Status symbols are as old as the road to Rome, and unsurprisingly, the upper crust of ancient Romans were quite keen. In today’s digital age, it’s no different, but status symbols and luxury have become omnipresent, settling deep into the brain of young and old. And while only a happy few can actually afford the very best in fashion, lifestyle and what not, there’s a very large demographic who don’t mind faking it. Indeed, we’re talking the malicious world of counterfeit merchandise. The RealReal, the planet’s largest online marketplace for authenticated, resale luxury goods, has opened up shop right next to Dunkin’ Donuts on Canal Street in New York City, an address notoriously known for shady businesses dealing in knock-off trophy bags. Well, it’s not so much a shop as a retail space-inspired installation which boldly addresses this flourishing illegal practice.
Created in collaboration with local creative agency Mythology, it’s branded as a new The RealReal retail space, but, at a closer look, the store exclusively stocks non-shoppable luxury dupes confiscated during the company’s authentication process. The 35 different bags, put on display in clean and understated all-white grid shelving units, are impossible to decipher as fakes with the naked eye. As said, the bags are not for sale because this store will never open or sell anything. In fact, in an office above the store, reminiscent of the back rooms of Canal Street where the ‘best’ fake bags are sold, The RealReal will stage activations that honour the what’s real, including an open invitation to turn in counterfeits on the following dates for a chance to win the real thing from The RealReal: Jun 22, Jul 20 and Aug 17. Additionally, there’ll be conversations with thought leaders from the community (open through September). © superfuture
The RealReal
301 Canal Street (Tribeca)
New York, NY 10013
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
