Is It Illegal To Buy Fake Designer Clothes And What Happens If You Get Caught?

Gemma Collins has been busted buying counterfeit clothes(or at least shopping in a store which makes them) A good look for GC? Possibly not. Relatable? Definitely.

For many of us, part of being a teenager was coming home from the summer holidays with a fake Chloe padlock bag or a rip-off Chanel 2.55 and half heartedly pretending that it was real, rather than fifteen euros on a beach in Spain or Turkey.

But these days you don't need to be go holiday to buy a fake, and you don't have to get it from a bloke with a sheet on the ground who runs away when the police drive by. Online retailers will make you a fake of pretty much anything. Gucci trainers? Easy to find. A classic Celine bag? One click. You can have the wardrobe of a Kardashian for less than Khloe spends on her montly nail bill.

Buying fakes can feel like a real win – but unfortunately it's also illegal and immoral.

The design of an item belongs to the designer, so when a company rips it off, they're stealing (intellectual property theft). And while your heart might not bleed for big brand fashion houses, the fact is, stealing is stealing.

Fashion houses employ artists to make beautiful things, who understandably hate having their vision copied.

There's a fine line between the kind of copying that high street stores doand direct counterfeit. The aesthetic of a design can't be copyrighted, however slogans, logos and company names can. So, it's perfectly possible for Pretty Little Thing to mimic a Balenciaga dress, as long as it doesn't have the Balenciaga logo on it.

Counterfeit goods are pretending to actually be from the expensive brand, not just copying the design, which is why they are illegal. While lots of us buy them knowing they're fake, there are also problems with people being duped (especially online) and spending big money on fake products.

After the moral aspect comes the risk factor. Because these clothes and accessories aren't made legally, they're not regulated in the same way that normal items of clothing are. So, for example, something that is made of 'faux fur' could actually be made from real fur.

There's also no one checking that the materials are high quality or non-allergenic. If your shoes turn up and they've been sprayed with a paint that can make you ill, or dyed with a dye which gives you a rash, there's no recourse. Back in 2015, a fake Nutribullet exploded after just four seconds of safety testing. So, while getting a product for less than half price might be tempting, it could actually hurt you.

Some people feel that they're not doing any harm by buying counterfeit items, because the real designers have plenty of money. But this argument doesn't stack up because the money made from buying fakes often ends up funding organised crime. The City of London police says: 'Many fraudsters use the proceeds from selling counterfeit goods to fund drug dealing or other types of organised crime.'

You are unlikely to get into legal trouble if you buy fake goods, but that still doesn't mean that it's a good idea. If you sell them (including if you resell your own used fake on eBay or Depop) then you're running a serious risk of being investigated by Trading Standards, who could then report you to the police.

If you're not sure whether something is fake or not, you can usually tell by using your own judgement. If something sells for £400 at Selfridges then it shouldn't be selling for £40 online.

To avoid risk, shop high end goods either in person or via reputable designer retailers like Browns Fashion or Net-A-Porter – or, of course, directly from the brand.

If you feel pressured to have a varied designer wardrobe but you're not able to afford to buy it legally, that's understandable. A survey of 2,000 consumers by Censuswide (for eco-friendly cleaning brand Method) has found that around 10 per cent of people would throw away an item after they had been photographed in it online three times.

Social media has heaped on the pressure to have a different outfit every five minutes and to always look amazing.

Rather than shopping fakes to meet the expectation of Instagram, you could try embracing sustainable fashion and taking a break from shopping as a kind of detox.

Otherwise, rental sites have become increasingly popular of late, and there are now many options that enable you to wear a great dress for a few weeks and then swap it for something new. All of the kudos without any of the potential legal ramifications.

SHOP: Sustainable High Street Buys To Make You Feel Better About Shopping