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Counterfeit goes cool: high-end brands urged to embrace rise of #dupe

Gen Z are flaunting their knockoffs and imitations – so experts say companies should play along

Most consistently tagged are items appealing to younger women – the internet’s heaviest users – including clothing brands Lululemon leggings, Skims shapewear, Bottega Veneta, Ugg, Charlotte Tilbury foundation, Adidas Sambas, Dior, Olaplex and Dyson. Influencers fall into different camps too: from those who work for brands and creators in a paid capacity – who must use the hashtag #ad in a prominent position – and those for whom recommending dupes is an unpaid part of their online identity. The luxury, $50bn company struck a marketing blinder by offering fans in Los Angeles who had bought a Lululemon dupe of its popular $98 Align tights the chance to exchange it in-store for the real thing.

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