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Is the rise of ‘dupes’ for real?
This Gen Z shopping trend of buying knock-offs may reflect a thrifty mindset. But smart shoppers are better off adopting another Gen Z trend – buying pre-loved or second-hand products.
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The market for dupes is estimated to be worth between US$1.7 trillion (S$2.3 trillion) and US$4.5 trillion a year.
PHOTO: UNSPLASH
Karen Tee
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When I was a university student in New York City many moons ago, I would frequent Manhattan’s Chinatown for a taste of affordable Asian food. During such sojourns downtown, I would invariably walk by street stalls where shopkeepers would, under their breath, utter “Louis Vuitton! Chanel!” while brandishing laminated printouts of iconic designs by these luxury brands.
It was a not-so-subtle code that, besides the garden variety stuff on display, they also had “Grade A” fakes stored away in their backrooms, available for purchase at prices well below the real deals.
