Couture du Jour: Fendi Is Not Sold At Wal-Mart, K?

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has acknowledged in a legal settlement that it sold fake Fendi handbags for as much as $525 each. Wal-Mart settled after Fendi, the high-end Italian fashion brand belonging to French luxury-goods titan LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA, alleged in a lawsuit last June that Wal-Mart's Sam's Club warehouse-club division sold millions of dollars worth of bogus bags and other merchandise under Fendi's label. Wal-Mart, based in Bentonville, Ark., is the world's largest retailer in terms of sales. According to a statement released by Fendi and Sam's Club, the Wal-Mart unit pledged in the settlement to provide refunds for any customers who bought fake merchandise. Sam's Club is also paying Fendi a confidential amount as part of the settlement. Sam's Club removed Fendi-labeled products from its stores last year amid the dispute. "We have programs in place to protect the intellectual property rights of others," Sam's Club Chief Executive Doug McMillon said. "However, during this litigation, Fendi provided us with information that the 12 types of bags and wallets specifically listed in its complaint were not genuine. We accept this information." Fendi CEO Michael Burke said in an interview that Wal-Mart was cooperative in addressing the problem of counterfeits being sold in its stores. "I'm very happy that we came to this result," he said. Sam's Club spokeswoman Susan Koehler declined to divulge details of Sam's Club's investigation into the matter. She said Sam's Club is "no longer doing business with the companies that provided us the goods." The squabble is among the latest of many between producers of exclusive fashion merchandise and the mass-merchant retailers striving to offer their customers such products. Last year, Coach Inc. withdrew a lawsuit alleging that Target Corp. sold counterfeit Coach purses. Target said it purchased the purses at a liquidation sale of a major department-store chain. Fendi filed the suit against Wal-Mart last June in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. According to the complaint, which was seen by The Wall Street Journal, a Sam's Club in Torrance, Calif., was selling a black handbag for $525, compared with $900 for the genuine Fendi product. [source]For the last time people, if you really really really want a real bag go to the real store. Don't try to get a Fendi at your wholesale club. Real designer bags are not sold on the street, they do not "fall off trucks," they are not sold for superlow prices, they do not smell like plastic, they do not come wrapped in plastic, they are not made in China, they are not shipped from China... If you don't live next door to a Dior boutique, you can check out your local Saks or Neiman Marcus. If you live in the middle of nowhere and still find it necessary to carry a Fendi bag, you can buy designer bags online from Saks or Neiman Marcus website. Two other great websites for REAL designer bags are www.eluxury.com or my second favorite designer website in the world (I'm not sharing my first) www.net-a-porter.com I would stay away from smaller, developing discount websites such as Bluefly and Overstock as the quality control levels are not always up to par.