February 11, 2025 • 23 mins
Jessica Minor, a rising fashion influencer, shares her journey from thrifting enthusiast to a viral TikTok sensation. Her passion for affordable fashion alternatives has made her a leading voice in the handbag dupe community. In this episode, Jessica discusses the evolving perception of dupes, the social media trends driving their popularity, and the challenges faced by luxury brands in an age of 'super fakes.'
Takeaway Points
- Shifting Perceptions: Learn how dupes have moved from stigma to social acceptance, reshaping the luxury market.
- The Role of Social Media: Discover how digital platforms amplify thrifty fashion trends and create viral sensations.
- Counterfeit Complexities: Explore the challenges luxury brands face with counterfeit markets and the role of law enforcement.
Our Guest, Jessica Minor is a fashion influencer and TikTok creator whose viral videos comparing dupes to high-end bags have captivated millions. Her passion for thrifted finds and budget-friendly fashion has positioned her as a trusted voice in the fashion community. Jessica’s insights shed light on the intersection of creativity, affordability, and consumer behavior in today’s fashion landscape. 🎧 Don’t miss this deep dive into handbag dupe culture with Jessica Minor.
Host Emily Blumenthal is a handbag industry expert, author of Handbag Designer 101, and founder of The Handbag Awards. Known as the “Handbag Fairy Godmother,” Emily also teaches entrepreneurship at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is dedicated to celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of building iconic handbag brands.
Find Handbag Designer 101 Merch, HBD101 Masterclass, one-on-one sessions, and opportunities to book Emily Blumenthal as a speaker at emilyblumenthal.com.
Buy Emily’s Books: “Handbag Designer 101” & “Savvy Suzanna’s Amazing Adventures in Handbags”
Youtube: / Handbagdesigner101-ihda | Instagram:/ Handbagdesigner
TikTok: / Handbagdesigner | Twitter: / Handbagdesigner
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You have to admit that some luxury companies have
gone a little crazy, like withpricing or expectations or rules
, and I think a lot of us aretired of that and it's kind of
like why should I go throughspending this much money or jump
(00:20):
through this hoop when I couldget on the Walmart website or
Amazon and get a bag that looksclose enough to it, right?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Hi and welcome to Handbag Designer 101, the
podcast with your host, emilyBlumenthal, handbag industry
expert and the handbag fairygodmother.
Each week, we uncover thestories behind the handbags we
love, from the iconic brands andtop designers to the creativity
, craftsmanship and culture thatdefine the handbag world.
Whether you're a designer,collector or simply passionate
(00:49):
about handbags, this is yourfront row seat to it all.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Welcome, jessica, minor of that Jessica to Handbag
Designer 101, the podcast.
Jessica, I sleuthed you.
You had a post after the quoteunquote work in went viral and
everybody was reposting you andI thought who better to talk
about dupe culture and handbagsthan you?
So welcome, absolutely, hi,thank you for having me.
(01:20):
So let's talk about this andthen we can reverse engineer the
whole story, the work andthoughts, feelings.
You got one, didn't you?
I got one.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
I got one with me right now my first,
unfortunately, it's really cute.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Yeah, it is, it is.
Isn't that terrible, I know, Iknow.
So how did this come acrossyour feed and were you targeted,
and how did all this come topass?
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Yeah.
So I love TikTok and one day Iwas scrolling and I came across
someone on I think her name isImani and she was at a Walmart
and she had a bag and she wasshowing the bag and I'm like, oh
, that's cute.
Now I'm assuming that itmust've been in return or
something, cause I don't thinkthe bag was ever sold at Walmart
.
I don't know how, how the videocame about, but I went online
(02:11):
and I ordered one that day andit came about two days later and
I was like this is a cute bag,I love it, I love the size of
the color.
I ordered another one like acouple later, in a different
size and a different color, andthen I made a video like
comparing the two sizes, andthat's the one that kind of like
(02:33):
skyrocketed and took off.
Were you surprised?
Yes, because, like I mean, I'vedone videos and I've shared
things and you know I didn'treally get a lot of traction, to
be honest.
But this video, I mean I thinkwe're up to like a couple
million views now and I'm justlike I don't know why, how, what
(02:55):
.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Working celeb girl.
Working celeb Right.
Over a bag at Walmart?
Have you heard from anybody thepowers that be at Hermes, or
anything like saying take itdown?
Have you had anybody reach outto you with negative feedback
saying who are you?
Why aren't you getting a realthing?
Doop, doop, doop.
Or was everybody like love youlove the story?
(03:19):
Like tell me more.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
So most of the response has been positive,
surprisingly.
But yes, there have been somenegative naysayers.
Mainly yeah, why would you buya fake bag?
Why would you want a fake bag?
If I can't afford the realthing, I don't want it.
I haven't heard anything fromWalmart or Mez, anything in that
thing.
There's so many rumors floatingaround now about lawsuits and
(03:45):
this and that, but I haven'theard anything.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
So yeah, mostly positive.
