As your regular source for all things counterfeit and knock-off, we're here to bring you another installment of that fake shit. We could do a TON of these for sure. There are counterfeit rings all around the world that pray on the naive and ignorant to pay cheap prices on ripped-off goods not even remotely worth their admittedly heavily discounted price tag. But this one is a bit closer to home due to our profound love of sneakers and the sneaker community's fervent desire for everything to be "legit," amongst other totally reasonable things. More than 150,000 pairs of bootleg Nikes, Adidas, Vans, Converse and others were destroyed in the Philippines after being smuggled into the country from China.
The sneakers were snuck in about a year ago and the lengthy investigation process meant that trials and subpoenas and all that legal shit had to happen first. Valued at approximately $1 million, the shoes were finally destroyed, which is kind of fucked up. The Bureau of Customs chief made the statement following statement: "We will not allow the Philippines to be a dumping ground of counterfeit goods. The BOC will ensure that manufacturers and distributors of genuine brands are protected. We are urging the public not to buy counterfeit products."
I understand the reasoning, but rather than destroying the sneakers, could they not have been donated to people without shoes and problems much bigger than questionable legality and taste? Okay, sure, maybe you don't want to set the precedent of the Philippines becoming a de facto "dumping ground," but why not send them somewhere else that would gladly take them with open arms, for people who, you know, need to protect their feet? Just a thought.
