The world's most valuable luxury brand
Louis Vuitton, the French maker of laminated canvas handbags, is the world's most valuable luxury brand for the sixth consecutive year, a research group says.
The brand, owned by Paris based LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, has a value of $US24.3 billion ($22.6 billion), an increase of 23 per cent from 2010,
rolex submariner women replica, according to Millward Brown Optimor's 2011 BrandZ study published today. That's almost as much as the combined values of Hermes, Gucci and Chanel, which ranked second, third and fourth in this year's luxury brand standings.
The brand is benefiting from demand for status symbols in developing markets such as Brazil, Russia, India and China, and the perception in Europe and the US that its products are exclusive, said Cristiana Pearson, a director at Millward Brown Optimor who led the study.
"As we continue to come out of the recession, people will continue to spend more on luxury, and the BRIC countries don't look like they're slowing," with growth in Brazil and China particularly strong, Pearson said.
Hermes International, in which LVMH holds a 20.2 per cent stake, posted the biggest increase in brand value in the luxury industry with a 41 per cent jump to $US11.9 billion, according to the BrandZ study. Gucci's value declined 2 per cent to $US7.45 billion, affected by French parent PPR SA's financial performance,
fake submariner rolex, Pearson said. Chanel advanced 23 per cent to $US6.82 billion.
LVMH's role
Hennessy, Moet Chandon and Fendi placed seventh, eighth and ninth in the study respectively, with values of $US3.42 billion to $US5 billion, meaning LVMH, the world's largest luxury goods maker, owns or has a stake in five of the industry's 10 most valuable brands.
LVMH has a lineup of labels "that have very high standards in terms of craftsmanship and that give the impression of very high exclusivity,
replica pre owned rolex submariner, even in some cases where it may not be so exclusive," Pearson said.
The Cartier and Rolex watch and jewelry brands owned by Cie. Financiere Richemont ranked fifth and sixth in the luxury brand ranking, while Burberry replaced Tiffany as No. 10.
Vuitton placed 26th worldwide among 100 companies across 13 industries in the BrandZ study.
Apple, maker of the iPad and the iPhone,
rolex womens submariner replica, is the world's most valuable brand, with its estimated value surging 84 per cent from a year earlier to $US153 billion, according to Millward Brown Optimor.
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) Bond has been set for a Miami Dade Police Lieutenant accused of conspiring to distribute cocaine.
During a pre trial detention hearing Monday, Lt. Ralph Mata attorney asked the judge to set bond at a reasonable amount. The government countered that Mata should be held without bond because he was a flight risk and danger to the community.
In the end,
fake rolex oyster perpetual submariner date, the judge set bond at half a million dollars, according to the Associated Press.
The FBI says Lt. They allegedly used shipments of bananas and other produce from the Dominican Republic and Ecuador.
Mata allegedly helped transport narcotics proceeds for the drug organization in exchange for thousands of dollars in cash plus a Rolex watch valued at $10,000, according to the criminal complaint filed in the US District Court in New Jersey.
He also allegedly used information available to him as a law enforcement officer to find out information about the seizure of $419,000 in narcotics proceeds from a New Jersey residence which were seized by law enforcement. Although the murders never took place, Mata allegedly still received payment for setting up some meetings.
allegations against Lt. Mata are beyond shocking and disturbing. Patterson in a statement. extent to which my office can comment on this case is restricted to the federal investigation. Nevertheless, this matter is a source of monumental disappointment and distress to myself, our community,
womens rolex submariner fake, and the Miami Dade Police Department family. is charged with aiding and abetting a conspiracy to distribute cocaine, conspiring to distribute cocaine, and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity specifically, drug proceeds.
Jesse Jackson released from halfway house in Baltimore
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. was released Monday morning from a Baltimore halfway house, where he'd been living since his release from an Alabama federal prison in March. EDT and left in one of two black SUVs that were there for him.
Jackson, an Illinois Democrat, moved into the halfway house from prison, where he was serving a two and a half year sentence for spending $750,000 in campaign money on personal items. Jackson pleaded guilty to one felony fraud count in February of 2013 and began his sentence in November.
