Dupe Culture
From Niche to Global Phenomenon
Dupe culture has evolved from a niche into an economy-wide phenomenon. What once primarily touched the worlds of fashion, cosmetics, and interior design is now far more than proudly sharing a cheaper alternative on TikTok. It has become an attitude, one that has seeped deeply into consumer behavior—and increasingly into the creative industries, campaign strategies, and even entire worlds of ideas.
The decisive difference from the past lies in society’s view of the subject. Buying a fake once carried shame, seen as an admission of not being able to afford the “original.” Today, discovering a convincing dupe is celebrated as a skill: anyone who can achieve the same look, performance, or utility for a fraction of the price demonstrates cleverness and foresight. Platforms like TikTok have accelerated this shift. Accounts that systematically present the “best dupes” reach millions and often call entire pricing structures into question. What becomes visible is that a significant portion of the price of many branded products comes from marketing—not manufacturing.
This dynamic is especially clear in viral “Chinese factory TikTok” videos, which show products coming directly from the same factories as supposedly exclusive branded goods. The consequences are far-reaching: authority over product quality and price justification is shifting. Consumers are learning to see through marketing bubbles and now perceive dupe culture not as taboo, but as a form of consumer enlightenment.
Yet the development does not stop at material goods. Dupe culture has long since expanded into the realm of ideas. Brands copy competitors’ campaigns almost verbatim; creators see their content reproduced in other languages or formats; and AI makes duplicating creative work easier and cheaper than ever. When entire works, styles, or voices can be replicated with just a few clicks, the boundary between inspiration and theft blurs. The debate around intellectual property thus reaches a new level of escalation—with some tech companies openly advocating for the loosening of copyright protections.
Against this backdrop, it becomes clear: dupe culture is not just an economic phenomenon, but also a cultural and legal one. And it is inescapable. Copies will always exist, but their value depends on the original. The crucial factor, then, is how brands and creators respond to this dynamic. The key lies in maintaining a lead—the ability to work faster, more authentically, and closer to people than any imitator. This demands investment in creativity, community-building, and clear differentiation that goes beyond pure product utility.
The irony is that in the logic of dupe culture, the original is always necessary for the copy to exist in the first place. That window of time, that small head start, is where brands and creators secure their relevance and shape their future. Originality in this context means not only developing new ideas, but placing them in such a way that they define a cultural moment—before it is copied.
Dupe culture is here to stay. The question is not how to stop it, but how to deal with it. For brands as well as for creatives, this means not remaining stuck in defense mode, but staying in constant forward motion. In the race between original and copy, it is not the product alone that decides the outcome, but the speed with which the next step is taken.