Fake designer products are getting ever faster at catching up with the latest fashion trends. The proportion of such brands uncovered by the Korea Customs Service changes vastly year to year. In statistics from the Customs Service submitted to Uri Party lawmaker Eom Ho-sung on Monday concerning uncovered shipments of fake merchandise, the hottest fake products this year were copies of Adidas goods. As of the end of July, W106.7 billion (US$1=W944) worth of counterfeit merchandise was intercepted on its way into the country.
In 2004, the amount of counterfeit Adidas wear stood at a mere W27 million, but in just two years that has exploded to 3,953 times that amount. Other brands that have seen major increases in sincere flattery in Korea are Piaget (133-fold increase) Gucci (99 times), Frank Muller (9.3) Montblanc (8.8) and Vacheron Constantin (8.2). On the other hand, poor man’s versions of Fendi, Versace, Celine, Tiffany and DKNY products have plummeted, presumably along with the esteem in which the originals are held.
Stalwarts Louis Vuitton, Cartier and Rolex spawned the largest numbers of knock-offs over the last three years. In 2004, the entire value of intercepted counterfeit merchandise was W205.5 billion, but through July 2006, that number jumped to an alarming W922.3 billion.
There are many reasons for the change in the proportion, but experts mostly point to the increases in popularity of brands as the cause for the rise. As the popularity of the real product rises, so does the demand for knock-off versions. For example, sales of Adidas picked up 30 percent due to the World Cup this year. Of the bootleg merchandise in 2006, 91 percent appears to have come from China.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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