Jackson is the son of civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Probation Office and complete 500 hours of community service,
fake rolex submariner date.
At some point,
replica rolex submariner women, it will be his wife's turn to serve out her punishment on a related conviction. The elder Jackson has said he didn't know when his daughter in law, Sandra Jackson, a former Chicago alderman, would have to report to prison. She was sentenced to a year in prison for filing false joint federal income tax returns that knowingly understated the income the couple received. In a concession to the couple's two children,
replica rolex oyster perpetual submariner, a judge allowed the Jacksons to stagger their sentences, with the husband going first.
Jackson served in Congress from 1995 until he resigned in November 2012. In June 2012, he took medical leave for treatment of bipolar disorder and other issues.
The Jacksons spent campaign money on fur capes, mounted elk heads,
replica rolex womens submariner, a $43,350, gold plated men's Rolex watch and Bruce Lee memorabilia, as well as $9,587.64 on children's furniture, according to court filings.
corruption cases just got harder to prove
The Supreme Court's unanimous ruling overturning former Virginia governor Bob McDonnell's conviction makes it much harder for the government to prosecute elected officials for public corruption, but not impossible, legal experts said Monday.
The high court set a tougher standard for wrongdoing, saying that helping a wealthy benefactor gain access to state officials,
replica love chain necklace, though "distasteful," does not necessarilyprove illegal quid pro quo.
Monday's ruling "leaves intact the ability of federal prosecutorsto go after official misconduct at the state and local level," said Richard Briffault,
love necklace replica cartier, a Columbia Law School professor and expert on government ethics.
But prosecutors, he said, "have to link up the quid and quo more tightly and show that the gifts influenced real official actions."
The case centers on more than $175,000 in fancygifts and loans that McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, accepted from a wealthy dietary supplement executive during McDonnell's tenure as governor. In return for those gifts, which included $20,000 in designer clothing and a $6,000 Rolex watch, they helped Star Scientific CEO Jonnie Williams gain access to university researchers and stateofficials who could help Williams securefederal approval for one of his products.
McDonnell and his lawyers said he never took any official state action to benefit Williams and his company. The justices agreed, arguing against criminalizing elected official's day to day actions.
"Setting up a meeting, calling another public official or hosting an event does not, standing alone, qualify as an official act," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in Monday's decision.
"There is no doubt that this case is distasteful," he said. "It may be worse than that. But our concern is not with tawdry tales ofFerraris, Rolexes and ball gowns. It is instead with the broader legal implications of the government's boundless interpretation of the federal bribery statute."
Richard Hasen, an expert on election law at the University of California Irvine School of Law, called the court's decision "sensible and courageous."
He described McDonnell's actions as "odious" but said "vague and broad laws criminalizing ordinary politics raise due process problems, selective prosecutions and unfair treatment."
At the time, Virginia law did not bar McDonnell from accepting the gifts, and several election watchdogs said Monday's ruling meansstates should move quickly to toughen their public corruption statutes.
"Federal bribery law is not enough to protect the integrity of our democracy," said Daniel Weiner, senior counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice. "Other common sense protections, including reasonable limits on both personal gifts and campaign contributions, are absolutely essential."
Monday's decision also could complicate an array of pending cases, including high profile federal corruption charges against New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez. The Democrat is accused using his office to benefit a Florida eye doctor in exchange for more than $1 million in gifts and campaign contributions.
Menendez has maintained he did nothing wrong and has argued thatthe doctor's gifts were the result of a longstanding friendship,
replica pendant love cartier.
Lawyers for former New York Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver said Monday that theMcDonnell decision "willbe central" to their appeal of Silver's corruption conviction. The decision"makes clear that federal government has gone too far in prosecuting state officials for conduct that is part of the everyday functioning of those in elected office," Silver's attorneys Steven Molo and Joel Cohen said in a statement.
