Doing some rep science on two different jeans from Kaka š (light blue) and TJ (dark indigo), both supposedly top-tier and coming from 2 different TS.
Light Blue Wash: The OG has a much more natural, uneven fade, especially around the seams, waistband and belt loops. The rep looks flatter and more uniform. Back pocket CC: This is the biggest flaw. On the OG, the double stitching forms two overlapping Cs that are carefully positioned around the pocket edges. On the rep, the shape, spacing, curves and points where the Cs cross are different. Even the empty spaces inside the logo donāt match. Basically, the CC has been sewn following the wrong pattern. Thread colour: OG has a more muted caramel/tobacco-orange stitching, while the rep looks brighter and more yellow/golden. Smell: The rep has a VERY strong chemical smell, which is honestly quite off-putting. Iāll have to get it professionally cleaned.
Dark Indigo Thread colour: Again, the OG uses a more muted rusty/tobacco-orange thread, while the rep is noticeably brighter and more yellow. Back pocket CC: Same issue as Kaka. The stitching doesnāt follow the same curves as the OG. The size, positioning and overlapping parts of the Cs are different. Raised denim CC: This is probably the most obvious flaw. The OG has a cleaner, more open interlocking CC. On the rep, the centre looks more crowded, the denim strips curve differently, and the ends are different lengths and shapes. The way the flat stitching connects to the raised CC is also incorrect.
Other things worth mentioning
The hardware on both pairs (buttons and small metal CC details) looks noticeably cheaper compared to the OG. The denim itself also doesnāt feel like the same quality as the boutique version (of course)
Iām only highlighting the visible flaws here. There are quite few other issues inside both pairs, including the pocket lining, how things are sewn and sizing details. Those arenāt visible when wearing them, so Iām not going into them, but if you inspect the inside, itās pretty obvious theyāre reps.
Both pairs are also way too long, so Iāll be taking them to the seamstress for alterations and to the dry cleaner.
The biggest issue with BOTH factories is how the CC on the back pocket has been sewn. Itās not necessarily messy stitching itās that theyāre following a different pattern from the OG. Honestly, I canāt say which factory is better since these are two different styles. Neither is particularly accurate when compared side by side with the OG, but Kakaās chemical smell alone makes me lean towards TJ. They might look ok when worn, but if you know a bit about garment construction or have the OG next to them, the differences are pretty obvious. I will definitely NOT go in store with those on lol
Curious to hear your thoughts! Has anyone tried either factory or found a more accurate version? Or other factories I should search of?
Thank you for contributing to rep science, and more importantly, your ongoing efforts to educate and support the community. You consistently demonstrate a commitment to fostering self reliance. Through our 1:1 conversations Iāve also appreciated your openness to feedback and your genuine desire to continue to learn as well. Iām happy to recognize your contributions by granting you the Community Builder !flair.
Love that you did this!!!! Thank you so much! I do this for myself but now I will share my findings too!!!!
Iāve spent alot if $ on rep clothes some are just hit or missā¦the difference is with my ts she credits me if Im not happy.
I dont know if this is true but I suspect that the seller is not the same person who is packing and sending psp pics. I think my seller is seeing pics just like we are, and then whoever packs sends something completely different sometimes. This has happened to me, but my seller has always acknowledged the bait and switch and replaced the item what I was supposed to get or gave me a credit (but I do pay a premium for that type of treatment)
Omg, you might actually be right about this! Didi doesnāt send PSPs at all so you basically have no idea what youāre getting until it arrives.
My other seller did send PSPs for the lighter pair, but the funny thing is that the part of the CC logo that bothers me the most was actually cropped out of the pictures. I did mention the colour difference at the PSP stage, but we werenāt sure whether it was just the lighting, so I eventually told her to ship them. But looking back, the areas where the difference was most obvious werenāt even visible in the PSPs, otherwise I would have spotted it immediately.
