Chinese Company Cons Parents Out Of Rs 44 Lakh By Staging Fake Kids' Fashion Shows

A Chinese company has been fined 600,000 yuan (approximately Rs 72 lakh) by the government for running fake children's fashion shows and defrauding parents of 367,000 yuan (around Rs 44 lakh). According to the South China Morning Post, the Shanghai-based firm had been falsely promoting a series of fashion shows under the name "Paris Kids Fashion Week" since 2020. The company branded the events part of the globally recognised Paris Fashion Week, and used images of famous tourist spots in France, like The Louvre, on its website to lend credibility to the shows.

The firm organised shows in major cities in China, as well as Paris and Toronto, SCMP reported. During one of its fashion weeks in Shanghai, it also promoted four events using the names of luxury brands like Dior, Gucci, Burberry and Fendi, and charged parents 6,000 yuan (approximately Rs 72,500) for a single appearance. It also set up a parent-child event for parents to appear together with their children.

The elaborate scam came to light after Gucci's Shanghai office filed a complaint, prompting an investigation by the Shanghai Market Regulatory Bureau in 2023. During the investigation, officials found that the firm used Gucci's logos and knock-off emblems with the words Gucc101 and Gucc100. 

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A member of the company's staff also admitted that the firm charged parents more than 10,000 yuan (around Rs 1.20 lakh) for each costume their children wore in the show. However, not all the clothes were authentic.

The report stated that the company's owner, surnamed Huang, bought counterfeit clothes online. He argued that he only bought the fake clothes to take photos, and did not sell them.

The authorities said the company's activities constituted trademark infringement. The firm made a total of 367,000 yuan from registration fees, which the investigation identified as improper gains.

A procurator in Shanghai said the firm had been fined by market regulatory departments in other parts of China, but it did not correct its business.

The bureau fined the company 600,000 yuan, which is approximately Rs 72 lakh.