy has become a rising problem for designers, and with the advancement of technology, pirating clothing has become that much easier. With a simple snap of a photo, a person can easily mimic the garment. Mass production and sale of that garment occurs before the original even hits stores because designers debut their clothing one season in advance (Fanelli 285-286). This makes the designer’s work much more difficult because by the time their apparel has made it to stores, consumers are not interested or fazed; they have already seen this type of clothing and have been wearing it for some time.

Walking on the streets of New York City, it is not uncommon to see dozens of tables selling pirated goods. Piracy has become so normal to us that we forget that it is illegal, and we do not realize that we are negatively affecting designers. The designers do not gain the support that they should when people buy pirated goods. People who like the attire of specific creators should support them and buy the clothing from them. Without that support, designers will not make enough revenue to continue in working, and both the designers and supporters will suffer. It is especially difficult for new designers because they have not yet made a name for themselves, and are often tight on money; when people buy pirated goods, the designer does not receive those payments, and may not be able to continue designing after some time. These creators should have laws that protect them from piracy, so that they can be sure that they gain compensation for their original work.

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