Last month, a federal judge sentencedSilver, once one of the most powerful figures in New York politics, to 12 years in prison in a $5 million public corruption case. He was slated to begin serving his prison timethis week, but thejudge delayed that until Aug. 31 so the Supreme Court could decide the McDonnell case. Several campaign watchdogs sharply criticized the court for setting what they view as anunreasonable standard for proving public corruption.
"If you show the facts in the case to any citizen, the citizen will conclude that the public official has sold his office for personal,
replica cartier diamond pendant, financial gain," said Fred Wertheimer, president of the Democracy 21 watchdog group.
Supreme Court to hear Bob McDonnell appeal in April
Supreme Court will hear the appeal of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell on April 27. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court agreed to hear McDonnell appeal following his conviction on federal corruption charges in 2014.
McDonnell was sentenced to two years in prison but last August the Supreme Court granted an emergency motion allowing him to stay out of jail while the justices considered whether to take up the case. Supreme Court for its decision today to hear my case, McDonnell said in January. am innocent of these crimes and ask the Court to reverse these convictions. I maintain my profound confidence in God grace to sustain me and my family, and thank my friends and supporters across the country for their faithfulness over these past three years. case essentially centers around the question of just what constitutes the scope of an action under federal corruption law. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia convicted him of 11 counts finding that he violated the law when he received money and loans from Jonnie R. Williams, the CEO of a Virginia based company called Star Scientific, in exchange for official acts. Williams was seeking state support in a bid to get FDA approval for a dietary supplement his company was developing called Anatabloc.
2011 and 2012,
love replica pendant, Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli wrote in Court briefs, petitioner was the Governor of Virginia, he and his wife Maureen McDonnell solicited and secretly accepted more than $175,000 in money and luxury goods from Jonnie Williams. The funds included loans, deluxe shopping trips,
replica love chain cartier, golf outings and a Rolex watch.
exchange,
replica cartier chain necklace, Verrilli wrote McDonnell agreed to Williams seek favorable actions from the Virginia government. lawyers argue that the former governor actions were limited to routine political courtesies such as arranging meetings, asking questions and attending events and that he never exercised any governmental power on behalf of Williams.
In court papers they say that the lower court decision construed action so broadly that it dramatically expanded federal corruption statutes in order to make place actions federal felonies.
is the first time in our history that a public official has been convicted of corruption despite never agreeing to put a thumb on the scales of any government decision, Noel J. Francisco, a lawyer for McDonnell wrote in court papers.
Francisco also argued that the district court failed to adequately question prospective jurors about pretrial publicity.
The Obama administration urged the Court to allow an opinion by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld the district court ruling to stand,
cartier replica love necklace.
Verrilli said that the lower court got the decision right because the convictions were based on the proposition that a public official violates federal corruption statutes where, as here, he accepts personal benefits in exchange for his agreement to influence government matters. is corruption?
Elected officials and campaign donors alike are carefully watching the case to see if the justices will clarify the scope of so called action under federal corruption law.
Supreme Court action today means that Governor McDonnell prosecution will likely result in a landmark case clarifying where to draw the sometimes murky line between what is a mere political favor and what is illegal public corruption, said Barry Pollack, a lawyer with Miller Chevalier who is following the case.
McDonnell is supported by former federal officials, on both side of the political spectrum including former Attorney Generals Michael B. Mukasey, John Ashcroft who served in Republican administrations as well as Gregory B. Craig, former Counsel to President Barack Obama.
law should not be broadened, they wrote in briefs, subject government officials to the threat of prosecution for engaging in innocent conduct that occurs on a routine basis. CNN Wire contributed to this report.
Lawmakers to Consider Virginia Governor's Vetoes
MOUNT VERNON,
replica cartier love necklace pink gold, VA FEBRUARY 17:Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe makes remarks during the "Official Observance of Washington's Birthday with the Governor" event at George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate, February 17, 2014 in Mount Vernon, Virginia. Monday is President's Day in the United States, where the nation celebrates the presidential birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
State lawmakers are set to consider this week whether there should be tighter gift rules for elected officials and looser restrictions on surveillance technology used by police.
