This book explores the consumption of counterfeit fashion goods. Despite the importance of the consumer in counterfeiting policy, there has been a lack of attention within criminology about the demand for counterfeit goods. A tendency to explain counterfeit consumption through deviance or ‘othering’ reinforces stereotypical assumptions about consumers and overplays the importance of superficial factors in consumption. This book develops an understanding of why counterfeit markets exist through exploring consumer behavior in consuming counterfeit fashion, and examining this in relation to attitudes on fashion, crime, harm and victimization. The book argues that there is a need to consider demand for illicit goods within a broader understanding of the nature of fashion and the fashion industry. This book will appeal to those with an interest in illicit markets, consumer behavior, fashion, criminology, and the harms associated with fashion and consumer industries more generally.

The emergence of 'new luxury' available at affordable prices has resulted in abundance of counterfeit products in the markets. As the extent of counterfeiting is increasing in almost every industry, it becomes critical to develop measures that can help to prevent buying and selling of counterfeit products. In exploring consumers' buying behavior of counterfeit products, this study was designed to examine the influence of individuals' characteristics or consumer orientations, both social and personal, on that generate the demand for counterfeit brands. This study employed four theoretical frameworks: (a) the Theory of Planned behavior, (b) Value-Attitude-Behavioral intention system, (c) Bandwagon effect in the theory of consumer demand, and (d) Aberrant consumer behavior. Specifically, this study investigates consumers' intention to purchase counterfeit brands based on their social consumer orientation (social conformity, status seeking, fashion consciousness, and price-quality schema) and personal consumer orientation (ethical value, social responsibility, and integrity), attitudes toward the purchase of counterfeit brands, subjective norm, and perceived control over the purchase of counterfeit brands. Further, this study aims to explore the role of price sensitivity as a moderator in understanding the relationship between attitudes and intentions to purchase counterfeit and original luxury brands. This study was conducted in the context of fashion luxury brands that sell handbags and wallets. An online self-administered survey methodology was employed to collect the data from 500 subjects. The data were analyzed by maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) procedure using structural equation modeling (SEM). Out of total 14 proposed hypotheses, 10 were significant, as expected. However, the rest 4 were not found to be significant. Status seeking was found to have an insignificant relationship with subjective norm to purchase a counterfeit brand. Fashion consciousness was found to have a negative influence on attitude while the relationship of price-quality schema with attitude was not found to be significant. Also, integrity was not found to significantly influence subjective norm. Price sensitivity did not act as a moderator due to non significant relationships between attitude and intensions to purchase counterfeit and original brands. Research and managerial implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research were drawn based on the results.

Fashion is a lot more than providing an answer to primary needs. It is a way of communication, of distinction, of proclaiming a unique taste and expressing the belonging to a group. Sometimes to an exclusive group. Currently, the fashion industry is moving towards hyperspace, to a multidimensional world that is springing from the integration of smart textiles and wearable technologies. It is far beyond aesthetics. New properties of smart textiles let designers experiment with astonishing forms and expressions. There are also surprising contrasts and challenges: a new life for natural fibers, sustainable fabrics and dyeing techniques, rediscovered by eco-fashion, and "artificial apparel," made of wearable electronic components. How is this revolution affecting the strategies of the fashion industry?

This book brings together a collection of critical essays that challenge the existing dogma of leisure as an unmitigated social good, in order to examine the commodification and marketisation of leisure across a number of key sites. Leisure and consumer culture have become symbolic of the individual freedoms of liberal society, ostensibly presenting individuals with the opportunity to display individual creativity, cultural competence and taste. This book problematizes these assertions, and considers the range of harms that emerge in a consumer society predicated upon intense individualism and symbolic competition. Approaching the field of commodified leisure through the lens of social harm, this collection of essays pushes far beyond criminology’s traditional interest in ‘deviant’ forms of leisure, to consider the normalized social, interpersonal and environmental harms that emerge at the intersection of leisure and consumer capitalism. Capturing the current vitality and interdisciplinary scope of recent work which is underpinned by the deviant leisure perspective, this collection uses case studies, original research and other forms of empirical enquiry to scrutinise activities that range from alcohol consumption and gambling, to charity tourism; CrossFit training; and cosmetic pharmaceuticals. Drawn from researchers across the UK, US, Europe and Australia, Deviant Leisure: Criminological Perspectives on Leisure and Harm represents the first systematic attempt at a criminological consideration of the global harms of the leisure industry; firmly establishing leisure as a subject of serious criminological importance.

The article explains the voluntary consumption of counterfeit goods as an example of the productive nature of consumption trends. The use of the object, as well as the symbolic manipulation operated by the consumer, in fact represents a new manufacturing process for the good itself, making the consumed object radically different from the original one. Cultural elements are essential in the voluntary consumption of counterfeit goods, since without them it is not possible to understand the scope and the diffusion of the non-deceptive counterfeiting phenomenon. Indeed, the theory linking counterfeit goods to a mere question of price is contradicted in practice by the widespread phenomenon of mixed consumption. The data on consumers of fashion goods, reveal that subjects radically manipulate objects on an ontological level. Strictly speaking, the consumed objects are not merely true or false, but equally likely. However, these processes can apply only to people with some knowledge of fashion, allowing us to conclude that those who have a high cultural capital occupy an advantaged position.

The purpose of this study is to deepen the understanding of consumer psyche and to explore consumer attitudes and intentions with respect to purchase of counterfeit fashion products. The craze to own renowned brands has resulted in increased fake or counterfeit products in the market. In order to be in tune with the latest fashion trends, consumers, who otherwise cannot afford the original brands, are opting for knockoffs. Apart from economic reasons, there are other reasons too that motivate consumers to buy counterfeit products. The study is a qualitative research focusing on understanding the way consumers interpret and make sense of their experience with counterfeit fashion products. A conceptual review was carried out to explore the possible antecedents and results of consumption of non-deceptive counterfeit fashion products.