Handbag Designer 101: The Stories Behind Handbag Designers, Brands, and Industry Icons

Jessica Minor and the Rise of Handbag Dupe Culture | Emily Blumenthal & Jessica Minor

• Emily Blumenthal • Season 1

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Jessica Minor, a rising fashion influencer, shares her journey from thrifting enthusiast to a viral TikTok sensation. Her passion for affordable fashion alternatives has made her a leading voice in the handbag dupe community. In this episode, Jessica discusses the evolving perception of dupes, the social media trends driving their popularity, and the challenges faced by luxury brands in an age of 'super fakes.'

Takeaway Points

  1. Shifting Perceptions: Learn how dupes have moved from stigma to social acceptance, reshaping the luxury market.
  2. The Role of Social Media: Discover how digital platforms amplify thrifty fashion trends and create viral sensations.
  3. Counterfeit Complexities: Explore the challenges luxury brands face with counterfeit markets and the role of law enforcement.

Our Guest, Jessica Minor is a fashion influencer and TikTok creator whose viral videos comparing dupes to high-end bags have captivated millions. Her passion for thrifted finds and budget-friendly fashion has positioned her as a trusted voice in the fashion community. Jessica’s insights shed light on the intersection of creativity, affordability, and consumer behavior in today’s fashion landscape. 🎧 Don’t miss this deep dive into handbag dupe culture with Jessica Minor.

Host Emily Blumenthal is a handbag industry expert, author of Handbag Designer 101, and founder of The Handbag Awards. Known as the “Handbag Fairy Godmother,” Emily also teaches entrepreneurship at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is dedicated to celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of building iconic handbag brands.

Find Handbag Designer 101 Merch, HBD101 Masterclass, one-on-one sessions, and opportunities to book Emily Blumenthal as a speaker at emilyblumenthal.com. 

Buy Emily’s Books: “Handbag Designer 101” & “Savvy Suzanna’s Amazing Adventures in Handbags”


Youtube: / Handbagdesigner101-ihda | Instagram:/ Handbagdesigner

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Speaker 1:

You have to admit that some luxury companies have gone a little crazy, like with pricing or expectations or rules, and I think a lot of us are tired of that and it's kind of like why should I go through spending this much money or jump through this hoop when I could get on the Walmart website or Amazon and get a bag that looks close enough to it, right?

Speaker 2:

Hi and welcome to Handbag Designer 101, the podcast with your host, emily Blumenthal, handbag industry expert and the handbag fairy godmother. Each week, we uncover the stories behind the handbags we love, from the iconic brands and top designers to the creativity, craftsmanship and culture that define the handbag world. Whether you're a designer, collector or simply passionate about handbags, this is your front row seat to it all.

Speaker 3:

Welcome, jessica, minor of that Jessica to Handbag Designer 101, the podcast. Jessica, I sleuthed you. You had a post after the quote unquote work in went viral and everybody was reposting you and I thought who better to talk about dupe culture and handbags than you? So welcome, absolutely, hi, thank you for having me. So let's talk about this and then we can reverse engineer the whole story, the work and thoughts, feelings. You got one, didn't you? I got one.

Speaker 1:

I got one with me right now my first, unfortunately, it's really cute.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, it is, it is. Isn't that terrible, I know, I know. So how did this come across your feed and were you targeted, and how did all this come to pass?

Speaker 1:

Yeah. So I love TikTok and one day I was scrolling and I came across someone on I think her name is Imani and she was at a Walmart and she had a bag and she was showing the bag and I'm like, oh, that's cute. Now I'm assuming that it must've been in return or something, cause I don't think the bag was ever sold at Walmart. I don't know how, how the video came about, but I went online and I ordered one that day and it came about two days later and I was like this is a cute bag, I love it, I love the size of the color. I ordered another one like a couple later, in a different size and a different color, and then I made a video like comparing the two sizes, and that's the one that kind of like skyrocketed and took off.

Speaker 1:

Were you surprised? Yes, because, like I mean, I've done videos and I've shared things and you know I didn't really get a lot of traction, to be honest. But this video, I mean I think we're up to like a couple million views now and I'm just like I don't know why, how, what.

Speaker 3:

Working celeb girl. Working celeb Right. Over a bag at Walmart? Have you heard from anybody the powers that be at Hermes, or anything like saying take it down? Have you had anybody reach out to you with negative feedback saying who are you? Why aren't you getting a real thing? Doop, doop, doop. Or was everybody like love you love the story? Like tell me more.

Speaker 1:

So most of the response has been positive, surprisingly. But yes, there have been some negative naysayers. Mainly yeah, why would you buy a fake bag? Why would you want a fake bag? If I can't afford the real thing, I don't want it. I haven't heard anything from Walmart or Mez, anything in that thing. There's so many rumors floating around now about lawsuits and this and that, but I haven't heard anything.

