Keep It Real: Vera Wang

For those brides-to-be wanting to try on an original Vera Wang at her latest Shanghai bridal boutique, all you need is about $480. Well, at least that was until the “queen of bridal couture” expelled the fitting fee with hopes of discouraging the purchase of bootleg dresses from counterfeiting pirates. "Please kindly be informed that Vera Wang has abolished appointment fees at her bridal salons worldwide starting from March 27, 2013," a company spokesperson stated in a press release-like email. The fee was initially established as a preventative measure, or tactic to evade the copying of an authentic design. Real Vera Wang dresses can total anywhere between $2000 and $10,000. What makes them unique, is the time and effort exerted on each design, essentially making each piece a highly sought after “one of one.” However, on China’s largest e-commerce site, Taobao, a bride-to-be on a tighter budget can purchase a Grade-A variation for a fragment of the cost of an original, for between $97 and $500. Most sellers on Taobao claim to be able to reproduce a carbon copy with as little as 10% variation, which for most of their market is sufficient for the savings. Reuters’ Melanie Lee caught up with one seller, Li – who, in addition to refusing to provide a full name, mentioned, "For the experts, you don't need to try on the dress to figure out how to copy it, you just need to see it or feel it at the shop.” The difference is in production, whereas a Vera Wang is hand-stitched and of the highest quality fabric. Any dress can literally take months, even a full year to actualize. With a knockoff, that quality is sacrificed. One counterfeiting vendor admits on their page: "There will be slight changes... If you want 100 percent you should buy the original."Source: Reuters