BUSINESS
Amazon Ethics and Dupe Culture
By: Lauren Sorabella
Over the past couple of years, Amazon has become a global online shopping hub for a variety of products – clothing, accessories, cooking essentials, interior decor, and more. The platform is known for its fast shipping due to its Prime services which ship and deliver most items within days of ordering. In 2018, Amazon launched its “Storefront” feature, which allows people to create gift guides and registries, and support small businesses. Now, influencers have their “Amazon favorites” circulating on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, which pull in customers who wish to shop their favorite influencers' looks while the creator receives a commission from the sales.
Amazon has also been a large contributor to “dupe” culture: a Gen-Z phrase for a cheaper replica of an expensive trend, which is highly sought after these days. With the accelerating pace of trends in the fashion world, younger people want to be able to participate in popular, timely trends without denting their fragile bank accounts. This is where “dupes” become prominent, especially on sites like Amazon where sellers can list themselves as “small businesses' that mimic expensive brands’ designs and post less-quality versions at cheaper prices. Items such as Skims bodysuits, Frankies Bikinis loungewear sets, Lululemon hoodies, and even shoes such as UGG Minis and Boston Birkenstocks have been victims to Amazon selling knock-offs of their products. Influencers proceed to put these items in their storefront and make a profit from these dupes, knocking off designers and ignoring their significant contribution to the fast fashion industry.
Marcelo Gaia, the founder of the exclusive fashion brand Mirror Palais and another victim of knock-off designs told Rolling Stone, “I’m still upset of course, but more so, it makes me upset when I see young people promoting the dupes. We have become so accustomed to easy and fast consumption… and the dupes just promote a kind of toxic culture for that”
It is easy to get roped into dupe culture. Every TikTok on my For You Page seems to display another person claiming that a cheap dupe is one of the best purchases they’ve ever made. The cheap prices and “influencer” advertising certainly make the Amazon dupes enticing, especially if the product reflects a trending or seasonal aesthetic. In response to the accessibility part of designer pieces, Marcelo Gaia says, “he supports a version of dupes that take inspiration from designs without stealing directly. He especially loves fans who send him inspired outfits they sewed together or managed to thrift, calling it “a better and healthier way to participate in fashion.” For those who think purchasing power is the only way to achieve fashion notoriety, Gaia also encourages dupe supporters to think about where their garments come from and the real human costs of always staying on trend”. However, I’ve realized how damaging the promotion of Amazon knock-offs is – both on designers’ hard work and the slow fashion industry – and hope others will too.