Do you consider yourself ahandbag dupe expert?
At this point, I mean, I guessI should.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
I guess I should.
This was a pretty good one.
In the past I've bought dupesthat I didn't even.
Sometimes I didn't even knowthey were dupes, but they were
just cute bags and I have acouple of those too, and I'm
just like sure I could be thedupe handbag expert.
Why not?
Speaker 3 (04:13):
So I mean, I honestly think that is a good space
because it's crowded, but thereis nobody to who comes to mind
that would be at the top sayingokay, here's your latest update
on dupe versus real.
So I think you know, maybe youfound your niche, who knows?
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Possibly Absolutely.
I wouldn't mind it, I'm not madat it.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
So how long have you been at social and doing posts
like this?
Because obviously this onebecame sticky.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Yeah yeah, I've only been on TikTok maybe like a
couple of years.
I was very late to the game, Iwas probably one of the last
people to join, and I usuallyfocus on clothing.
Ironically, I love shopping, Ilove fashion, I love sharing
thrifted clothes, thriftedoutfits, and every now and then
I throw in a bag because I justlove purses too.
(05:03):
That's the video that took offthe purse video.
So, but it's mainly a couple ofyears is mainly clothes.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
What brought you to the social platform inspiration
saying I should do this too?
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Well, because in real life, like, a lot of people
compliment my outfits or clothesor jewelry and it's like, well,
maybe I could share that online.
Of course, everybody thinksthey can be a social media, so I
figured I mean, why not?
You know, why not give it ashot and see what?
Speaker 3 (05:35):
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Speaker 3 (06:43):
No, hey, if you have the capacity and you know, look,
I have been watching videoslong enough.
I personally haven't been ableto master TikTok, which I'm OK
with.
It's a lot, it's a commitment,it's definitely something, but
you know your flow of hittingthe notes and hitting the points
and it was the right length.
And here's this and here's that.
(07:04):
It definitely was awell-executed, very simple video
.
What inspired you to make thevideo?
Specifically about the work end, as it was called?
Speaker 1 (07:15):
I think obviously I knew that it looked like a
certain bag, but also I thoughtit was a good quality bag.
At that point when I made thatvideo, I had taken that bag on
vacation and it it had held upwell.
It carried a lot.
It is leather, isn't it?
It's supposed to be leather.
How?
Speaker 3 (07:34):
does it smell.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Does it smell like leather?
It gets that little bit ofleathery smell.
So I was like this is a goodbag, it's, I mean, it's fairly
affordable, right, A hundreddollars.
I'm like people need to knowabout this bag.
You know, some y'all go getthis bag, basically.
Um, and then that morning I wasliterally switching from one
bag to the other and I'm likelet me show you guys this bag.
(07:56):
This one holds a laptop, thisone holds a computer or a iPad.
You know, and I'm just tryingto be informative and helpful.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Why do you think, though, in your opinion, that
dupe culture has taken over?
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Honestly, I think, as much as I love luxury, and a
lot of us do, you have to admitthat some luxury companies have
gone a little crazy, like withpricing or expectations or rules
, and I think a lot of us aretired of that.
(08:31):
And it's kind of like whyshould I go through spending
this much money or jump throughthis hoop when I could get on
the Walmart website or Amazonand get a bag that looks close
enough to it?
Right Gives me that same look,that same feeling, and at the
end of the day, it's just a bagthat I'm throwing my junk in.
You know, and I'm about to hopon a plane.
(08:51):
I mean, like, does it need tobe special type of leather?
Does it need to be, you know,24 karat gold?
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Well, as we were talking about before, this bag
was not made, manufactured oranything by Walmart and I think
you know a lot of people don'tknow that.
They're saying how couldWalmart do this?
This was an item that wasuploaded by a third party
through Walmart's third partysales that allow brands and so
forth and products to be soldthat would not historically be
(09:22):
sold on Walmart or in store.
Walmart or in store Walmart hadpartnered up with the RealReal,
I think two, three years ago.
You can find Chanel on Walmart.
It is not sold through Walmart,it was.
It's sold through RealReal as aplatform.
You know they have theseintegrations and so forth and
I'm sure this disappeared justas quickly as it showed up.
(09:42):
But the reality is that whoeverdid it was quick to market and,
yes, it was an infringement, itwas all of those things.
But I think to some degreeyou're absolutely correct that
people are tired, people can'tjustify it, and luxury has
gotten so much more, for amultitude of reasons.
(10:05):
Materials have gone up, oil hasgone up.
Oil has gone up.
Transportation has gone up.
There are problems gettingmaterials between supply and
demand for things to go up.
Hermes has tripled in price,chanel has tripled in price and
you can't go into these placeswithout getting an appointment.
They will kick you out, which Ilove.
(10:26):
I've seen those videos.
That's awesome.
You know you can't.
I mean, it's funny.
I was with a friend client ofmine, and we were walking in
Soho and she's like let's justpop in the Luebe store or, as
some people don't know,l-o-e-w-e, luebe, that's how
it's pronounced.