Legislators are due back in Richmond on Wednesday for the so called "veto session,'' where they will consider vetoes and amendments made by Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe.
McAuliffe's proposal for stricter ethics rules is likely to get top billing, as lawmakers continue to grapple with how to respond to a high profile corruption scandal involving former Gov. Bob McDonnell.
The current governor wants lawmakers to agree to a $100 aggregate gift limit from lobbyists or others with financial interests in state government, rather than a $100 limit per gift that lawmakers proposed in an ethics bill passed in February during the final minutes of the 2015 regular legislative session.
Leaders in the GOP controlled General Assembly have not publicly signaled whether they'll accept McAuliffe's proposed amendments.
The Virginia Municipal League and the Virginia Association of Counties sent lawmakers a letter earlier this month urging them to reject some of the restrictions McAuliffe added to the ethics bill related to travel paid for by outside entities. The groups said McAuliffe's proposals would hinder local official's abilities to be reimbursed for "routine'' trips related to their official duties,
replica cartier love pendant necklace.
Lawmakers have been struggling for two straight years on how best to reform the state's ethics laws, which critics have said are notoriously lax. Those efforts were prompted by revelations that McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, accepted gifts that included a Rolex watch,
cartier replica necklace, high end designer clothes and other perks from vitamin salesman Jonnie Williams in exchange for promoting his products.
Both McDonnells were convicted in September on federal corruption charges and have been sentenced to prison. They are currently free as they appeal their convictions.
There's also likely to be debate on McAuliffe's proposed changes to legislation that passed with broad support aimed at reining in the power of police to carry out surveillance on citizens.
Those proposed changes include loosening restrictions on when police could use drones and lengthen the time police could keep data collected by automatic license plate readers that's not part of an investigation from seven days to 60 days.
McAuliffe has blocked several GOP backed bills on guns and redistricting. He also vetoed legislation dubbed the "Tebow bill'' that draws its name from former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow and would allow home schooled students to participate in public school sports,
replica love cartier pendant.
12 Popular Scams During Shopping Season
"On the first day of Christmas,
replica rolex watch oyster perpetual datejust, my true love gave to me" . an online scammer who stole all my mo ney.
This sounds like the worst holiday shopping experience (and song) ever, but according to a new survey released by security company McAfee, online scams are more popular than ever during the Christmas season and consumers should be more aware of credit card fraud.
The survey found that out of the 70 per cent of those who planned to shop online this season,
replica rolex datejust 2, 24 per cent of them planned to use their mobile devices. The survey also found that even though the respondents were aware of the risks, they were still willing to give their personal information online as long as they got something of value in return.
And online scams are not just happening on shopping sites. The survey found that scammers were able to steal credit card information and send viruses from text message scams, fake classified ads and even through fake charities.
If you are planning to use your phone to buy any gifts make sure you do your research. Look for testimonials, websites and even call in if you are not familiar with a brand or website, according to the RCMP. The site also recommends shoppers to only use their home computers to purchase items and make sure you always verify your wireless connections.
And these instances are being treated very seriously too. If you are a victim of an online shopping scam or fear you may be caught in one, contact local police and report the fraud to a fraud centre, according to the Canadian Anti Fraud Centre.
LOOK: 12 online scams you don't want to get yourself into this holiday season, courtesy of McAfee:
Scammers use sites,
rolex datejust replica, like Facebook and Twitter, to confuse consumers during the holidays. Be careful what you click on or 'like' especially when you see online contests,
replica value of a rolex oyster perpetual datejust, fan page deals or apps to receive discounts. Scammers can use phony travel webpages that use beautiful pictures and low prices to lure you in.
Fake Brands:
If you want to buy something fancy, go straight to the store. Cheap Rolex watches and pharmaceuticals may be advertised as the "perfect gift" for that special someone and be 100 per cent fake.