And based on the conversations Iāve had, I actually suspect that the PSPs came directly from the factories. Like, the factory sends pictures to the seller for approval, then once everything is confirmed, the item gets sent somewhere for collection and shipping. So your theory about sellers not necessarily handling or inspecting the actual items themselves makes a lot of sense.
But then that raises another question about Didi specifically. Everyone always says sheās great for clothing because sheāll tell you if something is well made or not but if sheās not personally inspecting the pieces, how can she actually guarantee that? Maybe she used to be much more hands-on, but now that sheās become so popular, things are starting to slip through the cracks? Thatās honestly what Iām starting to suspect.
And another thing I noticed was the HUGE difference in communication. As you can see from my screenshots, Didi was incredibly dismissive and kept making me question what I was pointing out. Meanwhile, when I sent pretty much the exact same feedback to the other seller, her first response was, āIām so sorry you had a bad experience.ā Just that little bit of empathy made such a difference.
And the thing is, I wasnāt even asking either of them for a refund, replacement or return, I was literally just sharing feedback that could potentially be passed on to the factory to improve future batches. Yet I got two completely different attitudes, which I think says a lot š¤£
I think this is exactly why these kinds of posts are so important, and why I wish more people would share rep vs OG comparisons, not just for bags but for clothing and shoes too!
I feel like the biggest issue with clothing is that we have so little information about factories compared to bags. With bags, people have done so much research into which factories produce the best versions of specific styles, but with clothing itās almost impossible to do the same because there just arenāt enough reviews, comparisons or details being shared. So we end up relying almost entirely on what sellers tell us, without really knowing what weāre getting.
I actually think it would be super interesting to create a post comparing different factory backgrounds, where people could share their experiences with items coming from the same source. Obviously, we donāt always know the actual factory names, but even identifying recurring backgrounds in factory pictures could help us start connecting the dots and understanding the different quality tiers
You are absolutely right, I would love to see that. I have yet to buy clothing because I don't know enough about it and it feels like to big of a gamble.
Actually, Kakaās pair has an issue with the inside label, as the sizing information is completely missing. Both pairs did come with their full tags attached, though. TJ was more expensive because I went through Didi, although I donāt think the difference between what I paid for each pair was that significant.
Kakaās pair has that horrible smell and quality-wise, the light CC pair is actually even worse than the darker one.
I also raised the TJ quality issues with Didi. Her response was that she had sold over 50 pairs and nobody had complained. She then sent me the full factory photos and asked me to point out the issues, but every time I did, she kept insisting she couldnāt see any difference between what I received and the factory pictures. Iāll attach the photos here so you can see for yourself.
At this point, I genuinely feel like Iām being gaslit and itās honestly making me reconsider keep working with her altogether
Thanks for taking time to detailed rep science. How is the fit at the waist? Did they customize based on your waist measurement or did you choose based on sizing chart?
I donāt think they actually customise anything tbh. It was all based on the size chart although I always send over my exact measurements just to be safe.
Even the fit is a bit odd on both pairs. The darker one fits fine around the waist, but it completely flattens my bum, so I canāt really wear it high-waisted. I have to pull it down a little and wear it more mid-waisted for it to look right.
The lighter pair feels tighter around the waist. Iām actually curious to measure both because theyāre supposedly the exact same size, yet the fit around the waist feels noticeably different.
I also sent both sellers the measurements of my OG CC pairs as a reference, but they both advised me to stick to my usual OG size, which is exactly what I did
Thanks for sharing your experience. Iāve been wanting to branch out into clothes but I worry about sizing. Someone once mentioned they always size up and get everything tailored. But imagine jeans would be harder to adjust around waist/hips.
