From factory to feet: Tracing the journey of fake sneakers

There has been a frenzy surrounding the sale of branded sneakers on Instagram with people rushing to grab the best pair often without verifying the authenticity of the shoes despite sellersrsquo claims of legitimacy To investigate undercover reporters from midday logged into various online platforms and contacted several sellers uncovering an extensive network of counterfeit sneaker vendors operating out of Agra Astonishingly as the investigation deepened it was revealed that nearly every house in the area doubles as a factory outlet for massproducing counterfeit sneakers at throwaway pricesMimicking designs of OGThe sneaker fanatics driving the highend sneaker market have turned sneakers into a cornerstone of fashion blurring the lines between athletic wear and luxury The craze for limitededition releases and exclusive collaborations has fuelled demand making sneakers a symbol of status culture and styleFake Air Jordan purchased by midday PicAshish Raje right Fake Adidas Samba purchased by midday PicAshish RajeAs the market evolved demand for highend sneakers skyrocketed with prices reaching astronomical levels in secondary markets Simultaneously the rise of lsquofirst copyrsquo sneakersmdashhighquality replicas mimicking coveted originalsmdashgained traction among budgetconscious buyers These enthusiasts passionate about stylish footwear yet constrained financially seek deals and alternatives to expensive limitededition releasesThe counterfeiters not only replicate the look of branded sneakers but also imitate packaging including trademarks to deceive buyers Counterfeiters in Agra revealed to midday that they source soles laces and packaging materials from nearby markets including DelhiNCR and LudhianaAgra a manufacturing hubmidday discovered that Hing Ki Mandi in Agra is a hub for manufacturing firstcopy branded sports shoes Almost every house in the area is involved in this illegal activity selling replicas locally and exporting them across India Manufacturers sell these shoes to wholesalers for as little as R240ndashR400 per pair regardless of exclusive brandingmidday reporter with the fake shoes PicsAshish RajeDuring a threeday investigation undercover reporters visited multiple manufacturing units in Agra posing as wholesalers and retailers They discovered that small houses in Hing Ki Mandi produce 200ndash300 pairs of shoes daily Materials including soles from Jalandhar and branded cloth from Delhi are assembled by labourers who heat and paste the soles onto the upper materialsHistory of Hing Ki MandiHistorically Hing Ki Mandi was renowned for the asafoetida hing trade during the Mughal era of Akbar and Shah Jahan Today it has transformed into a hub for counterfeit sneaker production Counterfeiting operations in Agra have existed for over a decade with techniques passed down through generationsMad rush for sneakersSneaker releases have become muchanticipated events often creating chaotic scenes in retail stores Shoppers queue for hours to snag coveted pairs as budgetconscious buyers celebrate scoring deals in retail stores while resale prices skyrocket onlineFake Adidas Samba shoes at the manufacturing unitThe rise of online platforms has further fuelled the global sneaker trade cementing sneakers as a cultural and fashion staple driven by passionate fans and savvy marketers To understand the world of firstcopy sneakers a midday undercover reporter spent three days in Agra purchasing samples directly from local manufacturers The reporter found that bulk orders significantly reduced prices making replicas even more affordableDay 1 December 19 2024Kaibo Shoes Manufacturer Loha Mandi Agra UPmidday contacted Kaibo Shoes Manufacturer via IndiaMART and visited their manufacturing unit in Loha MandiReporter I am looking for firstcopy branded shoes Irsquom a retailer in Mumbai where there is a high demand for them Can you share the price range and show me some samplesManufacturer We offer first copies of many brands such as Adidas Puma Nike Air Jordan and othersWill they look the same as the original What about the qualityManufacturer Yes the quality will be identical to what you need However you must purchase a minimum of one carton which includes 40 pairs in various colours and sizesShoaib manufacturer in AgraCan I take some samples to show my partner in MumbaiManufacturer We donrsquot provide individual samples from cartons but we can give you sample pairs of firstcopy brandsThe reporter purchased six pairs of sample shoes Puma Adidas Nike for Rs 3500Day 2 December 20 2024 MorningSultanpura AgraManufacturer Shoaib We can manufacture first copies of any brand you want Just show us the brandrsquos photo and wersquoll make it for youReporter Do you have any sample pairsShoaib Yes we have first copies of Nike shoes We are currently manufacturing 300 pairs for a customerManufacturer at AgraReporter What is the costShoaib Rs 280 per pairReporter Thatrsquos impressivemdashit looks just like the originalShoaib Yes check the market rate Itrsquos very expensive You can easily sell it for Rs 1000Rs 1500 in the market We supply these products to Mumbai Delhi Madhya Pradesh Uttar Pradesh and many parts of Maharashtra The reporter verified online that the original Nike shoes were priced at R7085 on the official Nike websiteShoaib We have two colours in this Nike editionmdashred and greenReporter How do you manufacture these shoesShoaib All materials