Katie F (US)
Counterfeit Challenge: Louis Vuitton Murakami
Location: US
Mission: Accomplished!
original:
July 02, 2006
Joi (US)
Counterfeit Challenge: Fendi leather Spybag
Location: NYC, US
Mission: In Progress!
original:
Stephanie S: Gucci (US)
Counterfeit Challenge: Gucci
Location: San Francico, US
Mission: In Progress!
original:
redo:
Pinpilan (Tokyo)
Counterfeit Challenge: Miu Miu
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Mission: In Progress!
original:
Terry (US)
Counterfeit Challenge: Louis Vuitton Murakami
Location: US
Mission: Accomplished!
Margarita O (US)
Counterfeit Challenge: Marc Jacobs
Location: US
Mission: In Progress!
original:
Courtney B (US)
Counterfeit Challenge: Fendi
Location: US
Mission: Accomplished!
Christina (US)
Counterfeit Challenge: Fendi
Location: US
Mission: In Progress!
original:
Brodie P (US)
Counterfeit Challenge: Steve Madden
Location: US
Mission: In Progress!
original:
Anthea (US)
Counterfeit Challenge: Dior
Mission: In Progress!
Stephanie S: Chanel (US)
Counterfeit Challenge: Brown Quilted Chanel
Mission: Accomplished!
Carrie S: Coach (US)
Counterfeit Challenge: Coach
Mission: In Progress!
original:
Carrie S: Dior (US)
Counterfeit Challenge: Dior
Mission: Accomplished!
original:
Carrie S: Chanel
Counterfeit Challenge: Chanel
Mission: Accomplished!
Diana (US)
Counterfeit Challenge: Dior
Location: Oregon, US
Mission: Accomplished
Anna D (Tokyo)
Counterfeit Challenge: Chanel Quilted Purse
Mission: Accomplished!
original:
FAQ
What's going on?
It all started out as a lark--could I hand crochet a designer bag? And if so, would it look...good? Or bad? Does it matter what it looks like in the end, or is the attempt at the interpretation important? Would I be embarrassed wearing such a blatantly homemade knock-off bag? Is it like when your mom handmade your clothes when you were little because you couldn't afford new ones? Or would people--in a weird way--believe it was "real" because it had the logo on it. I wondered about all these things and more.
Rummaging around the internet, I was always stumbling across tons of crochet sites where people would post photos of their projects--handmade Barbie clothes, crochet Nascar pillows, Harry Potter scarves, etc. People were already taking advantage of their skillz to interpet the logos and commercial items in the world around them.
It seems to me that ingenuity and inventiveness lays at the heart of those who decide to make things for themselves. Crafting is overlooked, even denigrated as a viable "vernacular" form of expression. I view the impetus to handmake something in an era of mass production a personal and perhaps even political act, a way to give yourself agency to create and produce in an age of standardization and retail.
Handmade "Louis Vuitton Murakami" by Katie F
What's with the counterfeiting angle? Why aren't you making "original" bags?
Designer counterfeiting occupies a weird economic space in today's era of globalization. Many designer bags are manufactured overseas where the labor is cheap, and then sent to stores for drastic markup. China is currently the largest designer counterfeiter, with factories being able to turnaround new designs very soon after (sometimes before!) a designer item hits the runways. Counterfeiting qualities also range the gamut--from poor approximations to incredibly detailed and hard-to-tell-apart doubles.
I am fascinated by the laws of supply and demand in terms of piracy, bootlegging, and counterfeiting. The reason knock-offs exist is because people genuinely want them, or at least, are willing to settle for approximations of the real thing. And even the knock-offs can sell for exhorbitant amounts!
You could also say that each person who crochets a designer bag is essentially making an "original" bag--using their own expertise, decision-making, and tenacity, they are interpreting and creating a new, unique item.
Are you admiring or making fun of designer labels?
Both! The media machine pushes onto the public the desire for luxury goods. Celebrities tote high-end purses, and slick glossy ads amp-up the sexiness factor. Fashion is fun fun fun! But at the same time, most of us "ordinary people" can't afford such things, and some even knowingly buy knock-off products to sublimate our desires. If you take the logic one step further, and actually make the item yourself, you are in a sense taking the situation into your own hands without giving a single penny to the company brand. They have excluded you anyway, by keeping their prices astronomically high.
But doesn't this just give more power to the logo? How is this really resisting commodification if you're just repeating the logo?
Tough question. The jury is still out on this one...I personally find it fun and funny to try to translate high-end designer goods into a rather "lowly" medium. You could make the argument that it means the logo still has power over me and everyone else who chooses to repeat it. But then again, this type of handmaking goes against the grain of the standards and specifics of the corporate design. Brands are incredibly possessive of their logos and they do not take it as "flattery" when they are counterfeited.
Why crochet?
It seems like crochet is thought of as the lowly stepchild of the "finer" crafts (embroidery, needlepoint, knitting). You use only one hook instead of two needles, and it's generally easier than knitting (no dropped stitches or runs, etc.). It's also a more fluid craft, however, and you can do crazy things with it. Many seniors prefer to crochet as opposed to knit, as you can create huge blankets and afghans all at once. As a form of folk art and vernacular creative expression, crochet is a vibrant and overlooked medium.
I'm a knitter/weaver/sewer/etc.--can I still join up?
Originally this started out as a pure crochet project but I've come to realize that in order to fully explore the individualism that each person brings to the project, the parameters are actually very loose. You should feel free to add knitted elements, embroidery, latchhooking, or any other craft to your bag. I think the most important part is that you are hand-making and hand-counterfeiting a high-end product...Handbag anarchy for everyone!
Who are you?
I am a 31-year old visual artist based in San Francisco, and teach sculpture at Stanford University and the California College of the Arts. I have a long interest in issues of piracy and bootlegging as they apply to today's globalized economy, and have created sculptural works and installations based on this topic. I have worked collaboratively with artists in the past, and am very interested in treating the crafty DIY community with as much respect for their labor and expertise as any other partner.
For more information on my art practice...
And lastly, Anti-Factory...
contact me: stephanie (at) anti-factory.com
Be one of us!
Angela H (UK)
Counterfeit Challenge: Louis Vuitton Murakami bag
Mission: Accomplished
Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce the finished product of the UK wing of the Counterfeit Crochet Handbag Project: Angela has made a gorgeous Louis Vuitton and is rocking it! Check out the gold embroidered "LV" logo and little pink flowers...!
in progress:
