A 64-year-old Japanese woman from Tokyo’s Katsushika Ward has admitted to counterfeiting luxury bags and wallets in the comfort of her own home and selling them in her small shop as originals.

The unnamed woman’s story began a few years ago when she opened a small bag shop in Katsushika where she tried to sell her original bags. Unfortunately, business wasn’t very good, especially on weekdays, and things only got worse when the pandemic hit. But, as it often happens in our darkest moments, the woman came up with a solution to her problem at the peak of the pandemic. She was watching TV when she saw a segment on the popularity of designer bags and accessories and decided that riding that same wave was her way to success. After doing a bit of research, she found branded fabric and synthetic leather online, ordered some, and began making luxury bag knockoffs using her sewing machine.

Photo: ANN News

Over the last couple of years, the unnamed woman is believed to have made over 900,000 yen ($6,000) selling fake Louis Vuitton, Channel, and Gucci bags and accessories in her small Katsushika shop, selling them for up to 3,500 yen ($23). When police busted her earlier this month, they found over 330 counterfeit items waiting to be sold, as well as rolls of branded fabric and faux leather.

 

After being arrested, the woman confessed to counterfeiting the bags and wallets, claiming that they had all been created by hand, in her apartment, using a simple sewing machine. Some of the bags and wallets were replicas of expensive products, while some models were her own original designs that “borrowed” famous brands in order to be more attractive to buyers.