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New York Times
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
How I Got Duped by Designer Dupes
My journey into the fun house of fakes began, as so many things do these days, on TikTok. Like many men, I had been content carrying a tote bag or backpack. Then my algorithm introduced me to Love Luxury, a designer consignment store offering previously owned Hermès bags. This wasn't about saving money, exactly. A Birkin with a retail price of around $12,000 — already an egregious amount of money — could be resold for twice or three times its original price. I found the extreme wealth both revolting and fascinating. I gobbled up clips of people playing the so-called Hermès Game — in which Birkin seekers tithe tens of thousands of dollars to Hermès boutiques in the hope that they might be offered the chance to buy one of their sought-after bags. My TikTok For You page soon became nothing but unboxings and reviews of other luxury brands, including Chanel, Dior, Bottega Veneta and Loewe. I began to lust after these designer goods, imagining which ones were right for me. Except that I am not rich, and neither are my parents or anybody I am likely to date. Besides, surely such sums would be better spent on the deposit for a house. But the overwhelming deluge of bag content made me desperate for the luxury my lackluster bank balance would never permit. Then my algorithm served me up handbag dupes and replicas, imported from China. Buying them felt like an act of rebellion against the luxury brands that help enforce class division. But I couldn't stop. Buying dupe after dupe quickly became a destabilizing obsession — on account of platforms that incentivize everything but stopping. When I came across a video about the now-viral Walmart Birkin — or Wirkin — I saw a way to participate in a world that had enthralled me. While we don't have Walmart in Britain, I found one on an online marketplace called OnBuy. I bought it for $61. It took nearly a month to arrive from China. When it did, I was delighted. I doubted it was anything close to an authentic Birkin, but it was soft and smelled like real leather, not plastic. I took it out that night to meet friends, showing it off like a child with a new toy. They passed it around, surprised by how luxe it felt and giggling over the idea that I was now cosplaying as an überwealthy fashionista. Carrying this bag allowed me to escape into the fantasy of unachievable wealth. I felt like someone who no longer struggled to pay the rent. In 2019 the sale of counterfeit goods accounted for 2.5 percent of world trade, worth a total of $464 billion. On Reddit, there is a robust subculture of dupe hunters. The counterfeits they seek not only democratized access to designer bags but also were symbols of resistance against the apparent greed of companies like Chanel and LVMH, which over the past six years have vastly increased prices and scored growing profits. My Wirkin was also a subtle way of signifying my queerness. I have always been a tad queeny, something that was derided when I was a child. As a result, I have clung to traditionally masculine fashion in the hope that it would shield me from homophobia, while my queer friends embrace women's clothes and dabble with makeup. Carrying a handbag became a way to display femininity in a way that is true to who I am. Next I bought a dupe of Bottega's intricately woven Andiamo bag, then a fake Coach bag, then a faux Acne Studios tote, another pretend Birkin (burgundy, size 35), a counterfeit Goyard Saint Louis in green and a dupe of a delightfully slouchy Songmont crossbody. If real, they would have cost me over $37,000. Instead, I was out only around $400. That may not seem like much to some (how fortunate), but for me, it was about half a month's rent. I took on debt. I told myself I could afford the bags by spreading the cost with Klarna, a buy-now-pay-later program, despite each additional purchase and the subsequent partial payments pushing me further into overdraft. I have spent hours and hours scrolling Chinese e-commerce platforms like DHGate and AliExpress, coveting fakes for sale. I've messaged sellers about the leather used on their replicas of Loewe's signature Puzzle bag (authentic: $3,500; dupe: $90). I've stayed up until 4 a.m. reading user reviews of the Row's more structured Margaux bag (authentic: $5,500; dupe: just over $100). Whenever I ordered something, I compulsively tracked my package from China to Britain. When it arrived, I'd tear open the many layers of packaging and smell the bag, caress the leather and examine the hardware. Though I had no reason to, I would leave the house with it, eager to take it on its debut outing. I've carried a Birkin to the supermarket, filling it with produce for dinner that evening, and worn my Andiamo, empty aside from some lip balm and a book, to the pub. Friends and family began to express their concern at the number of bags I was ordering. 