The Worst Streetwear & Designer Bootlegs on Temu Right Now

If you ever missed laughing at awful bootlegs, Temu has some of the funniest ones we've seen.

Jan 16, 2024
Temu

Yeah, Canal Street and that one jewelry store that’s somehow always selling deadstock Dior Air Jordans will keep selling highly questionable fakes.But In recent years fake streetwear and designer replicas have taken over the Internet. Places like Pandabuy, DHGate, AliExpress, and the FashionReps subreddit have become the go-to source for buying fakes online.

According to the Business of Fashion, the value of the counterfeit luxury goods industry has tripled to $3 trillion within the past decade. These days, it’s honestly harder to find ridiculous-looking bootlegs. Streetwear and sneaker replicas have gotten so good that even reputable resale sites like StockX have struggled to authenticate products. But if you miss laughing at awful fakes online, one e-commerce platform has restored that feeling.

Temu, a Chinese shopping app that’s been making waves in the United States since it launched in November 2022, sells some of the saddest fakes we’ve ever seen. One of the most infamous ones was a plastic Richard Mille watch worn by T-Pain that costs $11. For those unfamiliar with Temu, it’s like a digital dollar store where you can buy everything from household appliances to cooking utensils for ridiculously low prices. The popularity of Temu has recently led the United States government to launch a congressional investigation into its heavily discounted goods, which are believed to be produced with forced labor.

Ethically, you certainly shouldn’t consider buying these Temu dupes, and it’s good to generally educate yourself on where your clothes come from. But it is still funny to browse Temu and see just how bad some of these bootlegs can be. Here’s some of the worst offenders along with links to legit products so you can support real designers.

Denim Fears “The Floral Wreath” Sweatpants

Temu

Price: $15.48
Buy the Real Thing At: DenimTears.com, Levi.com, and Doverstreetmarket.com

Unfortunately, some people might be fooled by these sad pairs of fake Denim Tears sweatpants. From a distance, it kind of does look like the real thing. But up close, it’s clear that the cotton wreaths (pardon me, FLORAL PRINTS) definitely look a little glossy and flat compared to the puff-prints found on actual Denim Tears sweats. These Temu joints frankly look like a pair of distressed pajamas. Considering that these are completely made out of polyester, the sweats likely feel super-thin to the touch versus the all-cotton sweatpants Denim Tears is making. So please, put that $15 toward a meal at Chipotle instead of these sweatpants. And for god's sake, don’t even entertain Temu’s take on Denim Tear’s jeans where cotton wreaths are literally photoshopped into the product photos. If you want something similar, consider Denim Tears’ collab with Japanese label Readymade.

Cortaze “Gothic Mountain” Beanies

Temu

Price: $2.38
Buy the Real Thing At: Crtz.xyz

As the British streetwear label Corteiz continues to gain more popularity, there will be even more bad actors selling gaudy Corteiz fakes. These “Gothic Mountain” knit hats on Temu are some of the worst Corteiz knockoffs ever made. It’s one thing to buy fake Corteiz. It's another thing to buy a bootleg “Alcatraz Skully” that can’t even depict the brand’s logo correctly. Outside of Temu, there’s unfortunately a lot of websites that claim to sell real Corteiz apparel or present themselves as the official e-commerce store for Clint419’s brand. Even for this meager price, it’s not worth it to risk getting clowned by Clint419 himself.

“1977” Hoodies

Temu

Price: $21.09
Buy the Real Thing At: FearOfGod.com, Pacsun.com, and SSENSE.com

Essentials are still the most affordable offerings from Fear of God since most pieces retail for under $100. If you’re a smart shopper, you’ll likely be able to pick up Essentials for even lower prices when it goes on sale at stockists like SSENSE or PacSun. Clearly, some Temu shoppers are either unaware of the real “1977” hoodies, can’t wait for a sale on Essentials, or are just looking for an even deeper discount on Lorenzo’s basics. If Essentials hurts your pockets that badly, maybe just try your luck at Marshall’s instead of putting your hard-earned bread toward a Temu sweatsuit of all things.

“Newermind the Spider” Punk Hoodies

Temu

Price: $12.09
Buy the Real Thing At: KingSpider.co

Unfortunately, since Sp5der’s sweatsuits have exploded in popularity, it’s another brand that’s plagued by a high number of counterfeits. In case you don’t know, Sp5der isn’t officially sold at any stockists, and the only website that carries it is kingspider.co. Of course, Temu has a ridiculous amount of Sp5der bootlegs within its catalog. While this Punk hoodie may look legit to some, the misspelling of “Nevermind” as “Newrmind” is just crazy. The graphics on this Temu dupe aren’t even puff printed like the real thing. What’s even worse is that Sp5der never officially released a Punk hoodie with a chest logo hit and a graphic print on the back. While it’s not surprising that over 900 Temu users copped this $12 dupe, please don’t walk around flexing this sad attempt at a replica. 

