Rock & Rip-off

About a month ago a friend took me to a store in the capital where they sell “name brand” clothing for really cheap. Of course I was skeptical, but because Guatemala receives so much used clothing from the states, I thought perhaps the country was a depository for out of season or flawed items as well.

The place was full of 7 For All Mankind, Joe’s, Citizen’s of Humanity, and True Religion jeans. It felt just like a Needless Markup…except for the clothes piled haphazardly onto large wooden tables and the lack of snooty sales associates (you may be working at Neiman Marcus, but you’re still in retail).

After trying on a handful of styles, I settled on a pair from Rock & Republic. I had been looking over some of the goods in the store and I was still unsure if they were old, overstocked, slightly defective, or just flat out counterfeited, but I decided to take a 50Q gamble and buy the jeans because they fit well.

When I got home, I conducted a more thorough inspection of the R&R jeans by comparing them to a pair I had brought with me to Guatemala. The labels seemed legit, but then I noticed this…


Counterfeiting 101: Don’t sew a Gap button onto a pair of Rock & Republic jeans.

Smart Shopping 101: Don’t buy a pair of Rock & Republic jeans with a Gap button.

But despite their lack of authenticity, the R&R/Gap jeans are comfortable and only set me back six bucks, so I have little cause for complaint.