Have you ever had your eye on a pricey fashion item but resisted because of the cost? Have you ever tried looking for an alternative elsewhere but could never find one? Well, Amazon has come to the rescue with their identical dupes.
Now, what exactly is a “dupe?” A dupe is short for the word duplicate, which refers to a cheaper alternative to luxury items. Although dupes copy and look identical to the real item, “they do not generally replicate trademarked logos or details.” People have been talking about dupes for a while, mostly being sparked by Gen Z’s culture. The hashtag #dupe3 alone has over 3.5 billion views.
News about the latest clothing and items spreads quickly on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, propelling the dupe trend. For example, let’s say you scroll through your “For You” Page searching for the viral Rare Beauty blush and seeing if it’s worth the cost. Suddenly, you stumble upon a TikTok that reveals the best alternative drugstore blush dupe. You can have the same effect as the $23 blush at a cheaper price.
The question is, are dupes taking over the fashion and beauty community? The answer is yes! Some brands are worried that dupes will put them out of business, but they can protect themselves by creating different price ranges, including affordable options. “They also create pieces that are very one of a kind and with recognizable logos and prints that are very difficult to replicate,” said Shereen Cohen Kheradyar, a photo and video producer. Brand collaboration can also prevent dupes and make a brand more valuable, like the H&M collab with Mugler. There are less costly items in this collab, meaning that buyers do not need to search on Amazon for alternative items.
While big brands are frustrated with Amazon dupes, Lululemon took the problem to the next level with their fiery discontent. Lululemon hosted an event at its Los Angeles Century City Mall store called “The Align Legging Dupe Swap” which lasted two days. Instead of just being annoyed by Amazon making dupes of their famous leggings, they wanted to give back to customers, showing them how their leggings are superior. The deal was to bring in one pair of the dupe-lookalike leggings and swap them in for a brand-new pair of Lululemon leggings. This helped consumers massively because the regular price for the Lululemon leggings retails at $98, and the dupes range from $15-25. Curious how this all unfolded? Click here to learn more about the fascinating details.
Although many brands do not support dupes, I’m personally a huge fan of them! With the holiday season upon us, here are my top five favorite dupes that you can easily find on Amazon and make great gifts:
1. Kim Kardashian’s brand Skims is a clothing line meant to make all bodies feel good and comfortable in your clothing. Whenever I go to the Skims website, I find myself putting everything into my shopping cart. But I look at the price and immediately second-guess myself. The Amazon dupes put their own twist on shapewear at half the price! Plus, the dupe is made of the same materials, so it will make you feel like you’re wearing Skims without costing a fortune. Amazon has mostly everything duped from Skims, like their dresses, bodysuits, long sleeves, etc. But, my favorite items to get off Amazon are their tee shirts, which list on Skims for $48, but the Amazon ones go for $18!
2. Lululemon sells yoga and exercise apparel, and its mission is to “elevate the world from mediocrity to greatness,” which means improving life, health, and exceeding expectations. When I put three items in my cart from Lululemon, the cost turns out to be higher than $100. On Amazon, I can easily find replicas of products not even close to the original price. Around summertime, I shop online for athletic shorts and like to get more than one pair. The price for a single pair of hotty hot shorts is $68, which is ridiculous! On Amazon, I can get two pairs of shorts that look and fit almost identically for $28.
3. Everyday luxury brand Aritzia creates products that honor and celebrate the diverse community. Their products are more on the high-end side of the shopping community. I love Aritzia sweatshirts, sweatpants, shorts, and other products. When I heard about the sweatshirt dupe I immediately had to look for myself! On Amazon, the price retails for $33, whereas the Artiza sweatshirt costs $78! Furthermore, on Amazon, you even have different color options to choose from, just like Aritzia.
4. Not only does Amazon sell clothing dupes, but they have many other trendy items, including their famous Stanley dupe. The Stanley has gone viral all over TikTok, saying it’s a necessity, aesthetic, and the best purchase ever. Even though I own one myself, the Amazon version is identical to the Stanley cup and has the same effect. The only difference is there is no logo. In addition to being identical to the cup, it comes in the same range of sizes from 20 OZ, 30 OZ, 40 OZ, and more! Looking back at it now, I wish I knew about the dupe for $23 instead of buying the original for $45-50.
5. Benefit’s beauty brand is known for its beauty fixes. My all-time favorite product from Benefit has to be Benetint. What is so special about this product is that it’s multipurpose for lips and cheeks. Although this product is great, the price is not. $24 dollars for something that looks like it would be a mini is way too much. But of course, Amazon has a dupe. Six color lip tint stains for a cost of $10. Not only does it come in a pack, there are four color pack options: Strawberry, Lemon, Grape, and Heart.
