Fake designer wear in Thailand

Bangkok is a place known for its high fashion. In fact tourists are often surprised at the kind of fashion that is to be seen commonly on the roads, malls and night clubs in this otherwise traditional capital city. While a visit to some of the glitzy malls will give you a huge choice of names in local and international brand wear, for those whom price is a factor there is a big supply of fake designer wear.

The pros and cons of fake designer wear in Bangkok

Bangkok is a paradise for all shoppers. In fact there is something for everybody here whatever your budget might be, so if you are fashion conscious and have loads to spend just hit the malls and shop till you drop. On the other hand if you are fashion conscious with a limited budget, there is help for you too!

Markets such as Bobae, Sampeng, Patpong or Jatujak sell in their small stands some of the internationally acclaimed brands that you might never be able to distinguish unless you have a very good eye for them. It is no wonder that Bangkok has a reputation for being a place for fakes. A normal T-Shirt with an international branded logo or design is priced at about 199 Baht.

There are two sides to this predicament while a whole lot of people who are fashion conscious can buy their favorite look alike brands at unbelievable prices, the actual designers and those who spend their money on the real stuff are at a loss.

On the other hand international designers aware of this racket are wary of showcasing their products here or even setting up shop here. Their verdict is that for Bangkok to become a serious fashion capital, the trend of fakes needs to be countered and stopped. In fact most global brands do not trust Thailand and its industry to take care of their intellectual property rights.

Where fake brands are available in Bangkok

A visit to the Patpong market will reveal international designer wear for a few hundred Baht. Another such place is the Jatujak weekend market on the outskirts of the city, where customers can haggle and get designer labels and international trendy fashion stuff at less than half the price that it is available otherwise.

Pratunam is another such market that has on offer a lot of fake designer wear, with prices that are a fifth of the original ones. Wholesalers as well as exporters visit the Pratunam market to stock up on their trade requirements, and you can actually buy at the same wholesale rate as these traders.

The general rule applies that if a good is bought from a Mall, it must be original. While this tends to be true, Malls such as the MBK have many small shops dedicated only to selling fake goods. One must go to a higher class Mall to find the original.

Apart from the trend of fake designer labels there is also a market available for second-hand clothes. Unless you plan to buy some stuff from there! You need to know the names of these markets simply to avoid them too! The Talad Fai Chai, and the Lang Krasuang Market are those which deal in second hand goods.

At the Silom, Klong Thom and Pantip you can get fake designer bags and accessories, as well as duplicate versions of designers like Gucci and Louis Vuitton.

One needs to mention the growing trend of Chinese goods which are making counterfeit products that have absolutely been spread all over the market, especially with their fairly good quality standards it has the government and the law keepers in a fix.

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