Chinese fakes of expensive brands are becoming more and more popular: how to distinguish

To say that absolutely all Western brands have left Russia is at least incorrect. A sufficient number of French and Italian brands remain on the Russian market today – although not as large and well-known as the departed H&M, but very high quality. Products from Turkey also confidently declare themselves. However, the situation, as Pavel Lyulin, vice-president of the Union of Shopping Centers, noted at a round table in the NSN, is still disappointing: those who bought at Zara now see that there is no Zara. Where will the buyer go? The most loyal – to the marketplace, the average – to look for alternatives.

– Today, clothing markets, which we forgot about for a while, are becoming an alternative to shopping centers. Markets are not the worst option, there are good, worthy goods. By the way, they are now well invested in advertising, you can watch video reviews of products on social networks. But this is still not what the modern buyer is used to, this is not a shopping center. Another entourage and another aesthetics. In the meantime, everything is so, in shopping centers up to 15% of the area is empty, – said Lyulin.

His colleague Irina Pekhova added: the problem is also that Russian designers and manufacturers today are frankly “not pulled out”.

– We see a trend towards active development: the absence of a competitive environment is a chance for our designers. However, design is the most expensive pleasure; we do not have specialists of the same level as Western brands. In Russia, it is still very difficult to identify things of specific brands, our manufacturers have not yet matured to recognition, – the expert argues.

In addition, according to Pekhova, it is necessary to understand the situation among consumers: the generation that “does the cash register” today has certain habits and inclinations, they cannot be ignored.

– We must understand that more than one generation has grown up on the philosophy of international brands. Corresponding habits were formed for 30 years. Well, old habits are always stronger than new ones, so the new proposal is not yet able to overcome them. If a person is loyal to the brand, knows his patterns and his size, he will order on the marketplace or even abroad – these are the habits of modern Russians. I heard young girls discussing yuan purchases. At the same time, the new generation is more restrained, they make purchases consciously. And these buyers are more likely to look at the markets where you can buy copies of the suite, which will be of very good quality, the expert explains.

Are clothing markets really that good? The MK correspondent tried to find out from her own experience – and went to the well-known market on the Moscow Ring Road, which has long been considered a Mecca among lovers of dressing stylishly and for a penny. Things are exactly like “Zara”, but for next to nothing and without any sanctions. Of course, only for those who are not embarrassed by this terrible word – “fake”.

For experimental shopping, we choose early Friday morning: according to the regulars, there are no crowds here on weekends, but on Friday there is a huge slow-moving traffic jam for entry and exit. The point of attraction for fashion lovers has long been the so-called fifth line – it differs too favorably from the rest. Not Milan, of course, but … At least this line is covered and equipped with mini-shops.

The sellers here are very calm, they do not pay attention to the potential buyer: no one offered to see the goods or try on something from the new collection of supposedly “famous brands”. But there are fewer customers here: maybe they are shy? Think the prices are very high there? Although the only difference is the ability to try on before buying. On other lines, you can buy goods, but without trying them on, you can only look at the presence of a marriage – and only after you have already paid. The money will definitely not be returned to you, but they will offer you an alternative package with the purchased item. Other “whims”: they say, whether it fits well on the figure, whether the color suits the face, whether the fabric is pleasant to the body – they are out of place in the clothing market. Here is another killer argument: where else can you find a dress for 200 rubles and a jacket for a thousand? That’s the same. Take what they give you.

On the fashion line, everything is grown-up, the goods can be looked at, felt, measured … One of the buyers was even “set on fire” a pair of shoes – more precisely, they ran a lighter over the shoes, trying to prove that it was genuine leather (oh, an old life hack from the 90s x from Cherkizon who has sunk into oblivion!).

