knockoffs

Everyday I walk by people screaming, "Prada, Channel, Louis Vuitton."And as a girl who's interested in fashion, my eyes and ears are brighten by the sight and sounds of these designer goods, especially handbags. However, as a college student I can't even afford a key chain from some of these high end brand names. It's only a dream to carry the original bag. Then it got me thinking about all the other women out there who has the same desire as I do. The desire to own their very own original, not a 20 dollar knockoff from the streets of Chinatown. But everyone does not have the luxury to buy these expensive bags, so I assume this is why the culture of knockoffs began. Over the years, it has become a woman's desire to own these marvelous products. The society makes us feel that without these commodities we can't and shouldn't be fully satisfied. So you either get the real one or get the knockoff to satisfy our needs for these commodities. It also represents social status. If you are able to carry a designer handbag you're rich, if not then you're poor. However, these commodities, that makes our wallets go empty, have become the dream for many women around the world, especially in Asia.
In Asian culture, the underground knockoff market is the new trend. These knockoff handbags aren't as cheap as the bags you can find in Chinatown, but definitely a lot cheaper then the original. They are worth more then the street price of 20 dollars because it's identical to the original handbag. Yes, it's not the original but it's authentic enough to even have the card that proves its authenticity. Most importantly, many women think its worth the money to have these knockoffs to satify their need to have these products.
When I visited Korea I saw almost every women carrying a designer handbag. Yes, I understood Korea is a wealthy country but not up to the point where every single women can carry a designer handbag. Later, I came to realize the culture of the underground market for these fake yet authentic handbags was so popular and common. It just amazed me how technology and skill allows reproducibility. As soon as a new bag came out it was also out in the underground market. It's interesting to see how all the Korean women love and cherish their knockoffs as if it was real. To them these handbags weren't just a bag to put things in, but it meant class and acknowledgment in society. To be honest, I don't think the underground market is necessarily a bad thing, because it gives the middle class women a taste of joy in fashion they thought they will never be able to experience.