Dupe culture has challenged brands to grapple with how they can protect their designs. In 2013, brands began marketing their products to consumers on social media sites like TikTok and Instagram. Fast-fashion retailers noticed the gap between consumers who desired to purchase trending products but could not afford them and began replicating popular designs and selling them for cheaper prices.  

Dupe companies are increasingly copying luxury brands’ advertising to sell duplicate products, raising questions about intellectual property and fair competition. As consumer interest in high-end fashion skyrockets, driven by claims such as Birkin bags outperforming gold as an investment, luxury brands are seeing record-breaking sales. These companies spend millions on tailored advertising campaigns. In contrast, dupe companies, which sell inexpensive copies of luxury goods, cut costs by copying the advertising that luxury brands invested significant time and money to develop.