Bought it ; faked it - loved it : a study of the current attitudes and perceptions of young females in Malta towards original luxury fashion goods and their counterfeits

Abstract

This study aims to address the discrepancy in literature on identifying and explaining consumers' motives behind their purchases. By taking an exploratory approach on consumers' attitudes and perceptions on luxury fashion goods and their counterfeits, we can better understand their purchase decisions from their perspective. "Failing to situate fashion counterfeiting within a broader context misses the fundamentally essential point of why people do (or do not) buy fashion products in the first place" (Large, 2009 p.6) Due to the nature of my analysis, it is important to specify that focus group discussions based on counterfeit luxury goods were related to non-deceptive products. This decision was centered around the fact that in order to analyze the motivational factors behind the purchase intent, the consumer must be aware of the authenticity of the product they are purchasing (Prendergast, 2002; Wee, Tan & Cheok, 1995). A qualitative process was used through focus groups which uncovered several motivational factors relating to consumer, product and external characteristics which surround the purchase phenomenon.