I will demonstrate with images how to distinguish between a genuine polo and a fake one. But of course, I wouldn’t start without a short story.
Recently, one of my customers visited the store and couldn’t hide his excitement on his recent vacation in Dubai and how he had discovered a “cheap source” for the popular Polo by Ralph Lauren polos, t-shirts and shirts. He also mentioned that he had also made arrangements for periodic deliveries to Abuja from this Dubai based retailer. I was silent for a while. The thought of losing a customer to another retailer hurts, but of course that’s a part of business I have learned to consistently deliver great and unequalled service and quality and perhaps to come to terms with it if does happen. However, I was prompted to let out a loud “wow” after he mentioned a certain ridiculous price at which he bought them. Well, my customer’s excitement was only short-lived. He called in yesterday with the bad news.
The t-shirts and polos lost their colors at first wash, stitches were pulling apart and contrast colors staining main colors.
This prompted me to do this post.
The collar-neck t-shirt with the signature pony from Ralph Lauren is arguably the most popular polo in the world and the absence of an open wholesale channel to source for the authentic merchandise, has created a multi-billion dollar profitable parallel market for fakes and knock-offs that thrives with impunity especially in the developing countries.
Unfortunately, the poor quality fakes are been sold for the price of the authentic ones and unsuspecting lovers of the brand have continued to fall victims.
The following steps would help you spot a fake polo by Ralph Lauren round-neck or collar-neck t-shirt.
STEP 1 – BRAND LABELS
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...EXCEPT FOR MEGA RETAILERS LIKE MACY’S, DILLARDS etc.
NO FACTORY OWNER WOULD RISK HIS CONTRACT WITH RALPH LAUREN TO SELL PART OF STOCKS TO A SMALL RETAILER IN NIGERIA
You get polos, genuine ones during sales and close-outs by these major retailers.
A retailer who claims to buy polo shirts from the factory where they are made, or has a wholesale link to RALPH LAUREN is selling fakes.
The makers of the fakes are pretty good and at first glance it all looks legit. But if you have real RL Polo's the differences are very obvious upon comparing the real and the fake. We are aware there are so many frauds out there trying to take money from innocent polo lovers, and thought it was necessary to come up with this guide
Our final advice, buy your Ralph products from a genuine retailer. We are stockists of genuine Polo By Ralph Lauren products in Abuja, Nigeria.
Good luck!!
The other problem people face with many other online clothing retailers is the inconvenience caused if they need to return a product. With our service, the customer does not pay the price for the product and has considerable amount of time to come to a decision as to whether or not to buy the product. This removes any remaining doubt in the customer’s mind and increases customer confidence levels.
Jones Apparel Group’s recognized brands include: Jones New York, Polo Jeans Company, Nine West, Napier, and costume jewelry licensed under the Tommy Hilfiger brand. Jones aims to gain stability in the apparel industry as well as retail markets through building “complete lifestyle brands serving a wide breadth of consumers in a wide range of income levels and shopping destination preferences.” (PR Newswire, 2/7/01).
Secondly luxury products are easy to counterfeit, some countries such as china, turkey, and other still have to improve their IPR policies
Givenchy’s love for fashion grew when at the age of ten he attended the Pavillon d’ Elegance Paris Exposition. Once looking through Vogue magazine, he was inspired by Balenciaga men’s wear. He wanted to be a couturier and attended Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, to start a formal education in fashion. His designing inspirations came from Elsa Schiaparelli and Madam Gres’s work. His experience also came from working at the House of Piguet in Paris; this salon was known for its dramatic yet simple style and after, at the House of Lelong that was known for their high quality clothing. Those positions gave him knowledge on how to work with couture customers and gave him an opportunity to build strong relationships with them (Press, 2002).
Customers that are looking for various high end name brands can find many at Holt Renfrew such as Prada, Dior, Stella McCartney, etc. and they can find clothes, accessories, shoes, and makeup. When Holt Renfrew cannot sell merchandise in store, they send
Hasbro faces a significant threat from counterfeits of its products. As the market for toys and games is increasing globally, the parallel market for counterfeit toys is also on the rise. Such activity rises especially during the festive months when toy sales are expected to be high. Counterfeits pose a threat to the toys and games market, not just in terms of lost business and brand dilution, but also by selling products that can be potentially dangerous to children of all ages. Low quality counterfeits reduce consumer confidence in branded products like Hasbro. Counterfeits not only deprive revenues for the company but also dilute its brand image.
