Carried Away with Imitation Luxury

For this writer, Goyard once represented the kind of quiet, enduring luxury brand owned by those in the know. Unfortunately (or fortunately, if you are in accounts at the company), the 144-year-old luggage maker has become utterly ubiquitous in New York City as of late. Since Barney's began trumpeting their St. Louis totes a year or so ago, everyone has wanted a canvas bag inscribed with the Parisian company's "Y" design.

But with serious popularity come serious threats of counterfeiting, cooing at the design-conscious from carts off Fifth Avenue.

Writer and product designer Peri Wolfman sat down with the New York Times to discuss why she had been craving the status bag, and why considerations for a fake were not out of the question. After some thought, Ms. Wolfman emphasized avoiding "those shoddy pretenders now bargain priced at $40 that are popping up around Midtown. The discerning are quick to spot the replicas’ vinyl handles and piping, which are far less pliable than Goyard’s signature luggage leather and the leather trim on the best of the quality knockoffs.

At lunch with friends not long ago, she compared her classy counterfeit with their originals. “We looked at the details, the lining, the stitching,” she recalled. “I promise you, you couldn’t tell the difference.”

Such assertions do not amuse Maison Goyard, the 144-year-old Parisian luggage maker that prides itself on pedigree. “Goyard is fully committed to its brand protection,” said Charlotte Letard, a company spokeswoman. She added that the company is addressing the issue of street vendors through targeted civil seizure orders, and is working closely with Customs to seize counterfeit merchandise." [Read full story here.]

In the final weeks of holiday shopping frenzy, it can be easy to purchase a counterfeit. With fakes, there are no waiting lists and no hefty price tags. But, as New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly can attest, raids on these knockoff stalls and stores are rampant. What do you think of buying fakes?

Some guidelines for purchase are:

1. Dealer: You are always encouraged to buy through reputable channels. In New York City, Goyard bags are sold exclusively at Barneys and Bergdorf Goodman.
2. Sheen: Just as cheap patent leather is far shinier than that of better quality, the sheen on fake bags can be much more striking than the originals.
3. Interior Lining: Goyard is renowned for its use of a unique linen, cotton and hemp material which it lines it's luxury bags in. The cloth is durable, and markedly different from the flimsy cotton counterfeiters have been using to imitate the original.
4. Stitching: As always, stitching is what sets apart a luxury bag from a factory produced replica. Are the straps crooked? Does the stitching match the bag or is the seam white as it should be?
5. Too cheap to be true: If a "luxury item" in the Goyard range is being offered for considerably under a $700 price tag (where the line begins), there is a reason.

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