Exhibition Webpage
“If mine are copied, so much the better, ideas are made to be communicated.”
Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel
Throughout fashion history, copying—whether authorized or unauthorized—has caused confusion about what should be considered an authentic designer fashion. In recent years especially, the demand for designer garments and accessories has made unscrupulous copying and counterfeiting a thriving industry.
Many designers have struggled to protect their work, but some have viewed copying as a form of publicity. The current proliferation of fast-fashion knock offs has amplified the debate about where to draw the line between referencing and direct copying, and new questions have arisen about whether or not designers should have copyright protection for their creative work.
Faking It: Originals, Copies, and Counterfeits investigates the history of fashion copies, both of both authorized and unauthorized, over the past 150 years. The exhibition uses more than 100 garments and accessories to explore the aesthetic, ethical, and legal nuances of copying. The exhibition opens with two Chanel suits—an original and a licensed copy—that appear to be identical, though their interior construction differs. It continues chronologically with examples of innovative methods designers have employed in their attempts to prevent copying. A selection of original and counterfeit accessories from the late twentieth century is accompanied by a video that details their differences. In another vein, Yves Saint Laurent’s 1965 Mondrian dress demonstrates how designers have “borrowed” from fine art. The exhibition concludes with Moschino’s witty take on the familiar corporate iconography of McDonald’s.
Faking It: Originals, Copies, and Counterfeits was organized by Ariele Elia. Special thanks to Susan Scafidi and Vanessa Carmichael of the Fashion Law Institute at Fordham. The exhibition has been made possible thanks to the generosity of the Couture Council of The Museum at FIT.
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