Fashion rip-offs OK?

A fake Louis Vuitton handbag is not OK, right? Or so the fashion industry says. But what if they put out their own "fake labels"? Well then it's hip and cool, apparently.

The latest buzz on fashion news sites is the emergence of a new label, Conflict of Interest. Nobody knows who's behind it, but apparently it's some people deep in the international fashion world for whom, if their identity were known, the production of these T-shirts would be a conflict of interest between it and their day jobs. Why? Because the tees are fakes.

They are complete and utter piss-takes of high fashion, a point-and-laugh at the world's obsession with labels. Most fashionistas would scoff at paying $300 for a T-shirt, but if it's got a designer label stamped in plain script across the front, they'll toss their credit cards at the shop lady and gag for it, comfortably shelling out over $600 for an otherwise simple piece of cotton.

And funnily enough, rather then gasp at the audacity of the brand, the fashion world see the funny side, and these Conflict of Interest T-shirts have been spotted on some of the most high-powered people in fashion. 

This isn't the first time there have been T-shirts poking fun at high fashion. New Yorker Ross Karablin designed the famous Comme des F*$K Down tees a while back and it got the cool kids wet in the pants. Opening Ceremony also had a play with the label game and produced a range of Radarte pieces, playing with fashion darlings Rodarte's brand name.

While it's all very lovely that the high fashion world are having a giggle at their own expense, are they encouraging a horde of copycats to knock off their goods? It's almost as if they're saying it's OK to produce a fake (because we've all seen the "Reebok Just Do It" and "Marc Wacobs" garments for sale in Asia).

Is this a momentary snigger or could it lead to a resurgence of black market knock-offs? I'd love  to know what you think. Funny idea or just plain stupid? Hit me with your comments stick.