While the popularity of stunningly fake Louis Vuitton handbags and Gucci belts purchased off of Canal Street has surged within the past decade, few savvy shoppers and bargain-hunters realize that this epidemic has been an ongoing trend since the 19th century. Faking It, a new exhibit now on display at The Museum at FIT, explores the various levels of authenticity in fashion spanning back to the mid-1800s. This exhibit has every fast fashion piece you never even knew existed, from original designer garments to licensed copies and counterfeits.
"The main factor that inspired this exhibition was my interest in the rise of fast-fashion knockoffs and the fact that counterfeit purchases have shifted from buying on the streets, to buying items on the Internet," says Faking It curator Ariele Elia. "We wanted to see how far back it really went."
Elia's mission to take the viewer back into the earlier days of counterfeit culture is accomplished. Starting from the beginning, the exhibit examines the first-known logo and unique garments that consisted of Charles Worth's namesake brand, House of Worth. Aiming to differentiate his designs from the rest, Worth was one of the first to sign his label name inside of his own garments as a sign of authenticity. And thus, the forgery of fashion began.
Skipping ahead to the licensing-heavy era of the 1960s, two wool bouclé Chanel day suits—one an original; the other a licensed copy—are placed side by side to allow the viewer to try and dissect the differences between each. Is it the iconic buttons? The number of pockets? Or perhaps, the recognizable fabrication?
While the Chanel tweeds and House of Worth labels may seem dated, younger viewers can find solace in the fact that their generation is also just as guilty of giving into the temptation of logo-ripping fashion. The exhibit concludes on a high-calorie note with a display of designer Jeremy Scott's debut collection for Moschino. With glaring yellow logos and flashes of red that mimic the iconic McDonald's logo, the debut collection managed to bring brand-jacking back to the fashion forefront. It also managed to ask the moral and legal question of how much is too much fast fashion.
Whether you're innocent or guilty of buying into fast fashion, we guarantee that this is the only exhibit where you'll see an original MCM knockoff jacket from Dapper Dan of Harlem across the room from a counterfeit '50s Dior evening gown.
Faking It runs through April 25, 2015
The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology
560 Fashion Avenue
New York, NY 10018
MAP![]()
On the left is a Chanel day suit from 1966, on the right is a near-identical licensed copy of the same Chanel day suit. Can you spot the differences? All photos courtesy of The Museum at FIT![]()
The exhibit features an interactive video that dissects the differences in authenticity behind each Chanel jacket. ![]()
LA-ba
"The main factor that inspired this exhibition was my interest in the rise of fast-fashion knockoffs and the fact that counterfeit purchases have shifted from buying on the streets, to buying items on the Internet," says Faking It curator Ariele Elia. "We wanted to see how far back it really went."
Elia's mission to take the viewer back into the earlier days of counterfeit culture is accomplished. Starting from the beginning, the exhibit examines the first-known logo and unique garments that consisted of Charles Worth's namesake brand, House of Worth. Aiming to differentiate his designs from the rest, Worth was one of the first to sign his label name inside of his own garments as a sign of authenticity. And thus, the forgery of fashion began.
Skipping ahead to the licensing-heavy era of the 1960s, two wool bouclé Chanel day suits—one an original; the other a licensed copy—are placed side by side to allow the viewer to try and dissect the differences between each. Is it the iconic buttons? The number of pockets? Or perhaps, the recognizable fabrication?
While the Chanel tweeds and House of Worth labels may seem dated, younger viewers can find solace in the fact that their generation is also just as guilty of giving into the temptation of logo-ripping fashion. The exhibit concludes on a high-calorie note with a display of designer Jeremy Scott's debut collection for Moschino. With glaring yellow logos and flashes of red that mimic the iconic McDonald's logo, the debut collection managed to bring brand-jacking back to the fashion forefront. It also managed to ask the moral and legal question of how much is too much fast fashion.
Whether you're innocent or guilty of buying into fast fashion, we guarantee that this is the only exhibit where you'll see an original MCM knockoff jacket from Dapper Dan of Harlem across the room from a counterfeit '50s Dior evening gown.
Faking It runs through April 25, 2015
The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology
560 Fashion Avenue
New York, NY 10018
MAP
On the left is a Chanel day suit from 1966, on the right is a near-identical licensed copy of the same Chanel day suit. Can you spot the differences? All photos courtesy of The Museum at FIT
The exhibit features an interactive video that dissects the differences in authenticity behind each Chanel jacket. 
LA-ba