CAN YOU SPOT THE FAKE?
CHEAPER COUNTERFEIT FASHION PRODUCTS ARE STILL IN VOGUE
Want to step out in style with the best brands? Designer duplicates are just a street away for half the price. They look good, too. Your friends won’t know a thing if you manage to carry it off with a straight face. For fashionistas and brand lovers, purchasing high-end products could be hard on budgets. Counterfeits are certainly in — for a cheaper price. Dubai Customs has seized thousands of fake goods worth Dh49 million in the first nine months of the year. But that has not deterred counterfeiters and their agents from marketing their wares to fashion-conscious residents and visitors.
Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director of Dubai Customs, said the UAE works closely with the international community to combat counterfeiting and piracy. In Ajman, 13,000 duplicates of various brands were recently seized by authorities. Fines as high as Dh15,000 were slapped on people dealing in fake products.
A stroll down the bustling streets of Meena Bazaar in Bur Dubai one afternoon opens the eyes to a world of fake products. It took only 10 minutes for touts to appear from the alleys as we reached the area. Brands for less than half the market price were what they promised. “Madam, Gucci or Chanel sunglasses, bag, watch?” said one man. He had perfected that line. Nothing works like direct marketing. He took the cue on seeing our interest, motioning to us to follow him as he talked to a contact over the phone.
“What brands are you looking for?” A slip of paper was flashed at us, of handbags of varies designs and hues. Major ‘fake’ brands. This was ‘real’ business and we looked like serious customers except that we were faking the whole thing. Another man appeared from an alley. The two asked us to follow them to a building and up the elevator.
It was a small flat and there where four women bargaining with some men. A CCTV screen monitored the corridor outside. The men were clearly nervous every time the doorbell rang. They would watch the screen intently for a few seconds, and once they were sure it was a colleague with new customers, only then would they open the door.
The men threw open suitcases with ladies’ handbags. The colours were perfect, the designs looked contemporary — you couldn’t tell the difference at first glance. Michael Kors bags were offered for Dh250 after we drove a hard bargain — the real product could set one back by Dh2,000.
A pair of Dior sunglasses (fakes, of course) for Dh150; Cartier for Dh200. Watches from ‘Gucci’ to ‘Chanel’, ‘Rolex’, ‘Dior’ and ‘Timex’ were on a desk.
Two Michael Kors handbags would cost us Dh500, said the salesman. A gleaming Rolex watch was only Dh200. Happy shopping? Not yet. Was it worth the money? We didn’t bother to find out. We pretended we didn’t have cash. Would they accept cards. No? “Where do you get
these stuff from?” we asked. They sneered and muttered among themselves. We could sense some animosity... anger.
One of the men insisted on following us to the nearest ATM. “I’ll bring the stuff along, you can pay me there,” he said. We said we were out of cash and only had cards. We were soon ushered out of the door and made our way into the street. Walking back to the car, two other men appoached with the now familiar fashion line: “Gucci, Chanel bags, watches?”. “I can give you my number, call anytime,” said one as we quickly reversed from the parking lot and drove away.