Meet the Gen Z dupe hunters: How TikTok is creating a billion-dollar ‘knock-off’ economy

Showing off designer expressions on social media used to be the key to gaining thousands of loyal followers. But for Gen Z, it’s all about getting bargains – and showing their followers how they can do it too.

Content around “dupes,” or duplicates, has blown up on social media in recent years as the cost of living has taken hold. To date, the hashtag #dupe has been viewed more than 4.3 billion times on TikTok alone.

It has led to a wave of young people picking up double versions of premium products from popular stores – and designer items – for a fraction of the price.

On TikTok, influencers regularly brag about finding cheap imitations of brands like Lululemon and Dyson on Amazon or even Walmart.

Unlike fake or counterfeit items, dupes do not replicate trademarked names, logos or details, meaning they are legal and do not infringe any copyright or intellectual property rights. But experts warn that the increase in dupes is contributing to “the cultural acceptance of counterfeit goods.”

While Lululemon workout shorts cost up to $74, influencers like Ariana Vitale, who has more than 228,000 followers on TikTok, explain how similar items can be found on Amazon for as little as $10.

Vitale, who told her followers she worked at Lululemon for over two and a half years, swears they look and feel just as good as the original. “They look identical, between the fabric, the material, the seams, everything,” she said in a video.

In fact, Lululemon is so central to the so-called dupe economy that it hosted a pop-up event in Los Angeles last month where shoppers could exchange their dupe leggings for genuine ones for free.

But why is Generation Z so seduced by the idea of ​​luxury on a budget?

According to YPulse, which compiles research on Gen Z (born 1997 to 2013) and Millennials (born 1981 to 1996), young consumers are the most likely group to buy dupes because they simply can’t afford the real thing.

According to the insights platform, 47 percent of 13- to 39-year-olds said they had bought a dupe luxury product.

In addition, Generation Z is a very financially savvy generation that is conscious about saving money, said Walker Post of social impact consulting firm DoSomething Strategic. Vogue affairs.

The senior strategist said: “Many of them witnessed the 2008 recession as children, before going through Covid and the current economic downturn. Since the pandemic, they spend differently.’

It’s also easy for Gen Z to find tips and tricks for finding the best bargains as they tend to spend more time on social media.

Danielle Carmody of Atlanta, Georgia, shared USA today she regularly scans Instagram for dupes of everyday things she wants to buy.

“I don’t think there’s a big difference between the real stuff and dupes, and I don’t have to pay four times the price,” she said.

While some people look for dupes on everything from workout clothes to Dyson Airwraps, KitchenAid mixers and even fragrances, Carmody said she has a hard line that she doesn’t cross.

“I don’t like being duped for things like handbags and shoes because I see the difference in quality with price,” she said.

But for the hordes of people looking for low-cost fashion, content creators swear by China-based third-party sales site DH Gate, a prolific destination for high-end and luxury dupes.

A logo-free replica of a designer bag, which would cost more than $2,500 new, is available on the site for just $19.

But experts warn there’s a dark side to looking for luxury items on a shoestring budget, which can be a slippery slope for buying criminal counterfeits.

Among the acceptable dupes on the website, signature logos of well-known designer brands pop up.

Paul Delponte, executive director of the National Crime Prevention Council (NPCP), told DailyMail.com that while shopping spree isn’t a new phenomenon, the danger is “the cultural acceptance of counterfeit goods.”

“If you buy a product from a respected retailer that resembles a more expensive product, you are not breaking any laws, but the danger lies in the cultural acceptance of the concept of dupe, which can lead to an increase in the sale of counterfeit products. And these are financing a criminal enterprise,” he said.

The counterfeit goods market has exploded worldwide into a $2 trillion economy as it becomes increasingly difficult for consumers to tell the difference between genuine products and counterfeits.

Delponte said, “Dupes have come on the scene in a major way over the last two years. It’s a bit of a double-edged sword, to the extent that the “dupe culture,” so to speak, opens up legitimate businesses to manufacture things, it can squeeze out some of the illegal production and distribution of counterfeits, which is a good thing.

“But at the same time, it feeds that cultural mindset that people can get something as good as that brand for much less, fueling the further growth of an already exploding criminal business of counterfeit goods.”

Earlier this month, Nordstrom Rack was at the center of a legal dispute after it was accused of selling counterfeit clothing from designer Patagonia.

The problem is particularly concerning for electrical appliances and cosmetics, which can seriously injure and in some cases even kill buyers.

Data from the NPCP estimates that counterfeit products now account for 3.3 percent of global trade.

A separate study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office suggests that as many as 25 percent of shoppers have purchased some counterfeit product online.

Many dupes shoppers turn to Amazon, but the company told them Vogue affairs that it works hard to ensure that the demand for replicas does not lead to more counterfeit products on the platform.

In 2020, it launched a lawsuit with Valentino against a seller who sold fake shoes on the site.

Anna Dalla Val, Director of Global Brand Relations at Amazon said: “We remain focused on using every tool at our disposal to protect brands, customers and sales partners from intellectual property and brand infringement, and we aggressively prosecute anyone who violates our zero – tolerance policy for counterfeit products.’