an observation

always trying

A few times I have the exact items in different stores, with different prices, and different labels. Also on line the same items on Amazon and on Wall Mart web site. This may not be true of higher price items. Going to check this out.

3 years ago

General

14 replies

Latest reply was from Jules

Tanya

Veteran

Hmm, that is an interesting observation.

For higher priced lines, I haven't seen this for specific items, but I have seen different labels repeat specific fabrics several times, as if they buy them from the same warehouse. This was easy to notice as these were very distinctive plaids with unique colors, and the material content was listed as the same. Last year I have bought one such plaid blazer. It was unique and the brand, which is Canadian, did not have anything else in the same fabric. This year, I noticed a British brand has several items in the same plaid, and I am contemplating stalking the pants to match my jacket for a suit look.

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Nordstrom

SMYTHE Tartan Peaked Lapel Wool Blazer

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3 years ago

Jenni NZ

Veteran

As Tanya says, I have seen different NZ designer brands with exactly the same fabric-not often. But when it did happen I guessed they had been to the same fabric supplier?
Otherwise our market may be a little small for this.

3 years ago

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

I've been looking on AliExpress to buy souvenirs for the gift store within my restaurant and this Yosemite design can be had from multiple different companies. I think the design was originally featured in a Japanese fashion magazine. You can get it in sweatshirt form, tee, or hoodie and all of them come from different makers.

So if a design is "hot" multiple companies will sew it in China. There is no copyright on design or at least it's hard to enforce.

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3 years ago

RobinF

Veteran

I have seen that on Amazon from overseas suppliers but not from name brands or brick and mortar stores. Interesting. Although now that I am thinking about it, I have noticed it with furniture online. Apparently exact same items with different item names and prices. Like maybe the store "purchases" the design and puts their own name on it.

3 years ago

Vildy

Veteran

I have Coldwater Creek cotton jeans cut pants in a dappled floral pattern in cream, camel, black and the exact same in a Gerard Darel skirt.

One year I found a patterned silky blazer and the pants to match in two different thrift stores, two different manufacturers.

3 years ago

Runcarla

Veteran

Sometimes when I can’t get something from a Finds due to the store not delivering to Canada, I check if the line has a Canadian source or I browse Canadian department stores. I’ve found identical items at Nordstrom CA and HBC (Hudson’s Bay Company) with the better price being at HBC.

3 years ago

Jenni NZ

Veteran

Actually what RobinF says about different names for the same thing happens here, particularly with a certain shoe chain which imports from France, Germany, Spain etc. I notice they name all the styles with the same letter of the brand. So Ara shoes will all be A styles, Hispanitas shoes will all be H styles, Wonders shoes W styles, etc. I think this is too much co-incidence! They must be allowed to do that with the imports.
I suppose then if I were desperate I could search elsewhere but it could make it tricky not knowing the original style. Not necessary when I like so many shoes, more than I could ever buy!

3 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

I’ve seen this online and maybe once or twice in a store. Only once did I ever see it for a designer brand… Marc Jacobs. I think a Chinese factory had to be selling a sample run. The buttons were right, the pattern was right, but not the cloth itself.

3 years ago

kkards

Veteran

Yes, this is not a new phenomenon
years and years ago (25 years ago actually), i worked for the outlet division of a mall retailer, we bought a lot of product “off the shelf” and than sent it to a sewing factory in New Jersey where they would sew our label on the garment.
also unless you are a very big brand or one with deep pockets it could be very expensive to have exclusive fabric, and in the old days you might be able to have exclusive rights to a particular fabric in lets say the US, with the internet that kind of exclusivity isn’t really relevant anymore.
In addition, much of what is sold on both the Amazon and Walmart sites is not sold thru Amazon or Walmart but is sold thru 3rd parties, and so if being sold by the same company on the 2 sites. Also beware that Amazon in particular is well know to sell fakes.

3 years ago

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Fairly common in Israel to find two pieces by two different local designers in the same print. And it is always worth googling a picture before buying online.

3 years ago

Jenni NZ

Veteran

Shevia, how do you Google a picture? That would be awesome to be able to do that with clothing. Kind of like reverse Googling is it, to find out what the original is?

3 years ago

Bijou

Veteran

The comment KKards makes rings true for Australian garment manufacturers, I occasionally see the same material used by more than one company.

3 years ago

Anonymous

Yes I see that a lot on Amazon- but good to know why it happens. I tend to avoid those pieces cause it seemed dodgy.

3 years ago

Jules

Veteran

I had always assumed these dupe items came out of the factories identical and just got different labels slapped on them. But I recently heard a theory that the same factory that produces eg. couches for a known brand like Article may also copy the design to sell to other companies but not build the dupe to the same quality standard (perhaps more evident and significant for a couch than a simple item of clothing). I remember years ago a fabber found two items in the same fairly distinct pattern, but one fabric was silk and the other poly (or similar). It’s fascinating sometimes.

3 years ago

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