In a capitalist economy, it’s a constant battle to find the best clothes at the best prices. Why buy a 400 dollar dress when you can buy 40 dollar one? Incidences of copycatting in the fashion world are a dime a dozen, all in the pursuit of high fashion clothes for low-budget shoppers.

The concept is not new. Year after year, Federated is sued by floundering boutique-owners, girls buy rip-off runway looks from the mall, and there’s the time-honored tradition of buying designer imitations in Chinatown. Americans want the quickest, cheapest route to high-fashion. If someone suffers, so be it. We live in a culture of rip-off fashion.

Recently, boutique owners and designers Anna Corinna and Dana Foley were featured in The New York Times as oft-imitated geniuses, who struggle to kick counterfeiters out of their store in an effort to protect their creativity. Paris Hilton wore a 400 dollar dress on television by the aptly named Foley & Corinna line, which was copied into a 40 dollar version soon after. The article depicted the designers as reluctant “incubators” for the large-scale counterfeit operations and even high-end designers.

However, the women of Foley & Corinna, are not victims. A small company compared to couture houses and grandscale boutiques, they have struggled to spread the word about their great looks to avoid losing fame in the constant stream of imitation. Yet they continue to profit from their designs. Although they recognize the scandalous aggression of knock-off vultures, they are rising financially in spite of the copies, and perhaps because of the initial publicity. The times article was on the front page of the Business section, and the counterfeiters who come into the store are buyers too. Shopping fuels itself; the cycle of new fashion and the people who copy continues to turn profit for both parties involved.

By Alexandra Bregman