The fashion industry is arguably the biggest target of counterfeiters worldwide. With demand for luxury goods sky-high around the globe, syndicates churn out a staggering amount of knock-off clothing and accessories, which are sold at a fraction of the price of their original versions. And the workmanship of some of the better counterfeiters is so good, it’s sometimes difficult for even the experts to tell the difference between the fakes and the real things.
A new consumer study conducted by Uswitch has revealed the most in-demand counterfeit brands and products of 2021. Using the Ahrefs search tool, they analysed Google search data to calculate the number of annual online searches for counterfeit versions of authentic products. For a more detailed look at Uswitch’s study, click here.
They discovered that the top three most searched for fashion names for knock-off items in 2021 are Rolex, Yeezy, and Louis Vuitton; with fake Louis Vuitton bags being the most popular item sought, followed by Gucci and YSL.
Brands
A Rolex watch may cost as much as £4,000 (Aprrox. RM22,381), which may explain why 228,000 searches for “fake Rolex” are done each year – more than any other designer fashion brand.
Yeezy, launched in 2015 by musician Kanye West, is ranked second on the list, with 180,000 searches per year for knockoff copies of its distinctive sneakers. Yeezy is followed by Louis Vuitton, which is famous for its brown monogram printed bags and is searched for 156,000 times each year.
Crocs are the fourth most popular designer knock-off, with 81,600 searches per year for counterfeit copies of the instantly recognisable shoe.
Gucci, which sees 80,400 searches for counterfeit items each year, rounds out the top five in fifth position.
For the full Top 10 ranking (see below), Top 10 Most In-Demand Fake Designer Fashion Brands
| Rank | Brand Name | Annual Searches |
1 | Rolex | 228,000 |
2 | Yeezy | 180,000 |
3 | Louis Vuitton | 156,000 |
4 | Crocs | 81,600 |
5 | Gucci | 80,400 |
6 | Balenciaga | 48,000 |
7 | Vans | 42,000 |
9 | Off White | 28,800 |
9 | Converse | 28,800 |
10 | Nike | 22,800 |
While designer handbags make ideal Christmas gifts, the study looked into the market for knockoffs of well-known designers. This indicated that replica Louis Vuitton bags are the most popular, with 31,200 searches per year, followed by Gucci bags with 15,600 searches per year, and imitation YSL bags in third place.
With 5,400 annual searches, other prominent brands in the top ten most-searched for list include fake Prada and Chanel bags in fifth place, Michael Kors in seventh place, and Hermes in eighth place.
For the full Top 10 ranking (see below), Top 10 Most Searched For Fake Designer Bag
Rank | Brand | Annual searches |
1 | Louis Vuitton bag | 31,200 |
2 | Gucci bag | 15,600 |
3 | YSL bag | 13,200 |
5 | Prada bag | 12,000 |
5 | Chanel bag | 12,000 |
7 | Telfar bag | 6,000 |
7 | Michael Kors bag | 6,000 |
8 | Hermes bag | 5,400 |
10 | Celine bag | 2,400 |
10 | Chloe bag | 2,400 |
Branded goods that are sold at dirt cheap prices are often too good to be true, so be careful with what you are planning to buy on the internet – unless imitations are what you’re looking for…