Apple Scams:
Some sites will mention Apple product giveaways in phony contests and phishing emails as a way to grab computer users' personal information. If you see an ad that says "free iPad," it's probably fake.
Skype Message Scare:
Skype users, be alert: there is a new Skype message scam that attempts to infect computers and take personal information. Never click any unfamiliar links that are sent to your chatbox.
Be wary of buying gift cards from third parties just imagine how embarrassing it would be to find out that the gift card you gave someone was fake."SMiSishing" is phishing via text message.
Media Musings Blog Archive Why do a paywall
Without fail, every morning when I wake up the first thing I see is a newspaper on my coffee table.
logic of the internet is that everyone pays for the infrastructure, then everyone gets to use it, said Clay Shirky, Assistant Arts Professor at New York University.
That is why when the Herald Sun recently decided to start charging for access to their digital content, I was shocked. It felt a bit of a culture shock to have to pay for news.
The risks they were taking were tremendous because it could potentially mean a drop in readership, a drop in advertising and so on.
However, as a communications student I was well aware of why they were doing it. The newspaper business wasn doing too well and they wanted to monetize their website.
A recent report showed that the Herald Sun weekday circulation had dropped 4.6% last year.
logic of the internet is that everyone pays for the infrastructure, then everyone gets to use it, said Clay Shirky, Assistant Arts Professor at New York University.
While I could have easily gotten the same information from other news websites, it wasn so much the news that I was looking for but more of the perspective of news that came with the Herald Sun.
The way the articles are written, the angles used, the commentaries and op eds included, differ with every news organisation
Somehow as a news junkie, I felt a sense of void inside of me.
The Herald Sun paywall picture from the Herald Sun
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Idaho inmate accused of continuing fraudulent ways in prison
It's clear that Mark Brown is a smart guy, maybe even borderline brilliant.
But what's astounding is the way he apparently pulled off a major, yearslong financial fraud, taking in big corporations, courts and attorneys across the nation, all from behind bars in an Idaho prison cell.
Brown had no access to the Internet and appears to have had no accomplices or outside help.
He's alleged to have typed up professional looking legal documents, false letters from law firms and more, and made skillful use of the "legal mail" exception for inmates that allows for correspondence with attorneys and judges without review from prison staff. Big checks poured in Brown's take in multiparty lawsuits including a $70 million GlaxoSmithKline drug pricing settlement and a $20 million IBM shareholders' settlement.
"We screen our mail pretty well, but he also was running a pretty good scam here," said Cpl. Navy investigator who helped uncover Brown's alleged fraud. of America, scratch their heads over how he allegedly pulled it off.
Some who know Brown, however, aren't surprised.
"Mark is just so bright," said Terry Rich, who hired Brown in 1994, when Brown was briefly out on parole, to work at his Boise high tech firm. "He is so slippery, and he's so believable,
rolex gold oyster perpetual datejust replica, one of the most charming people you'll meet. If you let Mark sit around and think too much, this is what happens."
Jeff Brudie, a 2nd District judge who, as a young lawyer, represented Brown in two of his early criminal appeals in the 1980s, said, "He is a smart son of a gun."
The story of how Brown went from 23 year old University of Idaho computer science student to 53 year old inmate suspected of perpetrating one of the most inventive prison scams ever discovered is a tale of habitual crime, long sentences, mental illness and lack of treatment.
Sixty known thefts
Mark Anthony Brown's criminal record stretches far back into his childhood, when he was in and out of juvenile detention for stealing. post office. He faced other struggles, including a suicide attempt,
replica rolex mens oyster perpetual datejust, an escape from a juvenile detention center and temporary placement in a foster home. By 1982, he'd been involved in 60 known thefts and burglaries.
He enrolled at the University of Idaho in the spring of 1978 to work toward a computer science degree and excelled there. But at night, he broke into university buildings,
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He was on felony probation in 1982 when a search of his university dorm room turned up piles of stolen property, from computer components and other electronics to jewelry. A search of his room at his grandparents' home in Lewiston and his safe deposit box yielded more, including distinctive items like a Rolex watch, paintings and an engraved pen and pencil set. Brown was tied to dozens of burglaries in Moscow and Lewiston.
