I've been reading a lot lately about people who are adamantly opposed to lower-priced brands using "inspiration" from higher priced lines for their products.  I've seen people use the terms "offensive" and "lawsuit" when discussing the issue.  I feel like I've missed the boat somewhere.  Yes, there are fakes where someone produces a product and tries to sell it as authentic when it's not.  And yes, not only is that wrong, it's illegal.

But right now we are in the middle of MBFW.  We see live stream and pictures everyday from what's happening at the shows.  And let's face it, the majority of people in this country can't afford to purchase these items.  These people want to have beautiful things at a price they can afford.  If someone watches the shows and says, "safari will be in next Spring," I'm sure there will be a rash of lower-priced brands doing safari-inspired pieces.  We all are used to and accept that.

Where does it cross the line?

This is a McQueen bracelet from The Outnet.

It immediately caught my eye for two reasons:

1) It's McQueen - HELLO

2) I had just bought this Tinley Road bracelet from Piperlime.



Definitely not an exact copy.  I have no idea if Tinley Road was inspired by McQueen.  Are they vaguely similar?  In color, yes.  In concept, you could make a case either way.  Even if they had been inspired by McQueen, I'm still fine with "copying" at this level. And the McQueen is currently $654 with an original price of $2180.  I paid $17.97 for the Tinley Road.

Back to the issue of "exact" copies made with less expensive materials.  I know that if the idea was mine, I would be upset if someone copied it and made money off of it;  so putting myself in the copied designer's shoes, I think it's wrong.  And don't the people who buy this type of copy most of the time do it so people will think they have the more expensive product?  If that's true, isn't it really just as bad as buying a fake?

My final word on it is: trends are good in lower-price points to meet everyone's budget.  Copies and fakes are bad.