Speaker 3:

So yeah, mostly positive. Do you consider yourself a handbag dupe expert? At this point, I mean, I guess I should.

Speaker 1:

I guess I should. This was a pretty good one. In the past I've bought dupes that I didn't even. Sometimes I didn't even know they were dupes, but they were just cute bags and I have a couple of those too, and I'm just like sure I could be the dupe handbag expert. Why not?

Speaker 3:

So I mean, I honestly think that is a good space because it's crowded, but there is nobody to who comes to mind that would be at the top saying okay, here's your latest update on dupe versus real. So I think you know, maybe you found your niche, who knows?

Speaker 1:

Possibly Absolutely. I wouldn't mind it, I'm not mad at it.

Speaker 3:

So how long have you been at social and doing posts like this? Because obviously this one became sticky.

Speaker 1:

Yeah yeah, I've only been on TikTok maybe like a couple of years. I was very late to the game, I was probably one of the last people to join, and I usually focus on clothing. Ironically, I love shopping, I love fashion, I love sharing thrifted clothes, thrifted outfits, and every now and then I throw in a bag because I just love purses too. That's the video that took off the purse video. So, but it's mainly a couple of years is mainly clothes.

Speaker 3:

What brought you to the social platform inspiration saying I should do this too?

Speaker 1:

Well, because in real life, like, a lot of people compliment my outfits or clothes or jewelry and it's like, well, maybe I could share that online. Of course, everybody thinks they can be a social media, so I figured I mean, why not? You know, why not give it a shot and see what?

Speaker 3:

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Speaker 3:

No, hey, if you have the capacity and you know, look, I have been watching videos long enough. I personally haven't been able to master TikTok, which I'm OK with. It's a lot, it's a commitment, it's definitely something, but you know your flow of hitting the notes and hitting the points and it was the right length. And here's this and here's that. It definitely was a well-executed, very simple video. What inspired you to make the video? Specifically about the work end, as it was called?

Speaker 1:

I think obviously I knew that it looked like a certain bag, but also I thought it was a good quality bag. At that point when I made that video, I had taken that bag on vacation and it it had held up well. It carried a lot. It is leather, isn't it? It's supposed to be leather. How?

Speaker 3:

does it smell.

Speaker 1:

Does it smell like leather? It gets that little bit of leathery smell. So I was like this is a good bag, it's, I mean, it's fairly affordable, right, A hundred dollars. I'm like people need to know about this bag. You know, some y'all go get this bag, basically. Um, and then that morning I was literally switching from one bag to the other and I'm like let me show you guys this bag. This one holds a laptop, this one holds a computer or a iPad. You know, and I'm just trying to be informative and helpful.

Speaker 3:

Why do you think, though, in your opinion, that dupe culture has taken over?

Speaker 1:

Honestly, I think, as much as I love luxury, and a lot of us do, you have to admit that some luxury companies have gone a little crazy, like with pricing or expectations or rules, and I think a lot of us are tired of that. And it's kind of like why should I go through spending this much money or jump through this hoop when I could get on the Walmart website or Amazon and get a bag that looks close enough to it? Right Gives me that same look, that same feeling, and at the end of the day, it's just a bag that I'm throwing my junk in. You know, and I'm about to hop on a plane. I mean, like, does it need to be special type of leather? Does it need to be, you know, 24 karat gold? I don't know.

Speaker 3:

Well, as we were talking about before, this bag was not made, manufactured or anything by Walmart and I think you know a lot of people don't know that. They're saying how could Walmart do this? This was an item that was uploaded by a third party through Walmart's third party sales that allow brands and so forth and products to be sold that would not historically be sold on Walmart or in store. Walmart or in store Walmart had partnered up with the RealReal, I think two, three years ago. You can find Chanel on Walmart. It is not sold through Walmart, it was. It's sold through RealReal as a platform. You know they have these integrations and so forth and I'm sure this disappeared just as quickly as it showed up.

Speaker 3:

But the reality is that whoever did it was quick to market and, yes, it was an infringement, it was all of those things. But I think to some degree you're absolutely correct that people are tired, people can't justify it, and luxury has gotten so much more, for a multitude of reasons. Materials have gone up, oil has gone up. Oil has gone up. Transportation has gone up. There are problems getting materials between supply and demand for things to go up. Hermes has tripled in price, chanel has tripled in price and you can't go into these places without getting an appointment. They will kick you out, which I love. I've seen those videos. That's awesome. You know you can't. I mean, it's funny.