Brown was diagnosed with kleptomania and borderline personality disorder. In a 20 minute, tearful statement to the court, he pleaded for leniency as the judge pondered a 20 year prison sentence.
"I'm not saying I don't need to be locked up," the young defendant told the court, as the Lewiston Tribune reported at the time. "If that's what needs to be done to keep me from stealing, then that's what I wish. At the same time, I feel I need something else. I honestly feel that the things I've done stem from things I was never in control of."
The judge was unmoved,
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Brown got out on parole in 1994, but by then, he was a 35 year old with a long list of disciplinary violations in prison. He'd broken rules, stolen items and forged purchase orders at his job at Correctional Industries. He'd tampered with computers to change the driver's license status of five other Correctional Industries employees. In 1986, he'd even tried to submit a false claim in the Dalkon Shield litigation in Virginia, claiming he had used one of the faulty intra uterine birth control devices for women.
Back on the streets in Boise after being paroled, Brown found work at Rich's company, Applied Process Controls, doing technical support for industrial instrumentation controls. "He adapted very quickly to any circumstance you could put him in, whether it was a conference room of Idaho Power engineers, anything," Rich recalled. "He was great on the phones."
Then, a few months later, Rich got a call in the middle of the night from Boise police detectives. "They said, 'Does Mark Brown work for you?' and I said yes. And they said, 'Well, not any longer, because he's going back to prison.' I said: 'Back to prison?'"
Eight days after a state parole office in east Boise had been torched, silent alarms were tripped at another Department of Correction office in west Boise. Police found a broken window and an oily liquid spread across computers and other equipment; moments later, outside, Brown sped around the corner in his two tone 1978 Volkswagen bus. Officers gave chase and cornered him in an alley behind a grocery store; in the bus were a baseball bat with fragments of glass on it, a gas can, gloves, a flashlight, and a puddle of the oily liquid.
Brown was arrested and his apartment searched; it was full of stolen property, including lots and lots of computer equipment, along with exotic birds in cages and other items that were tied to a string of business burglaries in Boise. He was sentenced to serve up to 116 years in prison.
"I went and visited him at the Ada County Jail before he went back to prison," Rich said. "I said, 'Mark, why would you do this? I trusted you, gave you a chance to really start your life over again this is what you do?'"
Rich was looking at Brown through the glass in the jail's visiting area; Brown was emotionless, he said. "He just sort of shook his head. He told me he was a career criminal.
According to his federal indictment, Brown's securities and bankruptcy fraud scheme started in September 2007. That was the same month he was transferred to the North Fork Correctional Facility in Sayre, Okla., a private prison run by Corrections Corp. of America, as Idaho shipped hundreds of inmates out of state due to crowding. Brown stayed there two years, before being returned to the CCA run Idaho Correctional Center south of Boise.
A bad cover version
This topic has been on my mind since a friend revealed she had decided to purchase a couple of Eames chair copies for her house. Her attitude: just chairs and well, they cheap
Some may say this is the Eames spirit alive and well design is for everyone and for making people lives better both functionally and aesthetically. But the thing is, when someone buys a copy, it is sending a message to the designer that their time and creative investment is worthless.
The thing is, we probably all been guilty at some point or another. I sure most of us have looked at a bill from a mechanic or carpenter and pondered the figure. But the truth is, they trained professionals and you couldn have done it in the same amount of time or produced an end result of the same quality.
Think about it this way, how would you feel if I came down to your work, took whatever you were working on, cut and pasted it into my work and start selling it without you knowing? I could probably undercut you too because I wouldn need to do any research. I might as well cash in on your reputation as well,
sell rolex oyster perpetual datejust replica, right?
But I wouldn do this, and you shouldn too.
How about we start paying some respect to the designers and creators that make our world go Without them, there be nothing to copy in the first place.
When it comes to copies and fakes are some things more sacrosanct than others? Have you ever unknowingly bought a fake? What did you think when you found out?