And I said I don't thinkthey're going to let you in.
(10:53):
And she's like why?
And I said you just can't walkin, you need an appointment.
So she goes up to the door and,sure enough, the lovely bouncer
guy who I haven't seen sinceI've been clubbing, was like you
need an appointment.
And she's like do you have aclipboard?
And I said honey bunny, thisisn't a club Like you can't.
That's not how it works.
Like they're filtering andthese brands are more than happy
to have you not buy their bag,to not buy their product.
(11:14):
So I think to some degree it'syou know, branding wise.
It's almost an invitation tosay hey ho, if you can't get it,
let me give you a snack whileyou wait, absolutely, absolutely
.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
I think.
There's a video now going viralof a woman at a store and she's
falling all over the groundRight Because she's getting this
offer of this bag and peopleare criticizing her.
But that is the culture.
That is what this company hasperpetuated, like this is an
honor, this is a gift, gift.
You're gonna pay me all thismoney, but really I'm doing you
(11:48):
a favor.
You're not helping me.
You know which I findinteresting you know, I do find
that very interesting thatcertain companies have taken
that power of guests, ofconsumerism, where the customer
is always right or we're here tocater to you, and they're kind
of like, no, we're not, we'renot catering, just kidding just
Like you said, do you have anappointment?
Speaker 3 (12:06):
Yeah, well, you know the divide between quote,
unquote.
What means, what affordableluxury means versus full-on
luxury, and do people reallyneed the luxury?
Do people really want it?
You know, holding on to thereal bags is actual investments.
Yeah, you know, like there'ssomething to that and I bet,
(12:28):
truth be told, you couldprobably put your bag up for
rent through the RealReal oranother one of those platforms
and people will actually try tobuy it.
You can jack up the pricebecause it's a wanted item.
Now, I'm not even kidding,isn't that crazy.
Yeah, there's definitelysomething to that.
It's not have you sought out,like, within your thrifting and
(12:49):
shopping, any other productsthat have stood out to you, that
you're saying, okay, this is astandout moment, or I've seen
other dupes that really inspiredme to make that investment just
the same?
Speaker 1 (13:00):
No, I mean, that's always been a goal of mine to
find something, a luxury item,while thrifting.
I haven't had the honor of thatyet, but that's still something
that I hold out for every timeI go.
I'm like will I find my dreambag?
Will I find a lot in jewelrytoo?
I look at a lot of jewelry, butno, I mean not yet, Not yet.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
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Speaker 3 (14:52):
What do you think from a retail perspective,
though?
Do you really feel, though,that using carrying, investing
in dupes is definitely somethingthat is perceived socially
acceptable right now?
Speaker 1 (15:06):
It seems like it is Now.
It's funny.
When I was younger and I boughtdupes because that's all I
could afford, it seems like itis Now.
It's funny.
When I was younger and I boughthoops because that's all I
could afford, it seemed like theopposite.
It's like you were embarrassedto carry those things.
But now everybody wants it,everybody wears them.
And so many comments frompeople about wear what you want.
I wear what I want.
I have the luxury item but Ialso have a dupe, or sometimes I
(15:28):
have.
I combine, you know, luxury anddupe.
But yeah, it seems moreacceptable, especially now on
social media, even kind ofventuring past dupe to more
counterfeit.
You know where they're sharing.
People are sharing canal streethauls or hauls from certain
apps that you know.
It does seem way moreacceptable than back when I
(15:49):
bought them because that's all Icould afford, you know.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
Right Now, back in the day, I mean, you would go to
Canal Street, you would have toknow which street to go to, you
would have to know whichoutpost, you'd have to have the
right knock.
I mean, even before that theywould just be on the street.
And the first wave of that wasreally with Kate Spade bags,
because those bags at that timewere super easy to copy, so to
(16:13):
sell them with the actual nameKate Spade on it, make the
labels.
It wasn't a heavy lift andthere was so much investigation
and hiring a task unit and soforth to cut back on it.
But you know, I can't tell youhow many tourists will come to
New York and their first stopwould be Canal Street, just to
(16:33):
be.
You know, you'd see people whoare clearly tourists on the
subway looking terrified thatthey're not only on the subway
with a shopping bag filled withbags and they're like going
through it, like.
You know, that's that'ssomething to brag about.
Look what I got.
That isn't real.
But you know, and there arelots and lots of stories of
(16:55):
brands and designers I can thinkof at least three off the top
of my head who their factoriesactually were making copycats
under a name that was supersimilar and you know there's
really not much you can do tostop them when you're here and
they're over there.
And even having them sign anNVA non-disclosure agreement
(17:16):
really won't do anything,because when someone's in China,
when someone's in you knowBangladesh and so forth, like
you're not controlling a factory, like you're just not.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
No, absolutely not.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, I was actually watching ashow I think it's on like Hulu
or something about the superfakes and Just like you
mentioned the task forces andpolice getting involved in
shipping and like I didn'trealize how big it is.
