Monday, March 26, 2007
PASSING THE FAKE FOR REAL
Every time I pass by this array of aesthetically-pleasing motorcycle helmets in Quiapo, I can’t help but ask myself if prospective buyers have any idea that these products may not provide sufficient head and facial protection in case of accidents. I ask this question because these helmets being sold by a street vendor along Quezon Boulevard and G. Puyat Street are most likely to be cheap knockoffs of the real thing; their overall construction unable to withstand even minor impacts.
With so many fake products from China flooding the local market, one must exercise greater caution, especially when buying from street vendors. But then again, much to my dismay, the hardware store in my neighborhood sold me a fake fluorescent bulb once, which lasted only a day or two. It was disappointing, indeed, that even this longtime neighborhood merchant would engage in such unscrupulous practice.
At any rate, it is infuriating to pay for something believed to be genuine but only to discover it to be bogus. On the other hand, it is just as equally exasperating to knowingly purchase something not authentic, but to be handed the real thing instead. And this is exactly what happened to some New Yorkers recently.
Crying widespread deception, horrified New Yorkers accused a number of Seventh Avenue fashion houses of selling authentic Asiatic raccoon furs under the guise of faux fur. For the most part, these were the same consumers whose pricey fur coats were once doused with red paint by PETA members. Now, more cognizant of the cruelties involved in the farming of these animals, as well as the process of extracting their fur — usually struck on the head with blunt instruments and skinned alive — New York fashionistas, nowadays, wittingly prefer buying fake furs over the genuine article.
Nevertheless, product development managers of some fashion houses such as Tommy Hilfiger, as well as merchandising managers of major department stores such as Nordstrom’s and J.C. Penney’s, most probably find Asiatic raccoon furs more cost efficient as opposed to faux fur. But for having discreetly used and sold real furs as trimmings for their fall and winter coats, these garment producers and retailers may now be facing serious legal charges for having broken the federal labeling law.
Ironically, these garments with Asiatic raccoon fur trimmings were all made in China, too.
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posted by Señor Enrique at 5:50 PM
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