In the glamorous realm of Manhattan's elite, where opulence and extravagance are the daily norm, there is a secret trend among the city's wealthiest women: a preference for fake Birkin bags. These high-society women, often seen as avid consumers of superfashion, turn to the world of fakes, or replicas as they prefer to say, to please a desire we all know for luxury without the exorbitant price tag.
The Birkin bag, or simply Birkin, we will recall, is a bag presented in 1984 by the French superfashion house Hermes. Birkin bags are handmade from leather and named after actress and singer Jane Birkin. The bag is a symbol of wealth due to its high price – starting at $10,<>, and in order to buy it, registration is required on a long waiting list. Its costs vary depending on the type of skin; Exotic skins and metals or expensive decorations, raise the price, of course. Birkin bags are supplied to Hermes boutiques on unpredictable schedules and in limited quantities, creating artificial scarcity and exclusivity.
Meet Lisa, a 39-year-old mother and housewife with an annual income of about three million dollars who stumbled into the world of fake designer handbags through a wealthier company. To the astonishment of Lisa, her friend who boasts a ten-million-dollar home in the Hamptons resort and travels on private jets, revealed that her extensive collection of Birkin bags consists entirely of counterfeits obtained through secret "Tupperware parties" dedicated to fake designer bags. A Tupperware party, by the way, is an event in a private house whose guests who know each other gather to purchase Tupperware products. In recent years, these parties have become less common and are often an excuse for something else.
The first bag in 2024!
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Meet Rapp-Ladies Designer, a contemporary incarnation of a Reddit ad-based social media community founded in 2016 that has become a paradise for wealthy women looking for high-quality counterfeit luxury goods. With over 70,<> members, this close-knit community, made up mostly of millennial women, shows signs of addiction and excitement when it comes to perfect fakes, or "replicas" as they are called here. Undoubtedly a serious challenge to designer exclusivity. Mantra? They put a strip on the 'you can't sit with us if your bag isn't authentic' posse that luxury brand designers promote and some women have adopted.
What distinguishes Rap Ladies (short for 'replica' = copy) is not only the passion for impeccable counterfeiting, but also the success of the trade thanks to its activities. In a self-survey, the group claimed that in 2021, more than $<> million was spent on replicas, with CEOs, venture capitalists, tech professionals and diplomats as satisfied buyers.
For these women, the temptation of replicas lies not only in cost savings but in the thrill of challenging hunting. That is, the satisfaction of a good deal in a world obsessed with authenticity. Lisa, who went from authenticity to replicas, explains: "My friends who spend a lot on authentic fashion items have never worked a day in their lives. They were born to a rich father or married a rich guy."
Despite a seven-figure household income, Lisa's support for copies sometimes falls on deaf ears among some of her wealthy friends. According to her, the reluctance to adopt fakes stems from snobbery.
QC Birkin 25
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The Rep-Ladies community, on the other hand, argues that replicas are not only more accessible, but often better in quality. While luxury brands raise prices significantly, some argue that replicas, designed with meticulous attention to detail, offer a more durable and cost-effective alternative.
Navigating the high-end copy market requires some knowledge, and while many turn to the Internet, some New Yorkers prefer local intermediaries, creating a sense of legitimacy.
As the magic of high-quality replicas grows, so does the mystery surrounding their origin. The Rep-Ladies community speculates about the origins of supercopies, from fashion houses discreetly disposing of surpluses (for fear of falling prices) and samples they own to the belief that copies are made from authentic bags that have not undergone excessive quality control.
Ultimately, the question remains: What is considered authentic in a world where copies can be almost indistinguishable from the real thing? As more and more wealthy women discreetly adopt high-quality fakes, the allure of replicas in the heart of Manhattan's elite continues to flourish.
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