This post is the result of a number of debates I have had with various people over the years and after debating it more recently until about 5am, I thought I’d write a post about I take this topic so seriously…

I am not going to start with the history of fake products, that would probably be a waste of time, so I will start with my own background, which will give some kind of insight to why I think the way I do.

My father, Andrew Grillet is an computer/ software engineer and his father, Christophe Grillet was an architect. They design and built things, it was in the case of my grandfather and is in the case of my father.

This is also true of my aunt Sophie who is an artist, and my uncles Ben who is a carpenter and Simon who builds and restores sailing vessels.

Sophie Grillet – French Pyrenees, 2010

My grandmother Janet Grillet who I spent a lot of time with growing up (whole summers at a time) and am still quite close to, introduced me to the arts by taking me to art galleries. She collected and made pottery and she would sketch people on TV in between the millions of everyday tasks she would carry out.

She also demonstrated why aesthetics were important daily as she would explain things like, why she used different colours in different parts of her home.

My grandmother encouraged me to draw as often as she could, as I was into illustration (and Lego) at the time.

I think she realised it was one of the few things I enjoyed. I could spend hours doodling, until I went to school and it was devalued by my education. She clearly thought it was of great importance. I never fully understood why at the time, but I did know it was a chance for me to communicate with people as my sketches would get people talking; about me, to me, about the things I had drawn.

Nothing else I did, had the same impact.

My grandmother was very independent and would solve problems of any size daily using what is now obvious to me now, looking back – her creativity. (More often than not, with a cork from a wine bottle. Honestly, you wouldn’t believe how many uses she had for them).

This is an important place to start because it means that from an early age I have been encouraged to to use creativity to communicate my views/ feelings/ ideas, to be significant and to solve problems. In addition to this, I have to apply what I refer to now as “accurate thinking” to my ideas because they could go on to have a lasting effect on other people’s lives.

I mean if the problem is solved once, properly, it probably wouldn’t have to be addressed again. If you failed however, it could be very expensive or in the worst case people could die.

As a result I believe creativity is an important and powerful thing that everyone possesses as an individual, it is your ability/ tool to make a real impact and change lives.

Moreover, creativity expresses how you feel about things and what is important to you.

By focusing your creativity on something you are showing how much it means to you, not only by allowing it to take up you attention but by using your creativity to say; “I am going to do something about this”.

The result could be a painting that inspires future artists, an important sale that means you can pay the mortgage, scoring the winning goal, a machine that saves lives. It could be a song that keeps people going in the darkest of times, it can even help you get through those times. The medium is up to you regardless of “talent”.

Its a fundamental part of being human. I would (and do) argue its almost the most important part of being human because its the rawest way of providing/ sharing with your community for their benefit as much as yours.

I believe when you are being creative you are being honest. You are saying this is how I feel about a situation, it’s important to me, it’s important to the people I care about, it’s significant. I must do something about it, I must mark this point, this can’t be ignored, I will no longer stand for this. Here is a solution.

At its rawest point you feel like “fuck Eastenders! Fuck BBM! I can and I (not some one else) need to do this, NOW!”

By creating something you are putting yourself out there, you are saying; “I reject mediocrity, I know people are going to come across this, I have made it visible, tangible, audible… physical. I want to make things better, I want to contribute. For people to use, to criticize, to ignore, to build upon. To anger them, to make them happy. To let them know it’s okay, that they think its significant too”.

Or maybe you are at the point of saying: “Help me.” or at least: “Lets discuss this so we can take it forward.”

You could also be saying; “I can use my ability/ gift/ talent to make things better for you, out of my respect for you” – A fishing rod so you can feed yourself. To make jewelry that inspires you or makes you feel special, as you remember what it symbolises for you. I have sacrificed my time/ what you think of me/ my body/ my energy – do/ say what you will. I had to put it out there.

Once you have the inspiration for your creativity that is to say you have found a subject matter; an infinitely beautiful muse, a problem that infuriates someone you love. Maybe images of starving children in a disaster zone, you move onto the next step: Fabrication.

The fabrication has to be up to the best possible standard that you can achieve because it is the part people see/ interact with, it is what you are putting out into the world, it’s what you are sharing with your fans, it might out live you. One day it could be a 200 year old bridge or a legend that tells generations after you, what not to do. That is why it matters.

So when you are crafting the physical version of your idea/ dream it is important to take care, use the right instruments, tools, textiles, paints etc.

Take your time, make sure it sounds/ tastes/ looks amazing, it is as solid as you can possibly make it. Go back, can you improve anything? …try this part of it again, is it the same as the plan? does it reflect what you had in mind? does it solve the problem? Is it worth consulting with someone to make sure its in line with your goals? …does the opinion of anyone else matter? …what does the misses think?

When someone makes or designs a quality product; paints a picture, puts their heart into an acting role, really becomes part of a team, this is what goes into it; all of their thoughts, time, feelings are focused on this one thing, in effect it is them.

