Haiti Will Get Our Fake Designer Clothes
Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes announced yesterday that 125,000 tons of seized knockoff goods would be donated to earthquake victims as a part of Operation Help Haiti. The confiscated goods, worth over $10 million, were taken from a Park Slope storage facility in 2009, and bear such names as Ralph Lauren, Diesel and Ed Hardy. "I feel wonderful. It's a celebration—certainly not a traditional prosecution," said Hynes.
However, the DA had to convince the real designers to let them give away the fake goods, which are usually destroyed after a raid. "It wasn't easy," said Rackets Division Chief Michael Vecchione. "But when we explained what we'd use the clothes for, they came on board." World Vision has volunteered to remove any logos or brand identifiers from the clothing before the goods are shipped, which makes you wonder what would even be left on an Ed Hardy shirt?
