Italians have a passion for brand name clothes and accessories, but many tend to opt for cheaper counterfeit copies, according to a new study.
A report in the next edition of the monthly Focus magazine found that while one out of two Italians preferred boutiques to department stores and open-air markets, 40% admit to buying counterfeit goods.
A poll cited in the report said that while 49% of Italians were ready to pay more for a name brand, the percentage of those who did pay more shot up to 62% in the category of young men and women between the ages of 14 to 24.
The poll also found that men are very fashion conscious with 60% admitting that they preferred famous brands to anonymous ones, even if 50% recognise that the quality between the two is not that much different.
In answering the question of why people buy brand products, the magazine found that 54% of those polled did so because they wanted to show off to others and feel better about themselves, while 31% of the men and 23% of the women said they liked looking good and wearing quality clothes.
Wearing name brand clothes in order to be noticed was the reason given by 29% of the women in the poll and 13% of the men.
The saying 'clothes make the man' rang true for 70% of young people and adults between the ages of 14 and 38, while the percentage dropped to 58% for those over 40.
In regards to counterfeit goods, the study found that of the 40% who buy them most did so because they didn't care if the brand was real or not, as long as it looked real and gave them status.
Among those who do not buy counterfeit products, 27% said they didn't because it was illegal, while 34% said legality was a problem but the poor quality of the products was.
