Piracy,
counterfeiting or bootlegging can be an annoying eyesore and headache in
fashion retailing. Growing up, working as a urban clothing sales associate or
as a sneaker head, urban fashionista or a plain old brand loyalist, I often
despised the consumer who participated in the purchasing of fake apparel because these consumers adamantly believe that the product that they were
wearing was not a fake. Sorry, but you have been hoodwinked and bamboozled. I
understand the feeling of wanting to belong or don the latest fashions. It
feels good to be in the ‘in crowd' sometimes, doesn’t it? However, I am not always a fan of the, 'fake it
till you make it' plan. In some regards, I am purest when it comes to fashion,
sneakers and style. If I can afford brand, I will purchase the brand. If I
cannot afford it then I can wait till I can afford it but never will I wear
pirated or counterfeit shoes or apparel because I can be a clothing snob or brand slave at times. Not to mention, I may be fooling others but I am not fooling myself.
To assist apparel and footwear companies in fighting the good fight against counterfeiters, the
American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), provides members and visitors
a like with an anti-counterfeiting coalition issue tool kit. In conjunction
with the Coalition Against Counterfeiting and Piracy (CACP) of which AAFA is an
active member, released recommended steps companies can use in order to protect
their supply chains from counterfeiters. As mentioned on AAFA’s webpage, CACP
partnered with U.S. Chamber of Commerce and provided companies with a tool kit
that, “[C]ontains best practice[sic] guidelines and seven case studies of
companies that devised and implemented aggressive techniques to fight
counterfeiting and piracy and protects themselves and their customers”.