'I think it's important that you stop,' my friend Kate texted me. I agreed, but each night social media led me back to the bags. A few weeks later, only after my friend Jonathan mentioned that he found the hyperconsumerism I was engaged in distasteful, I really took pause. I looked back on the previous months and saw someone in the grips of an obsessional spiral. By chasing the dopamine hit that came with securing the next bag or gobbling up TikToks, I wasn't able to see my addictive and destructive behaviors or the way that debt would only continue to mount. I was skimping on my food shopping, taking on extra work and avoiding social situations where I knew I would have to spend money. I put off going to the dentist. I was out of control, like someone possessed, spending far beyond my means. I felt foolish; these bags had been tarnished by my newfound shame. I deleted TikTok, as well as the apps for the Chinese marketplaces, but by then, it was too late: The rest of my social media accounts were flooded with handbag content. On YouTube, my home page was a solid wall of influencers doing bag hauls from China. Almost every Instagram story I watched was followed by a luxury brand or retailer offering designer bags for sale. I was even pushed targeted ads while reading the news. I began to see this all for what it was: a symbiotic network of influencers, social media, e-commerce platforms and digital advertising, all designed to capitalize on my inability to regulate myself. How do you endure life online when that life consists of constantly being sold things? While the obvious answer is to log off, how feasible is that, really? These social media platforms are designed to extract not only our time but also, increasingly, our money — whether we can afford it or not. I can't entirely absolve myself, though. By buying these bags, I was chasing the illusion of status or happiness. While I self-soothed, I was still complicit in voracious consumerism. There was nothing radical or rebellious about it; I was still entranced by the lure of luxury brands, eager to be a part of their club. I had been duped by the dupes.
Harpers Bazaar Arabia
13-05-2025
- Business
- Harpers Bazaar Arabia
Emily Abraham: The Entrepreneur Rewriting Luxury Re-Sale
The co-founder of Love Luxury is focusing on intentional luxury, driving circular fashion in Dubai In a world where true luxury lies in the details, Emily Abraham is quietly—yet confidently—reshaping the narrative of accessory collecting. As co-founder and CEO of Love Luxury, the pre-owned boutique with coveted flagship addresses in London and Dubai, Abraham has translated the art of resale into a realistic realm, where aspiration becomes accessible to those in the know. Sharp-eyed and well-seasoned in the art of spotting a true gem, Emily is part curator, part entrepreneur, and wholly committed to authenticity. At Love Luxury, which deals in everything from It bags to investment-worthy watches and rarefied fine jewellery, discretion is as valued as the pieces themselves. 'Our clients come to us for more than product,' she says. 'They come for an experience—one grounded in excellence, trust, and an intuitive understanding of what luxury feels like.' With its international clientele of collectors, stylists, and A-list names, Love Luxury has become a trusted name in the global resale space—largely due to Abraham's instinctive grasp of what today's high-net-worth clients demand: service with integrity, and style without compromise. Abraham's path to luxury retail wasn't linear—but over the course of her career, she has established a voice that is increasingly shaping the conversation around circular fashion and modern luxury. She speaks often about intention and integrity—two values that permeate not just the brand, but her philosophy as a founder. Emily is also keen to ensure that those who love luxury, are able to access it and indulge in it, without any sense of alienation. 'We're not chasing trends or traditional growth metrics,' she explains. 'We're evolving in a way that feels aligned with our values. Quietly, intentionally. It's about refining every detail and letting the work speak for itself.' And it does. The Love Luxury name has become shorthand for the new era of conscious collecting: where sustainability and sophistication intertwine, and where resale is no longer a compromise, but a first choice. Outside the showroom, Abraham remains an active advocate for female entrepreneurship, using her platform to champion purpose-led business and empower the next generation of women leaders. Like the heirloom pieces she trades in, her vision is timeless—rooted in value, and destined to endure.
