Knockoff News 28
A weekly (or thereabouts) collection of news about counterfeits, fakes, knockoffs, replicas, imitations, and the culture of copying in general around the globe:
- Trick or treat: New UK design rules to take effect in October
- Jurisprudence: Cartier v. D&D Jewelry Imports; Miroglio v. Hansel (+ exhibits)
- Big Kahuna: Status-conscious men disdain Tommy Bahama knockoffs
- Employees of the year: Chinese customs crackdown wins Global Anti-Counterfeiting Award
- Newsflash: Fashion journalist prefers her authentic Kelly bag to local knockoff
- Variety show: "Boys in Blue Bust Beach Bag Bunco," headlines local TV news
- "Everybody's talking about . . ." counterfeit goods at the BBC
- Nigerian traders vow to fight fakes
- Swap meet raid nets Disney, Warner Bros. fakes (private investigators' web site here)
- Paraguay seeks to upgrade economy through fight against fakes
- Joint venture: Kenya, Uganda integrate cargo tracking systems
- Interzone: Bulgarian border duty-free shops a haven for counterfeit trade
And finally, a caveat for all of those whose trendy tresses are the result of hair extensions:
Apparently "temple hair," cut off by some Indian women as a Hindu religious sacrifice, is prized by expensively groomed Westerners not only for its length and quality, but also for its spiritual associations. With the current demand for extensions, however, those luscious locks may not be so divine after all:
But as with anything in fashion, knockoff merchants are waiting in the wings to provide a cheaper version of the masses who want to copy them. Just like fake Fendi or Chloe bags, temple hair merchants have to fight a flurry of Indian hair suppliers desperate to break into the market for hair extensions. Now, up to 80 out of every 100 locks of human hair comes from this black market.
Shri E.V.K.S. Elangovan, an Indian trade minister, worries about the popularity of Indian human hair. "Aside from temple hair, we have no idea where the rest comes from," he says. "In many cases we fear women are being exploited."
August weather, fashion's mod mood, unethical extensions ... time to bring back the pixie cut?