Yeah, it is.
(17:47):
I know that's kind of venturingmore to counterfeit type, where
people are trying to foolpeople into thinking they're
buying an actual luxury item.
I don't, yeah.
Yeah Well, I think Irmae shouldhave reached out to you and said
here's the real thing right,like that would have been great
then, like I'll be glad to stoptalking about this little dude.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
If yeah, you know, and I think they took it off, I
don't believe it's availableright now.
I don't think so.
Yeah, and I don't know why.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
Like I don't want to speculate because some people
are like, well, I have whathappened to the bag.
I'm like I have no clue.
I don't think so.
Yeah, and I don't know why.
I don't want to speculate,because some people are like,
well, where did you put thatmuch in the bag?
I'm like I have no clue.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
I don't know If they were asked to take it down, if
they sold it, I have no idea youknow, the funny thing is that
bag was available for a supershort period of time and the
amount of news that ensued justtalking about that one bag was
wildfire.
I mean you could Google it andit's like work in stories, new
(18:45):
stories.
And you know you're part of thenarrative, which is pretty cool
.
Thank you, You're part of thismoment.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
It is, it's cool, it's.
It's still so surreal, Likewhen I pulled my family.
They're just kind of like huh,Like they're still trying to
figure out what, what, what areyou talking about?
Why?
Why is everybody talking aboutthis bag?
But yeah, it's.
I just still can't believe howit's taken off.
And people are still askingabout it, they're still trying
to find it and I'm like, guys,it's too late.
It's too late.
(19:14):
I made those videos.
My first video was likeNovember, early December.
I'm like you.
My first video was likeNovember, early December.
I'm like you can't find themanymore.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
Sorry, so you made it , went on vacation and came back
and was like what yeah?
Speaker 1 (19:27):
So okay.
So the first one I boughtNovember went on vacation, came
back, bought another one, madethe video and I'm like, oh gosh,
now everybody wants these bags.
Now a lot of people bought themlike around Christmas, around
Christmas, but after that theywere gone, that's it.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
There's no more.
It's working.
Has anyone tried to buy it offyou?
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Yes, there have been a lot of people asking like
messaging, asking hey, are youtrying to sell?
And I'm like, no, I'm nottrying to sell any of them
Especially now Right, even if Ididn't want them like, I have to
keep them this is like almostlike TikTok history.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
Oh my god, you're part of TikTok lore.
At this point, providing therestill is a TikTok, which I
personally think there will be,I'm not really worried so too I
mean we've been through thisbefore?
Speaker 1 (20:13):
haven't we like they've threatened to get rid of
it before, I feel, I think,because that was like the time
when I actually joined, was likeafter the first time they were
gonna get rid of it before, Ifeel, I think, because that was
like the time when I actuallyjoined was like after the first
time they were going to get ridof it.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
Yeah Well, when it gets reacquired the whole stack
of code and the whole algorithmeverything will need to be
changed.
So one way or another, it'sgoing to impact the creators.
So they should just buckle upbuttercup and try and come up
with another way to.
You know, get famous onlinkedin with the old people and
(20:43):
see what they can come up withright, right, right, right.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
Yeah, it's gonna be something, it's gonna be
something now are you afull-time creator no, I'm
actually a teacher, that's likemy actual job, and I just do the
creative stuff on the side,just whenever I get a chance,
when I'm on breaks, on weekends,you know.
But yeah, I just.
I guess now I can say I'm acreator, but maybe just part
(21:08):
time.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
Why aren't you in school?
Speaker 1 (21:12):
right now.
Today I had a doctor'sappointment and I was like I'm
taking the day off.
I hope they don't hear this,that's pretty funny, I know, I
know, oh my gosh, but you know.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
That's really, really funny.
I am so excited that we areconnected and there was so much,
I think, in terms of what youbrought to the table and how you
did the video and being you andbeing an early adopter with
something.
Do you see this as something aslightning, happening and
striking twice with you forsomething like this?
Speaker 1 (21:48):
Well, I tell you what I hope it does.
I'm trying to figure out how tomake that happen, but I feel
like it is probably a once in alifetime opportunity for most of
us, especially those of us thatdon't really do this
professionally or take it veryseriously.
But I feel like it helps me tolearn that maybe, maybe I am
onto something with at leastwith purses.
(22:08):
I'm like if I, if people, lovethis one so much, maybe I should
try to find something else totry and share with people.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
you know, Well, I think you absolutely should.
I think, whatever it is, itworked, and I think the tone and
how you spoke about it, I thinkit definitely resonated.
I mean, well enough for me tobe like we need to talk.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
I'm not giving up.
I'm going to try.
We can try to you know.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
Oh my gosh.
Well, jessica, minor of that.
Jessica, thank you so much.
How can we find you, follow youand see more of your incredible
content?
Speaker 1 (22:43):
Well, thank you.
As long as TikTok's around, I'mat jessiemy.
