Counterfeit removes exclusivity of items: authenticator
A luxury authenticator has raised concerns that South Africa has become a hotspot for fake luxury items.
This comes after this month's police seized a container filled with counterfeit designer clothing estimated to be worth around R400 million at the Durban Harbour.
Michael Zahariev from Luxury Reseller says more concerning is that an increasing number of triple-A grade replicas of luxury items are becoming more difficult to distinguish from the original.
READ: PICS: Gucci, Louis Vuitton among R400m fake brands seized at Durban harbour
He says many of these have now flooded social media platforms like Instagram.
"Brands pride themselves on the exclusivity of their items and the more counterfeit items that get out there the more to take away from the exclusivity of the items. I think the big problem is when buying counterfeit goods is engaging in a syndicate which is often linked to criminal activities."
