Fake Fashion: A Human Rights Scandal

How Counterfeit Fashion Intersects with Organised Crime & Labour Exploitation

White Paper

January 21, 2026

Counterfeit fashion is a booming illegal industry that is impossible to avoid. From fake football kits on our high streets to knock-off luxury handbags being sold on social media, these fakes tell a much darker story than the bargains they appear to be.

Behind the bargains, fake fashion envelops a constellation of harms — economic and environmental damage, threats to consumer safety and an entangled web of human exploitation.

Across the world, men, women and children are hidden in plain sight forced to produce, distribute and sell fake fashion. Exploitation exists end to end in fake fashion supply chains, and in the most severe cases, in the form of forced work, child labour and human trafficking.

Counterfeiting is not a victimless crime. It is a serious criminal enterprise, often conducted by organised crime groups to generate seed funding for other illicit activities such as drug trafficking, human smuggling and cyber crime.

Download the whitepaper to understand the real-world consequences of counterfeit fashion for people, markets, and global supply chains.