Designer Inspired Handbags
From LoveToKnow Handbags
Designer inspired handbags are essentially weak facsimiles of high-profile designer bags. These handbags capture the basic hardware and pocket placements, color schemes, and body styles of designer goods while making no attempt to adopt the logo of brand names. Hence, these handbags are not replicas, but rather knockoffs of popular designer handbag styles.
Why Purchase Designer Inspired Handbags
The rationale behind designer inspired handbags is relatively simple: you can't afford otherwise. Style inspired handbags can give you the opportunity to sport the admirable styles of designers such as Gucci or Dolce at an affordable price. Because high designer handbag prices typically range from the mid hundreds to high thousands, depending on the edition, the common consumer is not eligible for some of the most interesting products on the accessory market.
Fashion Filtering
Many shoppers are unaware that a seemingly kicky handbag that they purchased at a reasonable price is actually inspired by the seasonal runway products of a high designer label. In fact, many lower level designers wait to see what is arriving off the New York Runway from big names like Louis Vuitton and Chanel before they sketch out their own seasonal merchandise.
Companies such as Banana Republic and Ann Taylor are notorious for knocking off the cutting edge trends of higher runway names. Even mid-level handbags designers like Dooney & Bourke are frequently inspired by other designers. In fact, fans of the Louis Vuitton monogram multicolor collection may notice an uncanny likeness when viewing the Dooney & Bourke IT line. And, true to the filtration theorem, smaller designers have taken lengths to knockoff the "IT".
Fans of high-fashion will easily recognize designer inspired handbags, tracing the colors and styles back to the seasonal line of the original designer. But designer inspired handbags serve to show the average consumer just how much influence high designers have upon the entire fashion industry.
Common Inspirations
So which designers are commonly responsible for inspiring knockoff handbags? Undoubtedly, some of the most influential designers within the handbag industry have been and still are:
- Louis Vuitton
- Marc Jacobs
- Gucci
- Dolce & Gabbana
- Prada
The boxy styles of Marc Jacobs granted the handbag industry a love for plentiful square pockets, whereas the signature monograms of Gucci and Louis Vuitton made consumers long for the sophistication of simple recognizable designs. One could easily make a connection between the simple black nylon designers of the standard Prada line and the likewise simple black nylon designs of Kate Spade.
Why Fabricate?
When taking into account the highly creative environment that defines the world of fashion, it is a wonder why any designer would want to produce designs that are parallel to a fellow designer label. However, fashion is still an industry, and a successful business usually panders to the demands of the market. By copying an already booming high designer label, it is almost assured that your designs will sell, especially if your prices are substantially less than the original style.
Many consumers could care less about the brand they are purchasing, and, instead, choose to focus on the acquisition of dazzlingly trendy styles. The Hermes Birkin is one of the most replicated and knocked off products on the handbag market. In fact, the Hermes Kelly bag was the inspiration behind the infamous celebrity-toted Jelly Kelly that had Hermes understandably in a huff. Imagine, one of the most posh and exclusive international handbag names reduced to a line of ubiquitous rubber bags. High level designers are not always flattered by their imitators.
Where to Purchase
Designer inspired handbags can be purchased just about anywhere. It's almost a guarantee that one or two styles in a handbag bin will be inspired by a brand name. However, if you are searching for a bag inspired by a specific designer, it is best to run a Google search for the desired product.
However, do pay special attention to exactly what you are purchasing, as many bags that claim to be designer inspired may actually be replicas. Replica handbags are part of an illegal operation and consumers should take special pains to avoid the support of the economically harmful and criminal replica industry.
This page has been accessed 2,358 times. This page was last modified 03:14, 2 November 2007.
© 2006-2008 LoveToKnow Corp.

