Thread: Counterfeit Corsets (formerly Burlesque Corsets and more 10% discount)

Interestingly you've put copyrights on your own pictures....presumably to stop people stealing them for their own websites.

Some constructive criticism, since you asked:

Your corsets may have a market for housewives looking to have fun in the bedroom, or people looking for cheap items for a night out. However in burlesque and other performance arts there is no market for cheaply manufactured corsets and bustiers. People pay the cost of things from place like Fairygothmother because they are high quality items and are a well known, trustworthy brand.

(I also don't know how you're in contact with suppliers like FairyGothMother and Trashy, as you didn't know who they were)

The reason why websites sell corsets for £20 is because they are manufactured cheaply from China, and in mass amounts. Companies then buy these in bulk for more savings.

As a discerning buyer, I would rather have quality over quantity ever time and I would also rather support the performance arts by buying directly from people involved in it. People who know exactly what you need from corsets, bustiers, etc and have incredible talent.

Good luck with the website, but I think you are pitching at the wrong market and you have gone about your business in a very unprofessional manner.

Dear Renee

I joined because I wanted to learn more about burlesque but perhaps I should not have put the link in to advertise my products o.k. Unfortunately, I do not know how to remove it and a hard lesson has been taught. Like you said I did not now about these other companies and that is true but I do know and I love their stuff and would prefer to sell that than the replicas.

As soon as I found out about the copyrighted materials and the original owners they were contacted straight away and the pictures removed (those which I have been informed so far anyway.) That is why I am now negotiating reselling their products so as you can see I have moved with the flow and been burnt!!!

It is not that I won't sell cheap items (as long as they are not copyrighted of course) but I want to cater for all tastes so to sell the quality items in a category of their own is a good way forward.

This is a big learning curve for me but at least I am taking on board all of your comments and taking necessary action to prevent any further misunderstandings.

I am simply trying my best to please but sometimes we all make mistakes and need to put them right.

Love to all
K

Blimey what a hooha. can i just say there is a place for cheaper corsets in burlesque , i.e. for people just starting out, for a few performances til they've earned enough money back to upgrade. As long as it looks good on stage, and you're working up to a better quality longer lasting one then i don't see a problem. Having worked in theatre for years, I know that half the time the costumes are basted/glued/velcroed etc together with a hope and a prayer, and all that matters is that it stays on and looks ok!! it goes back to the old, fairy story meaning of the word 'glamour'-to make a pile of crap look like treasure. We don't all have the money to pay hundreds of pounds for costume, although obv it is best to try to get the best quality you can.

Well, in all fairness the hooha was about misrepresentation and copyright rather than quality.

I don't actually disagree. I think there is a place for cheap corsets in burlesque . Especially if they're going to be adapted or embellished for a particular costume. For short term, at a distance wear they do have their uses. As long as buyers know exactly what they're getting - which is where the issue here lay.

Where the quality issue really comes into play is the life of the corset, or if it's worn for longer periods. Then the wear to the corset and potential damage to the wearer can be a problem. If it's been treated like a bustier, not laced too tight and only on for a brief period there isn't much problem.

Interesting thread. I started my online boutique Love Burlesque just 3 months ago and I've done a LOT of research on corsets. I wanted to see what these cheap corsets were all about so I ordered a dozen from different companies in China. It's true you get what you pay for. Those corsets cost $8 each, they use plastic boning, cheap fabric, silver eyelets, and thin satin ribbon at the back. There is hardly any shaping in them at all and they hardly weigh anything at all - the panels are quite straight instead of smaller at the waist. The Chinese companies mostly use skinny models with big boobs to make the corsets look curvy, when they're not curvy at all, and the photos are airbrushed afterwards to make them look better quality. The vast majority of the Chinese manufacturers use photos from well-known, more expensive brands. So there you are - I've tested them and they're not very nice imho. I've been trying to get rid of these 'corsets' as 'sample stock' (ebay and elsewhere) but I call them 'corset tops'. One lady bought one for a vintage clothes dummy, for display in her shop. Best place for it!

In comparison, I have couture corsets (not on my website yet - maybe in the next couple of weeks) which are completely different - there's absolutely no comparison AT ALL. They are heavy when you pick them up - because of the weight in the quality, thicker fabric, the lining, the steel boning and the trimmings. There is a LOT of hard work goes into making these corsets. Also the creativity and love that goes into making them is fantastic.

