Luis Gispert Captures The Subculture Of Knockoffs In His Exhibition "decepción" (PHOTOS)

The knockoff fashion culture brings the inaccessibility of major luxury brands to the masses, and the results are often nothing like what the original designers intended. Inside this market of immitations, Luis Gispert discovered a subcultural phenomenon that has taken logo-obsession to a whole new level.

Gispert captures the art of the brand and logo-obsessed consumer in his latest exhibition of photographic work, "decepción." He portrays eccentric characters in their indulgence of plastering everything from their sneakers to their bedrooms with favorite brands. From Gucci-clad interiors to Louis Vuitton satin gowns, these vivid portraits are candy for the consumerist. The aesthetic goes far beyond the luxury semiotics of "Pimp My Ride"; we wonder if an alternate title for the series might be "Pimp My Life."

Luis Gispert's "decepción" will show at Mary Boone Gallery, 745 Fifth Avenue at 58 Street NYC, NY 10151, until October 22nd, 2011.

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Comments

[ms schatzi]

03:38 PM on 09/12/2011

I refuse to wear anything with an obvious logo. I will make an exception for work out wear, and just because it really is better.
But I think people who have a need to identify with a successful brand are just trying to cover their low self esteem.

[krayonc]

02:24 AM on 09/20/2011

I'm the same way. If the design is superior, it shouldn't need a obvious logo.

[Stand Up for your Belief]

09:59 PM on 09/11/2011

Pretty cool. I hate logos though. I used to love Coach but now those "c's" are just out of control. I don't need to prove to anyone that I have money or can afford anything. I am over Logo's. I like QUALITY!

[ms schatzi]

03:39 PM on 09/12/2011

I agree! I liked them before when they weren't obvious. I'd never carry one now.

[g9]

09:53 PM on 09/11/2011

in most countries the "brand" is everything..
in my universe I try to faux out the logo..( they are not paying "me" to advertise for them)

[Stand Up for your Belief]

09:58 PM on 09/11/2011

true!

[KarateKid]

09:48 PM on 09/11/2011

It never ceases to amaze me how people are so brand conscious. The exact same thing without the logo and no one wants to wear it.

What a boon for companies, getting people to pay exorbitant amounts just to walk around and advertise for them. What a scam.

People have become so _dummied down they fall for this. SMH

[Stand Up for your Belief]

10:00 PM on 09/11/2011

Exactly. Most designer handbags are made on the same assembly line as the knockoffs. People really need to understand that.

[TheBestPatriot]

09:39 PM on 09/11/2011

Ewww.

[Heleric]

09:32 PM on 09/11/2011

How did we get on this subject? Hey isn't there a football game on? Artzi Schmartzi. Who cares?

[itsnoteasybeingblue-n-tx]

12:52 AM on 09/12/2011

hey you clicked and commented so i'd say you care.

[XxDisfngustedxX]

04:06 AM on 09/12/2011

Lame.

[hotsparks]

08:18 PM on 09/11/2011

My pick up truck looks nicer than those rides. And if I wore those boots to work I would get beat up at the construction site. I wouldn't want that junk if it was free, well maybe I would take a free pair of work boots, but I would dye them black. They probable don't make them with steel toes. That's just junk for wannabe's.

[blizzard man robot voice]

09:06 PM on 09/11/2011

Yeah... those were art pieces. They weren't intended for real life.

[jchri66]

07:56 PM on 09/11/2011

Who cares... Anyone wears these brands are posers.

[g9]

09:55 PM on 09/11/2011

they should call them brands ( as on cattle )

[pdxist]

07:07 PM on 09/11/2011

In case it's escaped people's notice, "Fruta Estrana" = "Strange Fruit" = lynching, and you're looking at a representation of a black man being hanged.

[Jason Shi Roberts]

12:04 AM on 09/12/2011

i had the same impression of that photo when i saw it. (coincidentally, i'm doing a research paper on lynchings in the south and have a few reference books with pics of lynching nearby. i don't know if that was the intent of the artist, but the similarities are almost too much to be pure happen-stance. the posture of the body DEFINITELY mimics that of a man being hanged)

[klanger]

06:14 AM on 09/12/2011

Thank you pdxist. I was scrolling down to see if anyone else noticed it. There's no way this is unintended. Strange fruit, like the song, the model is black, his feet are hanging free, and we can't see his head/neck. Is this supposed to be some kind of pun, like "brands go on livestock"? I feel sick.

[Squiriferous]

06:59 PM on 09/11/2011

Interestingly, actual rich people aren't interested in collecting brand-name crap. All the rich people I've ever met view this crap as a sign of deep cultural and monetary poverty.

[Gavin Saunders]

07:22 PM on 09/11/2011

Somehow I don't think these companies care that much about the counterfeit industry. Always thought there's a good movie for a talented filmaker in exposing how the 'knock off-ing' has extended to pharmaceuticals that kill the innocent and the sick. Surely one of the more profitable luxury brands would get behind that.

[jefferycampbell]

07:22 PM on 09/11/2011

Interestingly, I doubt that the rich people you've met are telling you the truth about their notions of cultural and monetary poverty.

[Squiriferous]

07:51 PM on 09/11/2011

Whatever you say, buddy. Rich folks have nice cars but not the fanciest shoes. It's the other way around for the ghetto fabulous welfare recipients who spend every dollar they don't have on "luxury brands."

[against-ignorance]

08:52 PM on 09/11/2011

People with serious money can afford to have clothes tailored to them. And follow styles by truly high end designers who's names the average person only hears about during red carpet coverage at gala events and award shows.

[gopalsingh]

06:32 PM on 09/11/2011

A thought flashed spontaneously through my mind as I read the headline "Knockoffs As Fine Art":

"Huffpost as Journalism"

Random Stream of Consciousness as Truth?

[firstep]

05:32 PM on 09/11/2011

Who here thinks that Gucci has an idea about "fine art"? That company is studying mind control. Not fine art.

[cyberfringe]

05:30 PM on 09/11/2011

The Knockoff subculture ridicules the value of luxury brands.

[JernauMoratGurgeh]

06:54 PM on 09/11/2011

Really? I thought the value of "luxury brands" was pretty ridiculous already. Value comes from quality and durability, not from exclusivity.
Knockoffs only help us to see the desire for exclusive branded goods for what it is: foolishness, vanity and unwarranted self importance.

[Stand Up for your Belief]

10:02 PM on 09/11/2011

I agree with you on that!

[gintheb]

04:56 PM on 09/11/2011

The Gucci interior actually looks pretty fly.

[ms schatzi]

03:44 PM on 09/12/2011

Ghetto in the tackiest way.

[gintheb]

09:14 PM on 09/12/2011

A matter of taste. Obviously not yours.

[JV2010]

03:59 PM on 09/11/2011

Yawn...