All of the people involved; the designer or team of designers, the organisation that supports them, weather it’s a sewing circle or companies (who haven’t lost their soul). By buying their product, their answer to a problem, their idea, I believe you are taking a piece of them. For me this is what goes into making a quality product.

The time that they took coming up with the idea, all of the influences they gathered up until that point, all of the skills they acquired to make that product. The years of pain cause by standing on a point in ballet shoes, the sleepless nights worrying about ever being able to get the business off the ground. The arguments with loved ones who didn’t understand. The endless frustration of dealing with a bank manager who has got the power to make things happen but no vision. You are interacting with the tangible result of all of the stress they went through, instead of the easy option – just sitting there moaning or watching Jeremy Kyle.

A “fake”, an “imitation” is the opposite of all that I have described above. Its not true, it does not come from the heart, it doesn’t have any real significance, it doesn’t want to improve on the situation, it doesn’t have as much care put into it, it doesn’t want to go on solving a problem, it doesn’t want to be inspirational.

It wants to take away from these things.

It wants to and does degrade them. It says: “Yes, you can have something that is fantastic/special something that someone worked hard to achieve but, I stand here as an equal option”, which is a lie.

A “fake” is physical/ tangible lie. A lie that says you are getting what you want and paying less for the privilege.

Does this really matter? Yes it does.

As a person who buys fake/ imitation goods (especially those of you with the fake Louis Vuitton bag) you are saying “Look at me, I want your attention, I don’t respect the concept of quality and I am willing to waste money that I have spent time earning on something that won’t last, that has stolen from those that spent years leaning how to be great at what they do. I don’t care that they worked hard, that they carried on when nobody believed in them. I don’t care about who they are or what inspired this AND that it is okay to think like this.”

“But £30,000 for a dress? A £800 bag? …come on!?”

Here is how I see it:

The dress in the cases of Houte Couture, are designed by some of the greatest living artists. It is on par with owning something created by Damien Hurst, Pablo Piccasso, Salvidore Dali. People like Karl Lagerfeld and the late Alexander McQueen have and do create significant visions that inspire millions.

I wont cover every detail here but to get the garment from a sketch (yes, I know people like Marc Jacobs don’t necessarily sketch but, still…) to being a physical object is not a minor task.

The garment has to go through the hands of professionals at the top of their game. Those who have studied their trade for years, dedicated their life to it: the artisans, seamstresses, people who create and source the finest fabrics the world has to offer. The models (and their agents, LOL), the stylists, the make up artists, the people who put the shows together from the catering to the lighting who present these works of art. The people that do the PR, the photographers, the people who write the copy for adverts, the web designers, the advertising creatives, the recruitment teams, legal and finance teams, the people who invested in the beginning, the people who printed the invitations, magazines and news papers, the staff on the shop floor, the fitters, the people that made the accessories, the people who run/ own the establishments that the events/ shops are hosted in, the media space for the adverts, the office where the company is based its self ALL have to be paid for.

Many of these people have worked hard to get where they are, they haven’t all come from “money”, they have bills, student loans, mortgages and families just like you and most of them work very hard in a very competitive industry. Some of them are and most of them should be paid well.

A similar situation, where large numbers of skilled people are required to produce items of significance and quality is true of many industries and everyone who works hard/ productively on something of value, should be paid well.

Okay, so the reality is not everyone is inspired by the same thing, you might be into football or something else other than fashion, it may not be a universal love. We don’t all have the same goals/ aspirations and that’s cool.

We start from different places, we have different influences, we gravitate to different people, accidents happen, you take one opportunity over another. That’s a good thing. It makes you human and we appreciate you for that, (well those of us that care) and the reality is the concepts of creativity/ quality applies to all industries really; Law, Construction, Education, Security, Health, App development, Sports, Food…

But getting back to the fake/ imitation products, these products aren’t “just a knock-off bag”. They can be pills that can kill you, or a person you love.

These items are made in inhumane conditions. The care of someone studying a subject/ medium that meant something to them for years has not gone into this. There is no heart/ passion in these items.

It says the world of “I will buy this then throw it away soon.” is okay. It says quality control and the safety issues/ health implications don’t matter.

Creativity is the idea which sparks innovation and the quality item is the physical manifestation of this is a quality item/ product which goes on to solve problems and disrupt markets, it’s what gets you noticed by your first love, it is something to be proud of, it should be rewarded and celebrated.

And of course this is why quality is valuable. It is why people who understand will pay extra, you have added something; meaning/ significance, you have touched a nerve, you have inspired, you have made life just that little bit easier for the person with a disability. You have created something that makes people want to get out of bed in the morning just to talk about endlessly.

“Shoppers are being warned against buying counterfeit goods, the sale of which can help finance serious organised crime, a charity says.” – BBC NewsAnd the irony is: with the money you used to buy those fake goods the person who sold them to you will buy the real versions of the “goods” you bought, if they don’t use the money to do things like fund terrorism.

To those who work hard and dedicate themselves to creativity and quality; the engineers, designers, craftsmen (and women), artists, tailors, writers, etc… and those that support and invest in them, I salute you and dedicate this to you.