Rik Owens Famones

Temu

Price: $19.07
Buy the Real Thing At: RickOwens.eu

Ramones are one of Rick Owens’ most popular sneaker styles. They're worn by nearly every Zoomer who’s trying to dress like a member of Opium. If you know someone who ended up buying a replica, it’s not surprising. These designer Converse-inspired sneakers cost a whopping $1,140 at retail. Nevertheless, reps aren’t it, especially when considering legit pairs are crafted out of high-end materials like buffed calfskin leather. While these Temu dupes vaguely boast the maximalist and gothic look of the original, it looks more like something straight off the racks of H&M or Forever 21. If you desperately need some Ricks, consider stepping away from the designer’s mainline offerings and shopping from his lower-priced DRKSHDW diffusion line instead. A pair that looks similar to Ramones retails for a little under $800 on SSENSE and is currently on sale. Used pairs are also available on Grailed for lower prices, but don’t forget to take extra steps to authenticate secondhand pairs as well.

Fouis Vuitton Forwards

Temu

Price: $19.25
Buy the Real Thing At: LouisVuitton.com

Times may be tough, but never tough enough to seriously consider buying sneakers that look like an AI-generated version of $1,260  Louis Vutiton Trainers. Incredibly poor offshoots inspired by an iconic LV sneaker design by Virgil Abloh constantly appear on Temu. No one is ever going to even think these are comparable to the real thing. If you must get something that looks similar, for cheaper, stick to New Balance 550s or the original Avia 880 sneakers that inspired LV’s silhouette.

House Plant Thrift Store x Kenye West x Child Kudi “Kids See Spectre” Crewnecks

Temu

Price: $22.13
Buy the Real Thing At: StockX.com

While you may never see ghosts, you’ve lived long enough to see these insanely bad Temu pieces inspired by some super-hyped Cactus Plant Flea Market merch. This specific crewneck is derived from the CPFM merch sold after Kanye West and Kid Cudi performed Kids See Ghosts at Camp Flog Gnaw in 2018. This designer on Temu truly tried their hardest to not catch a copyright infringement case by changing all the text printed on the product. Despite how ridiculous this looks, we do have to applaud this bootlegger for at least offering puff-printed knockoffs and not just some flat screen-printed graphics. Shouts out to the 3,000-plus people who copped one of these. We hope to see you at “Camp Resist Gnawed'' next year.

Fartier George Santos-Fumont

Temu

Price: $30.98
Buy the Real Thing At: Cartier.com

Not going to lie, the Canal Street fake watch peddlers are probably sweating these days since you can buy any fake luxury watch imaginable on Temu. What’s better than a plastic Richard Mille? How about an iced-out Cartier Santos-Dumont dupe that costs less than your monthly Internet bill? You can get this stunning piece off Temu in silver, gold, or black colors flooded in matching rhinestones. Temu’s listing even claims that these are lab-grown diamonds you’re flexing and that it’s waterproof up to 30 meters. One can only imagine how long a luxury watch dupe that really costs $33,000 at Ice Box will last you. But if flexing a fake watch helps you justify spending $600 on bottle service to impress girls at the club, that’s all you, big dog. Please, kids, spend your money wisely when you become an adult.

Speedemon BS-6

Temu

Price: $26.37
Buy the Real Thing At: Salomon.com

Not the Speedemons! Yes, even the ever-popular Salomon XT-6 has been duped by Temu sellers. Low-key, it’s kind of impressive that the lacing on these fakes vaguely resembles Salomon’s “Quicklace” system. But man, these likely wouldn’t withstand a hike or even a walk in the park. Please don’t ever consider adding these to your sneaker rotation. 

International Hustle Tribe Zip-Up Hoodie

Temu

Price: $11.15
Buy the Real Thing At: Stussy.com

Nope, this isn’t T.I. Hustle Gang merch. It’s just a very shoddy knockoff of a basic Stüssy zip-up that reads “Hustle” instead of Stüssy. There really isn’t much to say here except that you absolutely have no hustle or ambition if you’re copping an all-polyester Stüssy knockoff on Temu. To the 220-plus swagless individuals who really purchased this, please stop buying “streetwear” on this app in 2024.

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