Everything is neatly hung on the rails, on the right side they are sorting out things from the new batch, Valenciaga noticed the coat. As they say, a fashionable investment – the prices for a classic model in company stores never fall below 100,000 rubles. Here the seller offered to buy for 40 thousand. Tempting? Quite…

“This is a real factory China, you can also find other countries where the quality is much better than the mass market. Touch, feel, if you like it, I’ll give you a discount,” offers a charming salesman named Ahmed. His advertising and talent for persuasion works wonders: she didn’t notice how I had jeans in my hands – sort of like Levis. By the way, in the original store, prices for this model of jeans start from 10 thousand rubles. And even then – in that ideal case, if things arrive safely from the States. This is difficult now. Damn, it’s a good offer, a good one… The material is good quality, the seams are neat, and all the labels match the original ones.

Further – as in a dream: fitting on a cardboard behind a homemade screen and 5,000 rubles for “fashionable jeans from the new collection.”

The beauty of the market is the ability to bargain. I’m trying to bring down the price of jeans: “You can get a discount, but not more than 1,000 rubles,” the courteous and smiling Akhmed again answers me. Conclusion: taking off your pants and standing on a cardboard box, you can’t get out of the purchase.

Meanwhile, next to me, a girl – apparently my age – is trying on the same pants, only in a different color. The view from the outside is still more interesting than the seller’s honey compliments:

– Doesn’t it bother you that these “Levises” … well, fawn, to be honest?

– Of course not. No one outside this market will ever know about it, – the girl laughs.

Meanwhile, other sellers are activating.

– Do you need a jacket?

– Girl, take your shoes. All sizes, all colors. For 3000 rubles!

I pretend not to hear tempting offers. Well, around whole families go out with bags full of “branded” goods. Nobody is squeamish!

– We come about once a month, just to update the wardrobe for the whole family, here you can dress not only fashionably, but also with taste, the main thing is to know the places, – the charming girl with the child answered.

Her husband adds:

– Yes, two birds with one stone: a wife with a sheepskin coat, and a child with a new pair of Nikes, in general, this is cool.

In the market – a rise in price, as elsewhere. Employees of the “boutiques” complain that because of the dollar exchange rate, they had to raise prices, because “everything is brought from China.” For example, the MaxMara fur coat, at the new rate, is already 27 thousand rubles each. The original fur coat of this brand costs from one hundred thousand …. On one of the counters of the bag – supposedly Dior. Well, let’s check it out now. There was an episode in my life when I managed to touch the beauty – the original Dior handbag. You know… There really isn’t much of a difference. A fake will be declassified only by a QR code – more precisely, its absence: a thing from the market does not have it.

Vendors complain about the difficulty in delivering goods: “Instead of two weeks, deliveries began to take four or more, of course this also affected prices.”

A secret that few people know: not only ordinary people who need to find cheaper things are bought in such markets, but also the owners of showrooms, who then need to resell these same things at a higher price. There are quite a few of them – here, in the neighboring pavilion they sell wholesale: there can be 500 shirts in a batch, several dozen cardigans, almost a thousand cheap T-shirts. It’s even interesting: once I wanted to have my own showroom – and now I see how this business is organized from the inside. Here you are: a well-recognized cardigan in the “houndstooth”, which is also called “houndstooth”. This black and white combination was created in Scotland – the birthplace of cells and was loved by many fashion houses: Chanel, Dior and Gucci. Here it costs 2,000 rubles, and if you buy it in bulk, it’s even cheaper – they promise to give 5 pieces for 1,700 each. Well, in the showroom the cost of such a cardigan is 5,500 rubles. And what? Good business. The same can be said about jumpers with holes and inscriptions, knitted trouser suits, quilted jackets and woolen shirts – as soon as they leave the market, their price increases at least twice.

When asked whether people from showrooms often come to them to buy, the sellers smile slyly. The answer is so clear.

The international style expert, fashion critic Alexander Belov agrees with the opinion of the market regulars:

Today China rules! Mass fakes are of such a level that you can’t immediately understand whether it’s a fake or not. Clothing markets are slowly turning into No. 1 boutiques, and prices there are rising. The only problem is that the Chinese have different sizes, and they still cannot adjust to us. I think soon they will be able to adapt.