I'm on Instagram under,actually, the name that I've
tried to be is thrifty, so it'sthrift, sale, gift like, because
most of my clothes werethrifted, purchased on sale or
gifted at one point in my life.
You know, but those are my twomain social media platforms,
(23:06):
yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
Okay, well, I can't wait to find you and see more of
your content and hopefully wecan have a follow-up of the next
time you go viral or evenbefore, to get an update on
who's reaching out to you andhaving you make stories so I can
say I knew you when.
Speaker 1 (23:21):
So thank you so much for having me.
I really appreciate you makingme kind of step out of my
comfort zone.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
Well, listen, I think there's more to come.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
Thanks for listening.
Don't forget to rate and review, and follow us on every single
platform at Handbag Designer.
Thanks so much.
Don't forget to rate and reviewand follow us on every single
platform at Handbag Designer.
Thanks so much.
See you next time.
You have to admit that some luxury companies have
gone a little crazy, like withpricing or expectations or rules
, and I think a lot of us aretired of that and it's kind of
like why should I go throughspending this much money or jump
(00:20):
through this hoop when I couldget on the Walmart website or
Amazon and get a bag that looksclose enough to it, right?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Hi and welcome to Handbag Designer 101, the
podcast with your host, emilyBlumenthal, handbag industry
expert and the handbag fairygodmother.
Each week, we uncover thestories behind the handbags we
love, from the iconic brands andtop designers to the creativity
, craftsmanship and culture thatdefine the handbag world.
Whether you're a designer,collector or simply passionate
(00:49):
about handbags, this is yourfront row seat to it all.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Welcome, jessica, minor of that Jessica to Handbag
Designer 101, the podcast.
Jessica, I sleuthed you.
You had a post after the quoteunquote work in went viral and
everybody was reposting you andI thought who better to talk
about dupe culture and handbagsthan you?
So welcome, absolutely, hi,thank you for having me.
(01:20):
So let's talk about this andthen we can reverse engineer the
whole story, the work andthoughts, feelings.
You got one, didn't you?
I got one.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
I got one with me right now my first,
unfortunately, it's really cute.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Yeah, it is, it is.
Isn't that terrible, I know, Iknow.
So how did this come acrossyour feed and were you targeted,
and how did all this come topass?
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Yeah.
So I love TikTok and one day Iwas scrolling and I came across
someone on I think her name isImani and she was at a Walmart
and she had a bag and she wasshowing the bag and I'm like, oh
, that's cute.
Now I'm assuming that itmust've been in return or
something, cause I don't thinkthe bag was ever sold at Walmart
.
I don't know how, how the videocame about, but I went online
(02:11):
and I ordered one that day andit came about two days later and
I was like this is a cute bag,I love it, I love the size of
the color.
I ordered another one like acouple later, in a different
size and a different color, andthen I made a video like
comparing the two sizes, andthat's the one that kind of like
(02:33):
skyrocketed and took off.
Were you surprised?
Yes, because, like I mean, I'vedone videos and I've shared
things and you know I didn'treally get a lot of traction, to
be honest.
But this video, I mean I thinkwe're up to like a couple
million views now and I'm justlike I don't know why, how, what
(02:55):
.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Working celeb girl.
Working celeb Right.
Over a bag at Walmart?
Have you heard from anybody thepowers that be at Hermes, or
anything like saying take itdown?
Have you had anybody reach outto you with negative feedback
saying who are you?
Why aren't you getting a realthing?
Doop, doop, doop.
Or was everybody like love youlove the story?
(03:19):
Like tell me more.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
So most of the response has been positive,
surprisingly.
But yes, there have been somenegative naysayers.
Mainly yeah, why would you buya fake bag?
Why would you want a fake bag?
If I can't afford the realthing, I don't want it.
I haven't heard anything fromWalmart or Mez, anything in that
thing.
There's so many rumors floatingaround now about lawsuits and
(03:45):
this and that, but I haven'theard anything.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
So yeah, mostly positive.
Do you consider yourself ahandbag dupe expert?
At this point, I mean, I guessI should.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
I guess I should.
This was a pretty good one.
In the past I've bought dupesthat I didn't even.
Sometimes I didn't even knowthey were dupes, but they were
just cute bags and I have acouple of those too, and I'm
just like sure I could be thedupe handbag expert.
Why not?
Speaker 3 (04:13):
So I mean, I honestly think that is a good space
because it's crowded, but thereis nobody to who comes to mind
that would be at the top sayingokay, here's your latest update
on dupe versus real.
So I think you know, maybe youfound your niche, who knows?
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Possibly Absolutely.
I wouldn't mind it, I'm not madat it.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
So how long have you been at social and doing posts
like this?
Because obviously this onebecame sticky.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Yeah yeah, I've only been on TikTok maybe like a
couple of years.
I was very late to the game, Iwas probably one of the last
people to join, and I usuallyfocus on clothing.