So there you go, for anyone wondering why some people can sell corsets for 20 quid, and wonder what the difference is, now you know.

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Burlesque Corsets at Love Burlesque

Thanks for posting this Miss Candy. It's good to see a relatively neutral viewpoint on these cheap corsets posted. As a corsetmaker I always feel I can't comment much, as I worry people will assume I have an agenda. However most corsetmakers I've spoken with are worried about these items. Not from a competition angle, as you point out they're an entirely different product (you can't get a fillet steak for the price of a Big Mac). But about the physical risks to wearers as well as the general effect on people's views of corsets as a wearable garment.

I forgot to mention tightlacing! Crikey Aphrodite - your tartan corset is a perfect example of how a real corset will help you to achieve an exquisite, dainty waistline Tartan and silk overbust corset by CrikeyAphrodite on Etsy. The Chinese 'corsets' do NOT offer this at all - they really are just shaped tops.

I look awful in a chinese corset - I have a small bust that just disappears when I can't wear a bra but if I wear a quality corset then I've suddenly got some cleavage. Wooo hooo

Crikey Aphrodite, I love your sparkly glitter corset! You see this is a perfect example of why one should expect to spend a bit more on items from a corsetiere - you know you're going to be wearing something really unique and it's going to fit you perfectly.

It's grossly unfair that mass production companies steal design ideas, even down the product photos.

Lady K, I think you've been given the use of your product photos under false pretences from your suppliers. You can usually spot which designs are ripped off by the quality of the photos that they use - if it looks like an expensive photo shoot then you can be absolutely sure they've stolen it from a designer's website. If in doubt, do you know someone who's more familiar with corsets on offer elsewhere? It's wise to make sure you're not buying copies of other people's designs - it's not just the product photos that is the problem here, it's the garments themselves. Good luck with your shop

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Burlesque Corsets at Love Burlesque

The Executive Love Doll that is so realistic it even talks! Wide open posture with big boobs and 3 pleasure holes. Big Breasts and cleavage vibrate. Life Size. Detachable Fanny and Ass holes!

hahahahahahah i nearly peed myself, new burlesque routien i want a detachable fanny!

Oh Lord, just seen all this drama.

Yes, I have to agree with most everyone else. The issue is certainly copyright and I appreciate that the original poster may have been ignorant of the situation. But ignorance is really no excuse. Ignorance certainly doesn't hold any water in legal battles... And how can one expect to start and run a successful business without having even a passing knowledge of the market?! Either you've gone into business *far* too quickly and should reconsider your approach, or you decided to turn a blind eye to the stolen images until someone called you on it.

Either way, I would recommend rethinking your business strategy, doing some market research (it just isn't possible to have never heard of Vollers, etc. and be selling corsets... if you google "corset" Vollers et al are the first companies you will see), and brushing up on copyright law to ensure you aren't doing anything illegal.

Yes I agree we should have done our research in the business but it is almost impossible for any company to sit on google searching for dresses, corsets, armchairs, toys etc etc etc..................when you start a business you just find your suppliers and look for demand and your market. As far as copyright is concerned do not confuse this with patent.......... copyright is very hard to prove and does not stand ground like patent does. Copyright is what you add to a product or service without a legal contract etc!!!!! the people that adhere to this law (even the ones like myself that find out later they have innocently copied something) are the ones to trust o.k! The ones that carry on ignoring it are the ones not to trust.

My point is people are far to quick to 'throw stones' without accepting that someone can make a mistake and admit to it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what happened to forgiveness because we could all easily just ignore copyright laws but here you have two businesses that have tried to change things to adhere to it after realising their errors...............

Personally I think that people are being unnecessarily persecuted for admitting their errors whilst there are a lot more businesses out there that would not give a sh.t! At least we admit to our ignorance and put it right so surely we can't be condemned for that? or is this world full of people that just want to pull others down....................I just don't understand it!

We should all work together and if someone does something wrong then tell them and if they don't put it right then they are not worth knowing. Be honest but give people a chance here o.k.


And just for information the people that said I had copyrighted my images need to look up on wikipedia the difference between copyright and watermark!!
K
xxx