A Response to the NYT Article on the Superfake Handbag Industry

A replica bag is a copy or imitation of a designer handbag (e.g. Balenciaga, Chanel, Gucci, Hermès, or Louis Vuitton). These bags resemble their original counterparts but are sold at a fraction of the cost because they are not authentic. On the other hand, low-quality replicas tend to use synthetic materials that lack the same durability and quality as genuine leather. These materials are often cheaper and have different levels of craftsmanship. But these smaller, more intimate coteries go beyond a shared love of reps. "We’ve been to each other’s houses," Lisa tells me of her replica group. To them, status isn’t having the means to join the $10,000-handbag clique—anyone could be so basic.

Welcome to my Luxurytastic review where I will share about my recent experience shopping with Luxurytastic Replicas. I’m not sure I agree that buying $29 fake Gucci slides is a form of anti-capitalist protest when you could be spending QC-rubric-making energy on...not buying things at all. But consumerism is a gilded tomb that many feel requires mandatory, constant participation, regardless of the societal risk of being "called out" as a fraud. The users of r/RepLadies are still working on making their peace with that. RepLadies is a self-described "happy place" for discussion about replicas and fashion at any level. When the OEM production move to other places from China, the relevant personnel, technical equipment, and raw materials sourcing channel experience are left.

Their product album is easy to browse, but there’s no shopping cart button. For instance, when my sister really wanted that red&nbsp