Ironically, I love shopping, Ilove fashion, I love sharing
thrifted clothes, thriftedoutfits, and every now and then
I throw in a bag because I justlove purses too.
(05:03):
That's the video that took offthe purse video.
So, but it's mainly a couple ofyears is mainly clothes.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
What brought you to the social platform inspiration
saying I should do this too?
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Well, because in real life, like, a lot of people
compliment my outfits or clothesor jewelry and it's like, well,
maybe I could share that online.
Of course, everybody thinksthey can be a social media, so I
figured I mean, why not?
You know, why not give it ashot and see what?
Speaker 3 (05:35):
happens.
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Are you a handbag designerlooking for sample making or
even production?
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Speaker 2 (06:38):
That's B-A-I-K-A-L Handbagscom.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
No, hey, if you have the capacity and you know, look,
I have been watching videoslong enough.
I personally haven't been ableto master TikTok, which I'm OK
with.
It's a lot, it's a commitment,it's definitely something, but
you know your flow of hittingthe notes and hitting the points
and it was the right length.
And here's this and here's that.
(07:04):
It definitely was awell-executed, very simple video
.
What inspired you to make thevideo?
Specifically about the work end, as it was called?
Speaker 1 (07:15):
I think obviously I knew that it looked like a
certain bag, but also I thoughtit was a good quality bag.
At that point when I made thatvideo, I had taken that bag on
vacation and it it had held upwell.
It carried a lot.
It is leather, isn't it?
It's supposed to be leather.
How?
Speaker 3 (07:34):
does it smell.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Does it smell like leather?
It gets that little bit ofleathery smell.
So I was like this is a goodbag, it's, I mean, it's fairly
affordable, right, A hundreddollars.
I'm like people need to knowabout this bag.
You know, some y'all go getthis bag, basically.
Um, and then that morning I wasliterally switching from one
bag to the other and I'm likelet me show you guys this bag.
(07:56):
This one holds a laptop, thisone holds a computer or a iPad.
You know, and I'm just tryingto be informative and helpful.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Why do you think, though, in your opinion, that
dupe culture has taken over?
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Honestly, I think, as much as I love luxury, and a
lot of us do, you have to admitthat some luxury companies have
gone a little crazy, like withpricing or expectations or rules
, and I think a lot of us aretired of that.
(08:31):
And it's kind of like whyshould I go through spending
this much money or jump throughthis hoop when I could get on
the Walmart website or Amazonand get a bag that looks close
enough to it?
Right Gives me that same look,that same feeling, and at the
end of the day, it's just a bagthat I'm throwing my junk in.
You know, and I'm about to hopon a plane.
(08:51):
I mean, like, does it need tobe special type of leather?
Does it need to be, you know,24 karat gold?
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Well, as we were talking about before, this bag
was not made, manufactured oranything by Walmart and I think
you know a lot of people don'tknow that.
They're saying how couldWalmart do this?
This was an item that wasuploaded by a third party
through Walmart's third partysales that allow brands and so
forth and products to be soldthat would not historically be
(09:22):
sold on Walmart or in store.
Walmart or in store Walmart hadpartnered up with the RealReal,
I think two, three years ago.
You can find Chanel on Walmart.
It is not sold through Walmart,it was.
It's sold through RealReal as aplatform.
You know they have theseintegrations and so forth and
I'm sure this disappeared justas quickly as it showed up.
(09:42):
But the reality is that whoeverdid it was quick to market and,
yes, it was an infringement, itwas all of those things.
But I think to some degreeyou're absolutely correct that
people are tired, people can'tjustify it, and luxury has
gotten so much more, for amultitude of reasons.
(10:05):
Materials have gone up, oil hasgone up.
Oil has gone up.
Transportation has gone up.
There are problems gettingmaterials between supply and
demand for things to go up.
Hermes has tripled in price,chanel has tripled in price and
you can't go into these placeswithout getting an appointment.
They will kick you out, which Ilove.
(10:26):
I've seen those videos.
That's awesome.
You know you can't.
I mean, it's funny.
I was with a friend client ofmine, and we were walking in
Soho and she's like let's justpop in the Luebe store or, as
some people don't know,l-o-e-w-e, luebe, that's how
it's pronounced.
And I said I don't thinkthey're going to let you in.
(10:53):
And she's like why?
And I said you just can't walkin, you need an appointment.
So she goes up to the door and,sure enough, the lovely bouncer
guy who I haven't seen sinceI've been clubbing, was like you
need an appointment.
And she's like do you have aclipboard?
And I said honey bunny, thisisn't a club Like you can't.
That's not how it works.
Like they're filtering andthese brands are more than happy
to have you not buy their bag,to not buy their product.
(11:14):
So I think to some degree it'syou know, branding wise.
It's almost an invitation tosay hey ho, if you can't get it,
let me give you a snack whileyou wait, absolutely, absolutely
.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
I think.
There's a video now going viralof a woman at a store and she's
falling all over the groundRight Because she's getting this
offer of this bag and peopleare criticizing her.