Speaker 3:

I was with a friend client of mine, and we were walking in Soho and she's like let's just pop in the Luebe store or, as some people don't know, l-o-e-w-e, luebe, that's how it's pronounced. And I said I don't think they're going to let you in. And she's like why? And I said you just can't walk in, you need an appointment. So she goes up to the door and, sure enough, the lovely bouncer guy who I haven't seen since I've been clubbing, was like you need an appointment. And she's like do you have a clipboard? And I said honey bunny, this isn't a club Like you can't. That's not how it works. Like they're filtering and these brands are more than happy to have you not buy their bag, to not buy their product. So I think to some degree it's you know, branding wise. It's almost an invitation to say hey ho, if you can't get it, let me give you a snack while you wait, absolutely, absolutely.

Speaker 1:

I think. There's a video now going viral of a woman at a store and she's falling all over the ground Right Because she's getting this offer of this bag and people are criticizing her. But that is the culture. That is what this company has perpetuated, like this is an honor, this is a gift, gift. You're gonna pay me all this money, but really I'm doing you a favor. You're not helping me.

Speaker 1:

You know which I find interesting you know, I do find that very interesting that certain companies have taken that power of guests, of consumerism, where the customer is always right or we're here to cater to you, and they're kind of like, no, we're not, we're not catering, just kidding just Like you said, do you have an appointment?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, well, you know the divide between quote, unquote. What means, what affordable luxury means versus full-on luxury, and do people really need the luxury? Do people really want it? You know, holding on to the real bags is actual investments. Yeah, you know, like there's something to that and I bet, truth be told, you could probably put your bag up for rent through the RealReal or another one of those platforms and people will actually try to buy it. You can jack up the price because it's a wanted item. Now, I'm not even kidding, isn't that crazy.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, there's definitely something to that. It's not have you sought out, like, within your thrifting and shopping, any other products that have stood out to you, that you're saying, okay, this is a standout moment, or I've seen other dupes that really inspired me to make that investment just the same?

Speaker 1:

No, I mean, that's always been a goal of mine to find something, a luxury item, while thrifting. I haven't had the honor of that yet, but that's still something that I hold out for every time I go. I'm like will I find my dream bag? Will I find a lot in jewelry too? I look at a lot of jewelry, but no, I mean not yet, Not yet.

Speaker 2:

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Speaker 3:

What do you think from a retail perspective, though? Do you really feel, though, that using carrying, investing in dupes is definitely something that is perceived socially acceptable right now?

Speaker 1:

It seems like it is Now. It's funny. When I was younger and I bought dupes because that's all I could afford, it seems like it is Now. It's funny. When I was younger and I bought hoops because that's all I could afford, it seemed like the opposite. It's like you were embarrassed to carry those things. But now everybody wants it, everybody wears them. And so many comments from people about wear what you want. I wear what I want. I have the luxury item but I also have a dupe, or sometimes I have. I combine, you know, luxury and dupe. But yeah, it seems more acceptable, especially now on social media, even kind of venturing past dupe to more counterfeit. You know where they're sharing. People are sharing canal street hauls or hauls from certain apps that you know. It does seem way more acceptable than back when I bought them because that's all I could afford, you know.

Speaker 3:

Right Now, back in the day, I mean, you would go to Canal Street, you would have to know which street to go to, you would have to know which outpost, you'd have to have the right knock. I mean, even before that they would just be on the street. And the first wave of that was really with Kate Spade bags, because those bags at that time were super easy to copy, so to sell them with the actual name Kate Spade on it, make the labels. It wasn't a heavy lift and there was so much investigation and hiring a task unit and so forth to cut back on it. But you know, I can't tell you how many tourists will come to New York and their first stop would be Canal Street, just to be.

Speaker 3:

You know, you'd see people who are clearly tourists on the subway looking terrified that they're not only on the subway with a shopping bag filled with bags and they're like going through it, like. You know, that's that's something to brag about. Look what I got. That isn't real. But you know, and there are lots and lots of stories of brands and designers I can think of at least three off the top of my head who their factories actually were making copycats under a name that was super similar and you know there's really not much you can do to stop them when you're here and they're over there. And even having them sign an NVA non-disclosure agreement really won't do anything, because when someone's in China, when someone's in you know Bangladesh and so forth, like you're not controlling a factory, like you're just not.

Speaker 1:

No, absolutely not. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I was actually watching a show I think it's on like Hulu or something about the super fakes and Just like you mentioned the task forces and police getting involved in shipping and like I didn't realize how big it is. Yeah, it is. I know that's kind of venturing more to counterfeit type, where people are trying to fool people into thinking they're buying an actual luxury item. I don't, yeah.

Speaker 1:

Yeah Well, I think Irmae should have reached out to you and said here's the real thing right, like that would have been great then, like I'll be glad to stop talking about this little dude.

Speaker 3:

If yeah, you know, and I think they took it off, I don't believe it's available right now. I don't think so. Yeah, and I don't know why.

