Over 1 in 5 UK adults admit to buying counterfeit fashion

Luxury fashion resale site Vestiaire Collective

and YouGov have released the results of a new survey that revealed that 22 percent of people have knowingly bought counterfeit fashion items, with a further 10 percent saying they may have bought a fake item but could not be sure.

The online survey of more than 2,000 UK adults was conducted to ascertain the nation’s attitudes towards counterfeit fashion and the shocking results showed that the most popular counterfeit items were ‘designer’ handbags, with 31 percent of respondents who had bought fake items saying they had picked up some replica designer arm candy, followed by fake designer sunglasses and watches.

Only 34 percent of people questioned said they knew for sure that they have never purchased fake fashion.

The most common reasons why UK adults buy fake fashion included avoiding paying designer prices, buying unknowingly fake products online, and 2 percent of those surveys said it was to emulate the style of a celebrity or someone they admired.

The survey also found that people in the 25-34 age group were the most likely to knowingly buy fakes, with 24 percent saying they had bought counterfeit items. Over 55s were the least likely to shop for fakes, with only 13 percent saying they had bought something they knew was not genuine.

Sarah Bush, UK marketing director of Vestiaire Collective said: "Some people are complacent about buying ‘fake fashion’, seeing it as a chance to get an expensive look at a cheap price. But fake items can’t match the real deal for quality and craftsmanship - with a designer item you are investing in something which will look great and last for years to come."

In February 2012, Vestiaire Collective signed a charter against the sale of counterfeit goods with luxury brands including Céline, YSL, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Hermès, and they retailer employs a team of counterfeit experts at their Paris headquarters who verify each and every fashion item bought and sold on the site.