But that is the culture.
That is what this company hasperpetuated, like this is an
honor, this is a gift, gift.
You're gonna pay me all thismoney, but really I'm doing you
(11:48):
a favor.
You're not helping me.
You know which I findinteresting you know, I do find
that very interesting thatcertain companies have taken
that power of guests, ofconsumerism, where the customer
is always right or we're here tocater to you, and they're kind
of like, no, we're not, we'renot catering, just kidding just
Like you said, do you have anappointment?
Speaker 3 (12:06):
Yeah, well, you know the divide between quote,
unquote.
What means, what affordableluxury means versus full-on
luxury, and do people reallyneed the luxury?
Do people really want it?
You know, holding on to thereal bags is actual investments.
Yeah, you know, like there'ssomething to that and I bet,
(12:28):
truth be told, you couldprobably put your bag up for
rent through the RealReal oranother one of those platforms
and people will actually try tobuy it.
You can jack up the pricebecause it's a wanted item.
Now, I'm not even kidding,isn't that crazy.
Yeah, there's definitelysomething to that.
It's not have you sought out,like, within your thrifting and
(12:49):
shopping, any other productsthat have stood out to you, that
you're saying, okay, this is astandout moment, or I've seen
other dupes that really inspiredme to make that investment just
the same?
Speaker 1 (13:00):
No, I mean, that's always been a goal of mine to
find something, a luxury item,while thrifting.
I haven't had the honor of thatyet, but that's still something
that I hold out for every timeI go.
I'm like will I find my dreambag?
Will I find a lot in jewelrytoo?
I look at a lot of jewelry, butno, I mean not yet, Not yet.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
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Speaker 3 (14:52):
What do you think from a retail perspective,
though?
Do you really feel, though,that using carrying, investing
in dupes is definitely somethingthat is perceived socially
acceptable right now?
Speaker 1 (15:06):
It seems like it is Now.
It's funny.
When I was younger and I boughtdupes because that's all I
could afford, it seems like itis Now.
It's funny.
When I was younger and I boughthoops because that's all I
could afford, it seemed like theopposite.
It's like you were embarrassedto carry those things.
But now everybody wants it,everybody wears them.
And so many comments frompeople about wear what you want.
I wear what I want.
I have the luxury item but Ialso have a dupe, or sometimes I
(15:28):
have.
I combine, you know, luxury anddupe.
But yeah, it seems moreacceptable, especially now on
social media, even kind ofventuring past dupe to more
counterfeit.
You know where they're sharing.
People are sharing canal streethauls or hauls from certain
apps that you know.
It does seem way moreacceptable than back when I
(15:49):
bought them because that's all Icould afford, you know.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
Right Now, back in the day, I mean, you would go to
Canal Street, you would have toknow which street to go to, you
would have to know whichoutpost, you'd have to have the
right knock.
I mean, even before that theywould just be on the street.
And the first wave of that wasreally with Kate Spade bags,
because those bags at that timewere super easy to copy, so to
(16:13):
sell them with the actual nameKate Spade on it, make the
labels.
It wasn't a heavy lift andthere was so much investigation
and hiring a task unit and soforth to cut back on it.
But you know, I can't tell youhow many tourists will come to
New York and their first stopwould be Canal Street, just to
(16:33):
be.
You know, you'd see people whoare clearly tourists on the
subway looking terrified thatthey're not only on the subway
with a shopping bag filled withbags and they're like going
through it, like.
You know, that's that'ssomething to brag about.
Look what I got.
That isn't real.
But you know, and there arelots and lots of stories of
(16:55):
brands and designers I can thinkof at least three off the top
of my head who their factoriesactually were making copycats
under a name that was supersimilar and you know there's
really not much you can do tostop them when you're here and
they're over there.
And even having them sign anNVA non-disclosure agreement
(17:16):
really won't do anything,because when someone's in China,
when someone's in you knowBangladesh and so forth, like
you're not controlling a factory, like you're just not.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
No, absolutely not.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, I was actually watching ashow I think it's on like Hulu
or something about the superfakes and Just like you
mentioned the task forces andpolice getting involved in
shipping and like I didn'trealize how big it is.
Yeah, it is.
(17:47):
I know that's kind of venturingmore to counterfeit type, where
people are trying to foolpeople into thinking they're
buying an actual luxury item.
I don't, yeah.
Yeah Well, I think Irmae shouldhave reached out to you and said
here's the real thing right,like that would have been great
then, like I'll be glad to stoptalking about this little dude.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
If yeah, you know, and I think they took it off, I
don't believe it's availableright now.
I don't think so.
Yeah, and I don't know why.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
Like I don't want to speculate because some people
are like, well, I have whathappened to the bag.
I'm like I have no clue.
I don't think so.
Yeah, and I don't know why.
I don't want to speculate,because some people are like,
well, where did you put thatmuch in the bag?