are sourcedmdashsoles from Jalandhar and branded cloth from Delhi At home labourers assemble the materials heat the soles twice and paste them onto the upper materialsThe reporter purchased one sample pair of Nike Sega firstcopy shoes for R280Evening Hing Ki MandiAfter extensive searching the reporters found the hub of shoe manufacturing units in Hing Ki Mandi where almost every house produces firstcopy branded shoesManufacturer We have been running this manufacturing unit for many years We make the first copies of all major brandsReporter Show the shoesManufacturer We source materials from Delhi factories and produce brands like Adidas Puma Nike Skechers and Air Jordan You can get these first copies for Rs 260Rs 350 The manufacturer explained the process which takes 8ndash10 days for bulk orders However the reporter did not purchase shoes from this manufacturerDay 3 Dec 21 2024Hing Ki MandiThe manufacturer took the reporter to his unit which had three floorsGround Floor Storage for finished productsFirst Floor Manufacturing of firstcopy sports shoesSecond Floor Manufacturing of leather shoesManufacturer We produce 200ndash300 pairs daily priced between R240ndashR300 per pair and deliver them to MumbaiThe reporter purchased seven pairs of Air Jordanrsquos first copies for R300 each These shoes were priced at R28000 on the official websiteSneaker lovers speakDanish AlfaazSinger and rapperSinger and rapper Danish Alfaaz said ldquoOG is OG If yoursquore wearing originals it feels good because yoursquove earned it But most people canrsquot afford them so they go for first copies Irsquove done the same in the pastrdquo Alfaaz stressed the importance of personal style ldquoThe brand stamp makes it unique but creativity matters more lsquoBhed Bakri ki chal duniya chalti hai ndash apne aapko khud design karorsquo Donrsquot follow the herd create your own style Handmade designs and your own brand hold more value than anything elserdquoAyush PalandeA thirdyear mechanical engineering student at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of TechnologyrdquoI use branded shoes which give me comfort while walking and running I feel bad seeing others wearing fake or first copies of branded shoes but many college students canrsquot afford to purchase expensive ones However we can easily identify the firstcopy shoesrdquoAnurag KamatThirdyear hotel management studentldquoFirst copies of shoes should be available in the market for people who canrsquot afford expensive ones Shoes are daily necessities but college students canrsquot spend Rs 1000030000 on them Itrsquos true that original sneakers provide comfort but theyrsquore expensive However firstcopy manufacturing companiesshould not use the brand names as it damages their brands and affects their businessrdquoAvantika PadalkarFinalyear architecture studentrdquoI never use firstcopy sneakers I only use original brand sneakers which give me comfort Firstcopy shoes are not comfortable and look cheap in style Many college students save money from their pocket money to purchase branded shoes I think the firstcopy market should be shut down as it is damaging brandsrdquoRaftaar RapperldquoIrsquom a sneaker fanatic I have no objections to replicas because during my early career I wore first copiesrdquo rapper Raftaar told midday ldquoI used to buy them from Chor Bazaar for Rs 300 or Palika Bazaarrdquo Acknowledging the illegality of the replica business he added ldquoOnce I could afford expensive sneakers I replaced all my fake with originalsrdquoRaftaar compared replicas to ambition ldquoNot everyone can afford a luxury car but they can modify theirs to look like one People buy replicas out of ambition and thatrsquos why originals retain their value Companies often donrsquot stop counterfeiting for this reasonrdquo ldquoToday I canrsquot wear replicasmdashtheyrsquore easily identified in my circle But Irsquom not upset seeing others wear them For many itrsquos the start of a dreamrdquo he concludedPolicersquos roleLast December Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar MBVV police carried out raids at three shops in the Naya Nagar area of Mira Road where shopkeepers had been selling counterfeit branded footwear Police officers privy to the investigation told midday that fake products worth over R12 lakh were confiscated from these retail outlets and three to four people were arrested The cops had also confiscated cartons bearing logos of branded footwear companies Counterfeiting issues are dealt with under the Copyright Act 1957 and Trademarks Act 1999 said a senior police officer adding ldquoIn cases of copyright infringement the aggrieved party approaches us against people selling counterfeit productsrdquoldquoBased on the complaint of the aggrieved party an FIR is registered and counterfeit products are seizedrdquo said the police officer Such cases are investigated by an officer not below the rank of a subinspector An officer privy to the investigation of an infringement case in Mira Road said ldquoSample pieces of counterfeit products are sealed in the presence of panch witnesses and sent to experts to check their quality The experts issue a certificate which is crucial in such casesrdquoldquoThe expertsrsquo observations differentiate between original and fake products available in the marketrdquo said the officer Though the cops can also take suo moto action in such matters they generally prefer the aggrieved party to file a complaint