Daily Mail
10-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE We lost £400,000 in deals after WhatsApp blocked our business phone numbers - and they still won't tell us why
A British business has lost around £400,000 in potential deals after they have been forced to start 'from the bottom' after numerous numbers for their designer resale was inexplicably blocked by WhatsApp. Love Luxury co-founders, Emily Abraham, 45, and her husband, Adam Abraham, 38, had built up an extensive clientele of around 21,000 customers via WhatsApp for their well-renowned designer resale business. They had purchased several phone digits via VIP numbers for themselves and employees to enhance their brand recognition as well as to build customer trust, so punters knew they were 'genuine'. Mr Abraham revealed to MailOnline his company had spent around £16,500 on premium numbers as well as the monthly charge of around £35 for each unique set of phone digits. And all was well for a while as the lavish firm, well-known for the resale of handbags and watched, as its employees continued to carry out successful deals selling luxury resale items to loyal clients via WhatsApp, until tragedy struck last March. Store manager Marya, who dealt with around 200 to 300 clients, was the first of several members of Love Luxury to have their numbers blocked by WhatsApp, in what would be a series of incidents, rocking their firm to its core. Divulging that the ordeal had '100 per cent' damaged their relationships with clients, the Love Luxury co-founder estimated between £300,000 to £400,000 worth of deals were being made across all the numbers when they were banned. He told MailOnline: 'In total, we have about 21,000 contacts that can't get in touch with us, and in regards to value of deals we were all doing on those days, I would say they were around £300,000 to £400,000 'I actually feel embarrassed for all the clients who know me. I've got such a great client base. I've done so much great work for so long that that it's just, you know, it's turned into this.' Recalling the morning, Marya had her business number blocked on WhatsApp, Mr Abraham told MailOnline: 'All of a sudden, Marya woke up in the morning and WhatsApp was banned. She was devastated. She was in tears. I'll be honest, I've never seen her in that state before. 'She doesn't save 300 clients numbers, she messages them. So when all the messages were gone, she couldn't get back to them. It made her look like she's blocked thousands of people.' Love Luxury then attempted to appeal the block, but as it was never reinstated, however Mr Abraham knew something was awry when the second premium number he purchased Marya was nearly immediately blocked once instated. And Marya wasn't the only one impacted at Love Luxury, as much like a domino-effect, others were blocked on the app including both Abraham's business numbers as well as Adam's personal number, which he had used for nearly a decade. Countless of their customers believed they were blocked by the business, as Mr Abraham divulged they would regularly receive around 700 to 800 messages a day concerning the issue. 'Most clients assume we blocked them. I've had people messed me up until today saying, "you know, your staff blocked me, how unprofessional of her",' Mr Abraham said. 'It's really embarrassing, especially as a director of a brand. The last thing I would do is explain to every single person you haven't been blocked. They still don't believe it.' 'The 70 per cent of the people that we're losing... I'm trying to find solutions we can sort of build it back up again, but it's just, it's just been really frustrating for everyone,' he said. 'It feels like we are right at back at the bottom, and climbing back up again. Obviously we've built up, but when with this type of business, you can't afford to go back. It's the last thing we need right now. 'It feels like we just back 5 years' worth of clients and knowledge, and I mean, we're actively fighting every single day.' Emily added: 'It's pure frustration. All that we have worked so hard for has essentially been ruined for literally no apparent reason. 'How is it we can pay for a business service and we are using it as we should be and they just turn around remove our service that we have been paying for.' But their stress has only been exacerbated as WhatsApp refused to give any assistance or answers as to why their numbers had been struck off. 'My feeling on WhatsApp are that they are charging people for a service and then taking the service away with no prior notice,' Emily said. 'You wake up one morning its gone, you appeal it they have no real appeal process. 'The appeal process appears to be a complete shambles, the customer service is horrifically poor, its probably the worst we have experienced in our lives.' She added: 'We do everything by the book, we run our business as any business should be run and there literally is no reason for it' 'I just feel that we've had no support whatsoever [from WhatsApp],' her husband added: 'We're in this position and now we're just worried. 'We don't want to use WhatsApp business anymore because we don't know what's gonna happen, and it doesn't look right for the clients that it's blocking them. He added: 'This whole business has got a reputation, and when you sell high-end goods, reputation is key in our business. 'I just feel that it's completely tarnished the brand's name for all the hard work that Emily, myself - every single person in the whole company works so hard to build the brand.' Now, they have been working in overdrive in attempt to replace WhatsApp which was previously at the core of their business structure. 'Everyone trusts WhatsApp,' Mr Abraham added: 'So when you use another app on Love Luxury, it just doesn't go, it doesn't sit well with the brand. 'It doesn't sit well with even the clients, like, not every client has like Telegram, for example. 'So if we go with the Telegram, it's like, oh, you know, we have to install it, we're gonna download it to just to speak to Love Luxury, but everyone has WhatsApp.' A WhatsApp spokesperson said: 'We are always working to stay ahead of people trying to abuse our service and we work to detect scam activity and ban accounts to help keep users safe. 'If we get this wrong, we fix it as quickly as possible to get people and businesses back chatting.' It is understood several numbers that were 'wrongly blocked' are now live. The Abraham's have said the numbers can now be used for personal use but maintain they are still blocked by WhatsApp.