I'm like I have no clue.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
I don't know If they were asked to take it down, if
they sold it, I have no idea youknow, the funny thing is that
bag was available for a supershort period of time and the
amount of news that ensued justtalking about that one bag was
wildfire.
I mean you could Google it andit's like work in stories, new
(18:45):
stories.
And you know you're part of thenarrative, which is pretty cool
.
Thank you, You're part of thismoment.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
It is, it's cool, it's.
It's still so surreal, Likewhen I pulled my family.
They're just kind of like huh,Like they're still trying to
figure out what, what, what areyou talking about?
Why?
Why is everybody talking aboutthis bag?
But yeah, it's.
I just still can't believe howit's taken off.
And people are still askingabout it, they're still trying
to find it and I'm like, guys,it's too late.
It's too late.
(19:14):
I made those videos.
My first video was likeNovember, early December.
I'm like you.
My first video was likeNovember, early December.
I'm like you can't find themanymore.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
Sorry, so you made it , went on vacation and came back
and was like what yeah?
Speaker 1 (19:27):
So okay.
So the first one I boughtNovember went on vacation, came
back, bought another one, madethe video and I'm like, oh gosh,
now everybody wants these bags.
Now a lot of people bought themlike around Christmas, around
Christmas, but after that theywere gone, that's it.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
There's no more.
It's working.
Has anyone tried to buy it offyou?
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Yes, there have been a lot of people asking like
messaging, asking hey, are youtrying to sell?
And I'm like, no, I'm nottrying to sell any of them
Especially now Right, even if Ididn't want them like, I have to
keep them this is like almostlike TikTok history.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
Oh my god, you're part of TikTok lore.
At this point, providing therestill is a TikTok, which I
personally think there will be,I'm not really worried so too I
mean we've been through thisbefore?
Speaker 1 (20:13):
haven't we like they've threatened to get rid of
it before, I feel, I think,because that was like the time
when I actually joined, was likeafter the first time they were
gonna get rid of it before, Ifeel, I think, because that was
like the time when I actuallyjoined was like after the first
time they were going to get ridof it.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
Yeah Well, when it gets reacquired the whole stack
of code and the whole algorithmeverything will need to be
changed.
So one way or another, it'sgoing to impact the creators.
So they should just buckle upbuttercup and try and come up
with another way to.
You know, get famous onlinkedin with the old people and
(20:43):
see what they can come up withright, right, right, right.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
Yeah, it's gonna be something, it's gonna be
something now are you afull-time creator no, I'm
actually a teacher, that's likemy actual job, and I just do the
creative stuff on the side,just whenever I get a chance,
when I'm on breaks, on weekends,you know.
But yeah, I just.
I guess now I can say I'm acreator, but maybe just part
(21:08):
time.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
Why aren't you in school?
Speaker 1 (21:12):
right now.
Today I had a doctor'sappointment and I was like I'm
taking the day off.
I hope they don't hear this,that's pretty funny, I know, I
know, oh my gosh, but you know.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
That's really, really funny.
I am so excited that we areconnected and there was so much,
I think, in terms of what youbrought to the table and how you
did the video and being you andbeing an early adopter with
something.
Do you see this as something aslightning, happening and
striking twice with you forsomething like this?
Speaker 1 (21:48):
Well, I tell you what I hope it does.
I'm trying to figure out how tomake that happen, but I feel
like it is probably a once in alifetime opportunity for most of
us, especially those of us thatdon't really do this
professionally or take it veryseriously.
But I feel like it helps me tolearn that maybe, maybe I am
onto something with at leastwith purses.
(22:08):
I'm like if I, if people, lovethis one so much, maybe I should
try to find something else totry and share with people.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
you know, Well, I think you absolutely should.
I think, whatever it is, itworked, and I think the tone and
how you spoke about it, I thinkit definitely resonated.
I mean, well enough for me tobe like we need to talk.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
I'm not giving up.
I'm going to try.
We can try to you know.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
Oh my gosh.
Well, jessica, minor of that.
Jessica, thank you so much.
How can we find you, follow youand see more of your incredible
content?
Speaker 1 (22:43):
Well, thank you.
As long as TikTok's around, I'mat jessiemy.
I'm on Instagram under,actually, the name that I've
tried to be is thrifty, so it'sthrift, sale, gift like, because
most of my clothes werethrifted, purchased on sale or
gifted at one point in my life.
You know, but those are my twomain social media platforms,
(23:06):
yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
Okay, well, I can't wait to find you and see more of
your content and hopefully wecan have a follow-up of the next
time you go viral or evenbefore, to get an update on
who's reaching out to you andhaving you make stories so I can
say I knew you when.
Speaker 1 (23:21):
So thank you so much for having me.
I really appreciate you makingme kind of step out of my
comfort zone.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
Well, listen, I think there's more to come.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
Thanks for listening.
Don't forget to rate and review, and follow us on every single
platform at Handbag Designer.
Thanks so much.
Don't forget to rate and reviewand follow us on every single
platform at Handbag Designer.
Thanks so much.
See you next time.
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