Major fashion brands have responded to claims made in Chinese videos that some of their luxury products can be bought much cheaper, directly from the factories they’re allegedly made in.
Following the trade war between the US and China kicked off by Donald Trump’s tariffs, a whole load of things which are made in China have become a lot more expensive for Americans to buy.
It is perhaps not such a good idea to slap 245 percent tariffs on a country that makes so much of what people buy, but Trump has done it anyway and things have only escalated from there.
Since the trade war kicked off there have been many posts on TikTok from China that have mocked the US for having so many of its things made in China, with Chinese influencers and factories joining in.
Some of the videos from factories claimed that people could buy products from major brands for a fraction of the retail price by buying it directly from the manufacturer.
Viral videos from China have claimed you can buy expensive brands direct from the factory without paying retail prices, the brands have hit back (Cheng Xin/Getty Images)
They show products which look similar to popular high street brands and insist that shoppers could get the real thing much cheaper by buying right from the source.
Among the clips are ones claiming that a pair of Lululemon yoga pants that cost £76 could be sold by the factory for as little as £4.55, but major brands have hit back at the viral videos that have picked up millions of views.
The Times reports that brands such as Lululemon and Adidas have spoken out to rubbish the trend, with the fashion and sportswear companies insisting that the products shown in the TikToks are counterfeit and not made in factories that they actually get their products made in.
Lululemon said it ‘does not work with the manufacturers identified in the online videos and we urge consumers to be aware of potentially counterfeit products and misinformation’.
The company added that people could look at their actual list of suppliers for ‘accurate’ information on where their clothes are actually made.
Adidas said its stuff was ‘not sold directly by our suppliers’, telling customers that official shops are the place to buy from.
It’s worth not believing everything you see on the internet, and some of the claims in the viral videos that you could buy the exact same thing for much less and you’re really just paying a fortune for the logo don’t always hold water.
As much as you might seethe at the prices some fashion brands put on their products, it’s worth remembering the old adage about what happens when something sounds too good to be true.
Oh, and good luck getting your money back if it turns out that cheap piece of tat you bought wasn’t really as good as it claimed to be…
Featured Image Credit: Alex Grimm/Getty Images