Well this is a very pertinent subject to me at the moment as I ponder whether to part with $4.5k for a genuine Omega watch or make do with an internet replica. Same goes for a Breitling watch can I really justify $22k for a man's wrist watch? Would I be institutionalised if I went and took out a personal loan for something that 99% of the population could not tell the difference between fake and real. I suppose at the end of the day it depends on your social circle. Elite designers are not aiming for the mass maket that's like saying Bugatti make Veyrons for everybody's garage no they do not. Let elite designers design knowing full well that they will hit their target audience and leave the crumbs for the copycats and the masses. In the end, it would be the only way we poorer folk can show we have some taste.
Intellectual property issues aside, many branded items are just too expensive because of the name on it. If we feel more secure in ourselves because we are wearing a particular brand name, I think we may need to reassess the way we measure our worth in the world. A Hugo Boss suit (Rolex watch/Citron car) does not make me a better person, a more influential person, a more desirable person, or even a more stylish person.
On the question of replicas, comedian Flip Wilson once said, "A lie's as good as the truth if you can get somebody to believe it".
If no one can tell its fake and its built just about aswell as the original, you would have to be a very generous person, a very rich person or a person of impecable principles to buy the authentic version at say 10x the price.
Me? I think im none of the above. That said i dont skimp on quality. ie a quality pair of leather shoes are usually expensive because of the workmanship not because of the label. Bulgari cufflinks,
replica rolex oyster perpetual datejust blue face, on the other hand? Im happy to go fake. Seriosly, its just a bit of contoured metal holding shirt flaps together.
People buy things for different reasons. Branded clothing can be used to improve cultural capital, quite separate to the quality. Buying fake items has an equivalent,
rolex datejust oyster replica, opposite impact. This may dictate some consumers.
I'm much like Byrne I consider the price per wear factor and the convenience of knowing the item will last. That is what dictates my purchases.
If the brand does not deliver any differentiation with the fakes (other than the dubious value of being "genuine"), then they're on their own. A designer can pursue the manufacturers legally, or charge a ridiculous margin to their customers, or they can drop their prices and make it off the volume sales.
If they've made a choice in failing to differentiate, so too will I make mine. BUT there comes a point when craftsmanship, unique design, scarce materials and creative 'blah' meshes with overpriced bullshit and your friend is right, JC, it IS just a bloody chair, Le Corbusier and Eames designed SPECIFICALLY for the masses so my view on materialism works along this simplistic continuum: if theres more than one in existence its not bloody bespoke and if its too precious for the rough and tumble of its purpose donate the money to a truly deserving cause
I don't buy fakes. whats the point really? If I can't justify/afford the real thing then I should shift my expectations and find an original within my price range.
I think that is the key for me. originality. I want to know that what I have bought has had some thought put into it, from a bottle of juice through to buying a new suit.
I believe everything we buy, wear and display as ours says something about us. The world judges us by the facade we present not the real person, so to be genuine the facade should represent me well.
Two things I found interesting when I lived in Asia (late 90's) was that
1. only certain brands were faked in watches there were fake Rolexes and Tags but no Omegas, in jeans there were fake Guess and Versace but no Armani. Is this because certain companies pursue counterfieters more than others?
2. There were two levels of fakes you could buy a fake rolex that was either equal to a $2 watch and might last the week or you could get one that was an ok watch made up to look like a fake and would last several years the difference was picking them apart.
Personally I go for the genuine item the only fakes i bought was a set of reeboks when I was in Indonesia because I wanted some $20 sneakers for getting around in the mud, I couldn't find any Dunlop Volleys and fakes were the only option at that price.
I simpathise with LV over the issue of having genuines mistaken for fakes, I bought two genuine Mont Blanc pens a few years ago when overseas but because they were a model that was sold in Europe and Asia but not in Australia many people think they are fakes,
mens rolex oyster perpetual datejust watch replica, but to me it doesn't matter because I know what I have is genuine but for those who are just out to impress others do your research
