Don't Be A Fake UGG® Fool

The Fluffy Fallacy of Buying Fake UGGs

Given the recent economic hysteria we're all looking for a bargain. We all know that a cheaper price tag does not necessarily equal a better deal. Nothing is a good investment, no matter the price, if it is so poorly made that it will need replacing within a few short months. Just look down at the gorgeous UGGs on your feet for proof.

In the long run fake UGGs end up costing more than UGG Australia boots, because they need to be replaced after minimal wear. It is worth spending the extra buck to get a long lasting and quality product. You wouldn't buy a cheap motor boat that you knew beforehand was a lemon, so why would you buy a cheap UGG knock-off knowing that it upholds zero quality control?

UGG Australia boots have the highest quality sheepskin and workmanship and overall are a better and wiser investment. Beyond the logical, fiscal benefits of buying UGG Australia boots, if you embrace your shallow side (like me) perhaps you wear your real UGG Australia boots for the status. Although UGG Australia is still relatively new as a fashion label, it IS a status item.

Coach, Louis Vuitton, Prada – some of these products are plain, beige and downright ugly. But we accept these products as beautiful because they cost so much and have acquired the right degree of social clout (and because to say otherwise is to spit in the face of Anna Wintour, Vogue editor in chief). To own a genuine Prada purse or Coach wallet implies a certain level of style, as well as an assumed level of affluence. When you buy a counterfeit Prada or Gucci (or UGG!) on the side of the street for $20 you are buying a cheap knockoff, and anyone who knows better will recognize it as an imitation UGG. Owning a genuine pair of UGG Australia boots means that you honor and value yourself and what you put on your body, and when you value yourself, others will value you as well.

Could it be said that manufacturing and selling fake designer items is on par with burning DVDs and forging art? Every UGG Australia boot is the product of an artistic endeavor designed for a certain purpose and created to best serve the wearer. When the creation is launched (in this case an UGG Australia boot) the consumers claim the creation as their own. To bypass this process is not only counterfeit on a corporate level but on a creative level. When you buy a fake UGG you are supporting theft of an original idea, like buying a novel in which you knew the writer used unoriginal and plagiarized context and ideas.

So, how does counterfeiting work? First, counterfeiters steal a basic design to copy. Of course, a fake UGG design will be slightly off: measurements are wrong, and the seams and lining weaker and with incorrect placement. A fake UGG may look very similar to an UGG Australia boot, but counterfeiters use cheaper materials that are less durable, so the product lasts for a shorter amount of time.

In recent years it's gotten harder to distinguish fakes UGGs from UGG Australia because so many companies have moved their manufacturing to China. Gone are the days when a “Made in China” label indicated a falsified replica. In fact, almost all of UGG Australia's products are now made in China, except the boots in the Ultra Collection, including the Sundance II (pictured below: notice all have a reinforced toe and aggressive outsole for even more durability).

Ultra Tall

Sundance II

It's easy to assume that since both fake UGGs and genuine UGG Australia boots are made in China, then the quality must be the same. This assumption is absolutely untrue . Like any established fashion label, UGG Australia has strict guidelines of how their product is manufactured, and a specific design to be followed. The goal is to create a genuine UGG boot that will be cherished for the many, many years it lasts.

A fake UGG company that produces counterfeits wants to make a quick buck selling a cheap and poorly made item, because they do not have to answer to the satisfaction of you, the consumer. The difference in quality is overwhelming. And from a geographical point of view, China is a big country. It's ludicrous to assume that the quality of products being exported is the same from every warehouse in the country.

It boils down to what you see versus what you get. Counterfeiters of fake UGGs make an effort to create a boot that looks like an UGG Australia product, but with little or no regard to the integrity of the boot itself. When you buy a product that is created to look like something it's not, the end result is shoddy craftsmanship, poor quality materials, and a short shelf life.

One of the major selling points for UGG Australia is that they use the highest quality sheepskin that is still attached to the sheerling. The result is fleece that doesn't fall out like a busted cattail and temperature-regulating qualities that only organic fleece offers. A fake UGG uses anything from cheap sheepskin or wool stitched to thin shearling, to synthetic fleece sewn or glued to poor quality skins.

UGG Australia is a thriving company, and this is largely due to those of us who uphold this standard of high quality boot and will not settle for less. In this day and age of Internet shopping it is vitally important to make sure you are buying a genuine UGG boot, not only for the quality of the item you purchase, but also to stop those fake UGG companies who sell stolen designs and forged creations.

Google and Amazon aren't perfect at policing the Internet for fake UGG websites, which leaves the responsibility on you, the consumer. To learn how to recognize a fake UGG, stop back by FleeceFootwear for a step-by-step article that addresses the latest sneak tactics used by fake UGG online dealers: coming soon! As always, the easiest way to buy genuine UGG boots is to shop at FleeceFootwear, your authorized UGG Australia dealer.