To counterfeit my daughters Christmas presents?

[Wazzitnow]

OK, so she's into some obscure person ATM. Shes autistic and her people of interest changes bi yearly.

Right now it's this person who has a clothing range that is only available in the USA and is crazy expensive. $100 for a hoodie "$40 for a Tshirt type thing.

She's never seen his merch in real life and it's really cheap iron on kind of stuff.

And his inside label tag is very simple.

I have a printing machine and could very easily forge the items and make the label for inside the collar too.

I don't want to spend that much money on some obscure Tshirt with 1 word on just for the label.

But in true autistic teen style this is all she wants.

I'd get charged import fees too.

It's unlikely she would ever know because ei doubt she will ever come across a real piece of merch from him

And the style he has along with the label he has means it would be super easy to make and there would really be no way for her to know.

I wouldn't be selling them obviously. Just a few items, couple of Tshirts and a hoodie for her.

Would be around £35 quid instead of £200+!

And I know she won't be into him by summer either which makes me even more reluctant.

My son also gets obsessive about something as may have aspergers and will save for it, young adult, then as you said is onto something else.

I would 100% do it, BUT I would probably tell my DD that I had made it especially for her.

I think she would appreciate it and love it more if she knew I had gone to the effect of making something special.

I'd buy the real deal but that is rooted in my own childhood. I'd have loved the item until I wore it to school and the other kids picked up it wasn't the real thing. I'd have been bullied for that then. It wouldn't be an issue unless the classmates were into the same person and wearing the real deal themselves. That's me projecting terribly though, but maybe something to think about.

Of course I'd then have gone home upset about being bullied and my mother would have told me ungrateful I was, even though the complaint wasn't even about the clothes.

😂genius 👏

@Hibambinos what your mum organised sounds wonderful and even more magical than the real thing.

Go for it.
HOWEVER… I would check on YouTube for “unboxing” videos to mare what the packing usually looks like, you don’t want to be caught out by a detail!

She's not selling it.

She will know. Get what you can afford.

It's the OP who would be counterfeiting it so I don't understand your point?

@WTLife that would have probably been me as well as a child. I wore some awful stuff as a child. In my case I was desperate for my mother's love, so wore what she got me to get her attention.

My DD loves vintage and charity shop finds.

I think she wouldn't mind at all if something was made. She'd happily tell her friends that it was made especially.

I'd get some other bits she wanted, but if the items the OPs wants are that expensive and difficult to get I'd definitely baulk at that too.

If this person’s work is so generic that any old random can easily copy it and they are charging vulnerable followers $100 for basic clothing then they deserve to be ripped off.

I would if you're on a low income. I've done it with other items. Obviously if it was something really specific it'd be mean to steal, but if it's just common words I would go for it.

If she absolutely won't be able to tell then I would.

Absolutely do it. I can't believe people on here are saying you shouldn't 🙄

Yep do it!

Very sensible

When you do it OP, please don’t tell anyone and I really mean anyone because this way it might come out. Some relatives might be really stupid or chatty or mean. Just do it and forget about it.

I'd tried to encourage my own children to be resourceful about clothes and it's great your daughter knows how to do the charity shop thing. You can find good things there. Home made is best IMO.

Your DD might have a different kind of group to go to school with than I did. If I'd tried to take pride in it being homemade I'd have been shot down by the other kids in flames. Looking back now I suspect their parents are responsible for the crazy materialistic attitudes they had at such a young age. Not nice kids, but you don't see it that way when you're 5-13. Now I thrive on being different.

What if she asks you if it’s the real deal? Would you lie outright and say yes? I think if you lied to her and she found out later, that could be really damaging.
I understand it’s tempting but it could easily backfire. If she’s as obsessed as you say, then surely she could spot something amiss.

I think this is the best way. And tell her they are very expensive items considering she will change faves soon anyway. Be honest with her, she may be unaware that she’s unthinkingly following trends that aren’t even that original or genuinely good. I would basically tell her just that.

I was totally against you deceiving her but after reading the comments, I’m not as self righteous about it 😂 but I think it’s best to take above poster’s advice simply because it might prevent her from pulling this on you every time she’s due a present.

I just realized telling her it’s not available to buy would also be deceiving her, so just disregard everything 😂

I think for autistic girls, this sort of thing can be about fitting in when it's already hard to do so. That only applies if other kids in her sphere are also into the same thing. Sometimes it's not about the item itself but about being part of the group. It's really hard to be outside that.

(Speaking as the probably autistic kid whose parents told her she didn't have to be like everyone else - which is so true and valued now - but is tough when you're a preteen who is already finding it hard to fit in.) I think I've responded to being the outsider by making being different a trademark from my mid-teens on. That hasn't changed now at 49.

With regard to copyright, although the item needs to look like the original in this case, if it is not exactly the same there should be no case for infringement, so maybe something added to the replica, or left off. Using the 'designer' name on it would not be a good idea even though it would make it look more original.

Of course this only matters if anyone sees and recognises the copy as a copy.

At first I thought, yes, go for it. Then I thought, would it be a good thing to pretend to have spent a lot of money and to set a precedent, taking the chance of being found out, so now I am not so sure.

I'd definitely do it! It'll be cheaply made anyway.

I thought this too.

Moral issue aside, if she DID share images online and was told they were fake, it would be really embarrassing for her.