hen the coveted 1990s graphic T-shirt arrived, the material, cut and stitches looked genuine. Yet Frank Carson, owner of Leisure Centre, a secondhand shop based in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, was suspicious.
But “digging” is now huge with gen Z on TikTok, and no one is discreet about where they are sourcing things. As thrifting gets harder, fake vintage is on the rise. When a 1992with a bunny on the front can fetch as much as £2,000 on eBay, selling counterfeit vintage has become a seriously profitable industry.
Although the practice has been widespread for years, the bootleggers are becoming more savvy. Deeps Samra, owner of online store Catalogue London, says: “It’s not just the most expensive tees being copied – they are delving deeper and doing fakes that consumers wouldn’t realise could be replicated. It’s not just generic band T-shirts – it’s more obscure graphic ones too.”Things are set to get worse. According to GlobalData, theis anticipated to grow 39% between 2023 and 2026 to reach £7.
Secondhand trader Rory Bruton, who sells at Portobello market in London under the name Dependable Dog, says it can be hard to tell the difference, especially if you are looking online. Telltale signs are the way the tags are made, whether the item has a single stitch hem and the weight of the material. “Original vintage shirts have a feel to them that people just can’t replicate,” he says.Bootleggers are also finding authentic, vintage blank T-shirts to turn into fakes.
Reselling sites are also doing their bit to crack down: eBay’s authenticity guarantee programme can verify listings such as handbags and trainers and undertakes “rigorous physical inspections”. A spokesperson for eBay UK says they are expanding the service to ensure “people have that extra layer of trust”.