Polo Ralph Lauren the brand has become one of successful brand in America and across the world, as a well-known player in the design and lifestyle industry, under bender Polo Ralph Lauren collection of product range from reasonably inexpensive to expensive brand in men’s, women’s and children wear, accessories, perfumes and home furnishings. Widely seen as the number one brand that symbolize the American Style, Polo Ralph Lauren has implemented to its marketing strategy, which has leaded they to become a strong brand equity since being set up. Also, the brand has been selling its goods internationally, while it has kept up with its 45 years reputation and distinctive image developed across the different products and brands markets. Due to its marketing tools and its high quality brand image, this luxury brand keeps a constant relationship with its customers. Ralph is a truly inspired and continuously aspiring designer. (Garvin, 2008)
Difficult to regain trust of existing loyal customers who expected high quality and performance when in competition with other firms in upper trade market.
Mr.Lauren had more dreams to fulfill. He chose the name Polo for his line of ties because the sport repsented to him a lifestyle of athletic grace and discreet elegance, an image of men who wore well-tailored, classic clothes and wore them with style. With that image in mind, Mr Lauren established Polo as a separate menswear company in 1968, producing a complete line of men's clothes. Using only the finest fabrications, Mr. Lares's menswear was distinctive, innovative, but always classic and refined. His suits blended the American Ivy League natural shoulder silhouette with the fitted shape and expensive fabrics of the best European custom tailored clothing. His shirts were all cotton, richly patterned and expertly made. This same care was, and still is, applied to every element of...
Happy Chips, Inc. is faced with a serious problem, with only having one mass merchandise customer called “Buy 4 Less” being unhappy with the company’s operating performance. Buy 4 Less had several problems cited including frequent stock outs, poor customer service responsiveness, and high prices for the products being supplied. Buy 4 Less came up with solutions they think seem fit to fix the problems they found with Happy Chips, Inc. and if Happy Chips, Inc. wishes to remain a supplier to their company they will have to incorporate these changes. The problem however with this scenario, is that employees of Happy Chip, Inc. are not happy with the demands Buy 4 Less has bestowed upon them which include providing direct store delivery four times a week instead of three, installing an automated order inquiry system to increase customer service responsiveness, and decreasing product prices by 5%. Even though the easiest thing for Happy Chips, Inc. to do is to agree to the changes Buy 4 Less wants them to do, Wendell Worthmann, the manager of logistics cost analysis doesn’t agree to the changes right away. The main problem with this case is that Buy 4 Less is Happy Chips, Inc. one and only mass merchandise customer that accounts for 400,000 annual unit sales and 12% of annual revenue. With the mass merchandise segment having such a high profit potential, Happy Chips, Inc.
One of the most successful clothing brands in the world, Polo Ralph Lauren has built its success around more than just its line of luxurious designer clothes, but the company is one of the top marketing designers also. It was awarded “ Luxury Brand of the Year” in 2010 by the Luxury Daily. A company that was founded by a man named Ralph Lifchitz, better known as Ralph Lauren of the Bronx, New York in 1968. Since the age of 12, Lauren’s had a strong appeal and taste for looking classy. He would spend the money he earned working with his father after school, purchasing expensive suites. In his latter years, while working for a company called A. Rivetz & Co., Lauren began designing wide ties, the beginning of what latter evolved into the giant clothing empire known as Polo Ralph Lauren. The success of his designer ties caught fire quickly, retail giant Bloomingdales was the first company to endorse Ralph Lauren’s ties, but that ended quickly, when Lauren refused to narrow his ties, and stuck to his product line. Lauren’s success in the designer clothes business was unusual for someone who studied business at City College. In 1968, he founded the company Polo Fashions, a company that would later expand its market, and is among one of the top designer brands in the world today.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American family spends $1,700 on clothes annually and “the average woman in England has 22 unworn items in her closet.”(Johnson) People buy a surplus of clothing, meaning factories make excess textile waste. While there have been many debates whether the clothing industry is the second most polluting industry of the world, second only to oil, there’s no doubt that the fashion industry has made an impact on the world, but not in a good
In the Fashion, Design and Luxury world, the protection of the intellectual property, especially brands, logos, and trade dresses are of the highest importance. This topic is regularly discussed in the daily life of business in this sector, and is unfortunately usually a source of problems or at least, of risks that need to be addressed. Since we plan to work in the fashion industry, it is of utmost importance to know and be aware about these issues.
However, since the last two decades, the luxury industry has been losing billions because of counterfeited products. Counterfeit can be defined as: