As the most famous marketplaces for fakes, where sellers set up shop on the sidewalk by tossing piles of bags onto blankets and hide the good stuff in secret back rooms, Canal Street had to be the scene of The RealReal's brilliant new installation.
A bit of a nod to Prada Marfa - Texas's notoriously artsy, unshoppable boutique - the luxury reseller has set up "fake" shop on the corner of Broadway and Canal. Beyond the graffitied doors, a seeming treasure trove of the most desired handbags on the market. Hermes, Loewe, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Balenciaga. The catch? Every one of them is fake, intercepted by The RealReal's expert authentication team.
Counterfeit culture is as big a phenomena as ever, with the line between originals and imitations so blurred to the common eye one must wonder, what's even real, and why even care?
On view now through the end of the summer, the exhibition will feature a once-monthly meetup where fashion lovers are encouraged to bring in their fakes in exchange for a raffle ticket that enters them for a chance to win an authentic designer bag.
So, care to admit if you have anything to drop off?
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