In Gen Z’s world of ‘dupes,’ fake is fabulous — until you try it on
Influencers have bestowed a shiny new status to the lowly world of knockoffs, but the stigma doesn’t always come out in the wash.
Such items used to be called knockoffs. They used to be embarrassing. They used to be the purses you bought on Canal Street with the not-quite-right Kate Spade label, or the shearling boots from Costco that you hoped the popular girls wouldn’t notice weren’t genuine Uggs. (They noticed. Of course they noticed.) They used to be the way to fit in, not the way to stand out. But now they’re dupes, a Gen Z rebranding of fashion and beauty products that are cheaper versions of the real thing — duplicate, but also duplicity, since the wearer might trick someone into believing they bought designer. Influencers and aggregators crow about their finds as “an incredible dupe for Hailey Bieber’s party dress,” or “a perfect dupe for Kate Middleton’s” red Alexander McQueen coat. “It’s a humblebrag to have a dupe,” says Kami Marsh, 26, a cosmetology instructor from Newburgh, Ind.
More From The Washington Post (subscription required):
