Faux Fabulous Knock-off: Betsey Johnson "Zipper" Pump for Under $40

[DCDiva]

I found an almost identical copy of Betsey Johnson's "zipper" pump which retails for $235 for less than $40. Check it out:





Can you tell which is the "real deal" and which is the knock-off?
Fake Out: Betsey Johnson Zipper Pump | Fantastic Toe

[ShoeBop]

Knock offs suck. Not only is the quality poor, but the companies that produce them add nothing to the world. Just ripping of the creativity of designers who do have a passion to create fashion we can all enjoy. Betsey Johnson may be established enough that these knock offs won't stop her from creating new designs. But smaller less established design houses could be hurt by knock offs of their work and have to close up shop, hurting all fashion lovers. If you want to wear the latest fashions, be willing to support the industry by paying a fair price for your shoes. Say no to knock offs.

[galligator]

I am against counterfeits.

I am split on knock-offs. It is certainly not the most ethical road to do a blatant copy, and there are many 'designer-inspired' designs that would not be mistaken for the original.

However, I have seen fetish & art shoes blatantly copied by higher end designers & don't hear complaints when that happens.

It would be nice if everybody could come up with original designs, but high fashion copies low & low copies high - and there are only so many places you can put a buckle, bow, heel, etc on the limited palette of a shoe form. There is constant borrowing in fashion & that is a lot of what helps keep things fresh.

I do not support anything that infringes on copyright or trademark - which is simply illegal on top or ethical issues.

The Virginia Law revies has some great articles on this here:

Virginia Law Review - In Brief

Virginia Law Review - Articles

And one more

Virginia Law Review - In Brief

[concretebox]

Of course you can tell, the real Betsey Johnson has a distinctive shape. The knockoff isn't a very close one, they used an existing model and tarted it up a bit.