High-end designer bags--you see them for sale online, but which ones are real? How do you know if it’s worth pay-paling away several hundred bucks for something that looks like a great Dolce deal? You pass some girl walking toward you on the street-- but you couldn’t pick her face out of a line up because your eyes were on her Prada purse! How did an 18 year old buy that bag you just saw in Vogue?
Maybe it’s a knock off.
The world of fashion fakes is a billion-dollar business, and it’s a cat and mouse game that never stops. The characters: The counterfeiting crooks, the purse peddlers and also federal agents who chase them. If it sounds like a mystery thriller, that’s just what multiple Emmy award winning television reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan thought, too. And the not always beautiful world of fashion fakes is the centerpiece of her third mystery novel, AIR TIME.
Galtime recently caught up with Hank to get the scoop on her newest not-to-be-missed novel and also insider tips on how you can tell if a bag is bogus.
MARY: What made you turn fact into fiction?
HANK: The fact is fascinating enough! It’s a crime that, other than law enforcement and purse companies, no one really considers a crime. Who hasn’t bought a purse from a street corner vendor? Who hasn’t been invited to a purse party? I’ve spent the last thirty years chasing good stories—and I knew this was a great one!
One of the things I love to do in my novels is take something that’s familiar and give it a twist or two that turns it into something unexpected and unpredictable. I knew the inside scoop—and that helped me create a truly workable scheme for my fictional crooks. (I can tell you, when I talk to police types they sheepishly admitted my plan was completely plausible!)
When you read AIR TIME, I promise you you’ll never look at air travel, fake purses or baggage claim the same way again.
MARY: How do you know if a purse is the real deal?
HANK: Unless you’re on the actual designer’s website or that of a reputable department store--no matter what they promise, be leery. The problem with online purchases is you can’t examine the bag before you pay for it.
In researching this story we discovered there are investigators actually trained by the designers themselves to scout out what’s real and what’s fake. They have elaborate manuals chock full of very specific trade secrets. The specs revealing things like the actual number of stitches per square inch, placement of logos, patterns, even special indicators that only the trained eye could know to look for.
But they did tell us some ways for shoppers to assess the authenticity of a bag. Check the stitching, on a real designer bag it will be perfect and even. Metal and fabric logos will be attached in a way so they can’t be yanked off. The real thing won't come with handles wrapped in plastic and the bags won’t be stuffed with old newspapers. (We found some purses with bags filled with periodicals from Asia! That would never happen with a real designer bag.)
You’ve got to face price reality. On the web, we found Louis Vuitton tote bags that should cost $1200 on sale for $325. No way those bags are real.
MARY: You did a lot of research with your television stories and for the book, did you come across a lot of fake bags?
HANK: Oh sure. They’re everywhere and I got really good at spotting them. I saw a woman strutting down the street the other day with what she may have thought was a Chanel tote, but I knew the famous “double C’s” were in the wrong place.
Remember these are copyrighted designs and ripping them off is like stealing music, or plagiarizing a paper. The designer companies are enraged over it, and they wish people would understand their products are being stolen.
MARY: Can I get in trouble for buying a fake?
HANK: Most experts say a one- or two-time bag buyer won’t be facing the long arm of the law. Police are usually more likely to go after the “big fish”. They’re more interested in the kingpins who are behind the criminal enterprise of making and selling the bogus bags.
But it could happen! We found some attorneys who represent big-name designers are starting to collect names of buyers from big sellers who get busted!
There’s also been a push to make buying fashion fakes a crime, but it hasn’t taken off.
Boston intellectual property attorney Mark Schonfeld, who represents designers in cases of counterfeit couture, says there’s no guarantee purchasers are immune from prosecution. “There are a few people who have wound up on the wrong side of the law from buying from the wrong person,” he told us. “They’re at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Schonfeld warns hosting knock off purse parties is a definite no-no. That actually crosses the criminal line of selling counterfeit merchandise commercially.
MARY: Take a look at some of these purses confiscated by investigators. Can you tell why they’re fake?
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The inside tag of a real Burberry would say "Burberry London" and on the back it should say, "Made in Italy". This one below says "Made in China". Another tip: experts say an authentic purse would have Burberry clearly engraved on the metal hardware. Often with fakes, the plastic strips are fraying off the edges of the handles. A Burberry bag with its high quality materials would not age in that manner. |
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Tips for Kate Spade purses: First, look inside. Near the inner pocket there's a tag. A real Kate Spade purse says Kate Spade. The fakes will often be blank. |
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A Kate Spade expert suggests you take a look at the handles. With counterfeit items, the edges may be fraying and they're often poorly designed, with ill fitting hardware. |
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Also check the packaging. A real Kate Spade purse would not come in a box stuffed with cheap paper. |
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Tips for Gucci purses: An authentic Gucci would also not be stuffed with cheap tissue paper. |
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And Gucci would not wrap handles in plastic. |
MARY: Wow, you have a 24/7 job as an award winning reporter, a 24/7 job as a best selling romantic suspense author and a 24/7 job as happily married wife, how do you juggle all that?
HANK: First, my husband does the laundry. Second, it’s all about loving what you do. I’m still fascinated to come to work at the TV station every day because I never know what’s going to happen next, or where an assignment will take me. Our stories change laws and change lives and making a difference is very important to me.
But writing fiction allows my imagination to run wild. Sometimes I think 30 years in television is the perfect preparation for the high-pressure, high-stakes world of publishing.
Yes, it’s a big balancing act. I work at my TV job from 9am to 7pm. I go home and write my novels until 10pm. Then make dinner so my husband and I have some time together. Jonathan is so patient. For the past couple of years, he’s eaten a lot of pizza!
I have given up some things I was used to. Like sleep.
But the rewards are immense.
Award-winning investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan is currently on the air at Boston's NBC affiliate, where she's broken big stories for the past 22 years. Her stories have resulted in new laws, people sent to prison, homes removed from foreclosure, and millions of dollars in refunds and restitution for consumers. Along with her 26 EMMYs, Hank’s won also won dozens of other journalism honors. She's been a legislative aide in the United States Senate (working on the Freedom of Information Act) and at Rolling Stone Magazine (working with Hunter S. Thompson).
Her first mysteries, PRIME TIME (which won the prestigious Agatha Award for Best First Novel, was a double RITA nominee for Best First Book and Best Romantic Suspense Novel, and a Reviewers' Choice Award Winner) and FACE TIME (Book Sense Notable Book), were best sellers. They were both re-issued this summer from MIRA Books. The next in the series are AIR TIME (MIRA Sept. 2009) (Sue Grafton says: "Sassy, fast-paced and appealing. This is first-class entertainment.") and PRIME TIME (MIRA February 2010.) Her website is http://www.hankphillippiryan.com
Mary Schwager is a journalist with more than 17 years experience. She's won more than two-dozen local, regional, national and international journalism awards for investigative, consumer, feature reporting and writing including 10 Emmy Awards and 7 Edward R. Murrow Awards and numerous Associated Press honors. She worked as a television reporter, investigative reporter and investigative producer at network affiliated stations across the country including Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Milwaukee, WI, Indianapolis, Indiana and in Boston, Massachusetts. After graduating from Marquette University in Milwaukee, she also conducted criminal and insurance fraud investigations as a state licensed detective. Mary is also a national consumer columnist for Examiner.Com: http://www.examiner.com/x-1893-News-You-Can-Use-Examiner
Have questions for Mary? Email her at maryschwager@galtime.com. She's waiting to answer your questions!
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