Speaker 1:

Like I don't want to speculate because some people are like, well, I have what happened to the bag. I'm like I have no clue. I don't think so. Yeah, and I don't know why. I don't want to speculate, because some people are like, well, where did you put that much in the bag? I'm like I have no clue.

Speaker 3:

I don't know If they were asked to take it down, if they sold it, I have no idea you know, the funny thing is that bag was available for a super short period of time and the amount of news that ensued just talking about that one bag was wildfire. I mean you could Google it and it's like work in stories, new stories. And you know you're part of the narrative, which is pretty cool. Thank you, You're part of this moment.

Speaker 1:

It is, it's cool, it's. It's still so surreal, Like when I pulled my family. They're just kind of like huh, Like they're still trying to figure out what, what, what are you talking about? Why? Why is everybody talking about this bag? But yeah, it's. I just still can't believe how it's taken off. And people are still asking about it, they're still trying to find it and I'm like, guys, it's too late. It's too late. I made those videos. My first video was like November, early December. I'm like you. My first video was like November, early December. I'm like you can't find them anymore.

Speaker 3:

Sorry, so you made it, went on vacation and came back and was like what yeah?

Speaker 1:

So okay. So the first one I bought November went on vacation, came back, bought another one, made the video and I'm like, oh gosh, now everybody wants these bags. Now a lot of people bought them like around Christmas, around Christmas, but after that they were gone, that's it.

Speaker 3:

There's no more. It's working. Has anyone tried to buy it off you?

Speaker 1:

Yes, there have been a lot of people asking like messaging, asking hey, are you trying to sell? And I'm like, no, I'm not trying to sell any of them Especially now Right, even if I didn't want them like, I have to keep them this is like almost like TikTok history.

Speaker 3:

Oh my god, you're part of TikTok lore. At this point, providing there still is a TikTok, which I personally think there will be, I'm not really worried so too I mean we've been through this before?

Speaker 1:

haven't we like they've threatened to get rid of it before, I feel, I think, because that was like the time when I actually joined, was like after the first time they were gonna get rid of it before, I feel, I think, because that was like the time when I actually joined was like after the first time they were going to get rid of it.

Speaker 3:

Yeah Well, when it gets reacquired the whole stack of code and the whole algorithm everything will need to be changed. So one way or another, it's going to impact the creators. So they should just buckle up buttercup and try and come up with another way to. You know, get famous on linkedin with the old people and see what they can come up with right, right, right, right.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it's gonna be something, it's gonna be something now are you a full-time creator no, I'm actually a teacher, that's like my actual job, and I just do the creative stuff on the side, just whenever I get a chance, when I'm on breaks, on weekends, you know. But yeah, I just. I guess now I can say I'm a creator, but maybe just part time.

Speaker 3:

Why aren't you in school?

Speaker 1:

right now. Today I had a doctor's appointment and I was like I'm taking the day off. I hope they don't hear this, that's pretty funny, I know, I know, oh my gosh, but you know.

Speaker 3:

That's really, really funny. I am so excited that we are connected and there was so much, I think, in terms of what you brought to the table and how you did the video and being you and being an early adopter with something. Do you see this as something as lightning, happening and striking twice with you for something like this?

Speaker 1:

Well, I tell you what I hope it does. I'm trying to figure out how to make that happen, but I feel like it is probably a once in a lifetime opportunity for most of us, especially those of us that don't really do this professionally or take it very seriously. But I feel like it helps me to learn that maybe, maybe I am onto something with at least with purses. I'm like if I, if people, love this one so much, maybe I should try to find something else to try and share with people.

Speaker 3:

you know, Well, I think you absolutely should. I think, whatever it is, it worked, and I think the tone and how you spoke about it, I think it definitely resonated. I mean, well enough for me to be like we need to talk.

Speaker 1:

I'm not giving up. I'm going to try. We can try to you know.

Speaker 3:

Oh my gosh. Well, jessica, minor of that. Jessica, thank you so much. How can we find you, follow you and see more of your incredible content?

Speaker 1:

Well, thank you. As long as TikTok's around, I'm at jessiemy. I'm on Instagram under, actually, the name that I've tried to be is thrifty, so it's thrift, sale, gift like, because most of my clothes were thrifted, purchased on sale or gifted at one point in my life. You know, but those are my two main social media platforms, yeah.

Speaker 3:

Okay, well, I can't wait to find you and see more of your content and hopefully we can have a follow-up of the next time you go viral or even before, to get an update on who's reaching out to you and having you make stories so I can say I knew you when.

Speaker 1:

So thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate you making me kind of step out of my comfort zone.

Speaker 3:

Well, listen, I think there's more to come. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Speaker 2:

Thanks for listening. Don't forget to rate and review, and follow us on every single platform at Handbag Designer. Thanks so much. Don't forget to rate and review and follow us on every single platform at Handbag Designer. Thanks so much. See you next time.

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