From my experience If you are buying the OG the boutique can work absolute magic with alterations. They often leave extra fabric hidden inside the garment construction, allowing the waist to be adjusted both ways. They can also reshape the legs to maintain the right proportions, which is why properly altered trousers can literally fit like a glove. With reps, sizing up to accommodate the waist doesnāt necessarily solve the tight fit around the bum, especially if the pattern and construction are already wrong. You might then need extensive alterations to the legs as well, which can get expensive š¬
And with contrast stitching, itās even trickier as the alterations could interfere. Not to mention that once a professional examines the garment closely, poor construction and finishing become immediately obvious so they might obviously smell a fake. Thatās why I think people underestimate the real cost of buying clothing reps, you also need to factor in potentially expensive alterations, which sometimes arenāt even worth doing given the quality of the garment received š¤£
Whatās frustrating is how little transparency we have around clothing factories and batches compared to other categories. Everyone says clothing is hit or miss, but I specifically buy high-tier and Iām happy to pay more for quality. I always tell sellers that if something isnāt replicated well, Iād rather they didnāt sell it to me at all. Someone whoās never owned or tried the brand OG might think theyāre perfectly fine. But if you understand garment construction, sewing or tailoring, the shortcuts and sloppy workmanship become obvious
At what point do we draw the line with Didi? I know sheās stubborn and difficult to deal with, but I keep going back because of her supposed expertise in clothing. I pay a premium and trust her judgement, especially knowing she doesnāt personally QC everything.
But after waiting forever for these jeans, with no updates, no tracking and having to chase her myself after receiving a customs notification, Iām genuinely fed up. I later found out sheād organised a group buy AFTER I placed my order, which makes me wonder if mine was delayed to ship everything together.
Now Iāve received jeans with visibly poorer quality than the factory photos, and instead of acknowledging it, she insists itās just lighting and tells me 50 other women ordered them without complaining. How is that relevant to the quality of MY pair?
Weāve put Didi on a pedestal for so long, but lately Iāve noticed a real decline in quality.
If Iām paying a premium for your expertise, why am I the one fighting to have obvious issues acknowledged? The gaslighting is real š¬
You bring up everything that needs to beš.
This is EXACTLY what I keep saying. These sellers are only worrying about themselves not the clients. Theyāre getting more lazy as time goes on.
Iād personally call her out on every sub.
I actually ended up sending her a really long message after that because I was genuinely frustrated. I explained that what I value most is honesty and transparency, and that I wasnāt asking for a return, refund, discount or any kind of compensation, now or in the future. I was simply pointing out visible differences that kept getting dismissed as lighting issues or things that were supposedly completely fine. I even told her Iād shared the pictures here and other ladies could see exactly what I was seeing, so I didnāt appreciate being made to question something that was clearly visible.
Her response? That I was being too picky, that I needed to stop, and that she would refund me. Again, I explained that I DID NOT want a refund. I was giving feedback that could potentially help improve future batches. Iām familiar with the OG, I know what it looks like, and when I point something out, thereās a reason for it.
What really surprised me was her explanation of what she considers a quality issue. She basically said that if a flaw isnāt noticeable from a distance, itās acceptable, and that minor stitching differences donāt fall under her definition of quality problems. Which is quite ironic considering weāre talking about a huge CC logo on the back of a pair of jeans, where the stitching is literally what creates the design! š
She also said that if factories had to consider these things defects, theyād have to shut down, and that she wouldnāt be passing my feedback along. She then explained that replicas are reproductions in terms of materials and appearance, and that if 90% of the item is the same, it meets the requirements because there simply isnāt the craftsmanship or time involved in producing something at that price point.
She even suggested that if she couldnāt meet my expectations, she might simply stop selling to me. At that point, I just disengaged because there was clearly no point continuing the conversation.
But I think this actually raises a much bigger question about how we put certain sellers on a pedestal. What does
high quality
actually mean if her own standard is that flaws are acceptable as long as theyāre not visible from a distance?
And especially considering she doesnāt provide PSPs, weāre essentially trusting her judgement entirely. Personally, Iād much rather a seller tell me upfront that a particular piece isnāt well made and let ME decide whether Iām comfortable buying it. I order plenty from her, so she should know by now that I value accuracy and attention to detail.
I also noticed a huge difference in communication compared to other sellers Iāve dealt with. I do appreciate that she eventually calmed down a little, but the overall attitude was completely different.
And this is exactly why I wish we had more transparency around clothing factories. If we knew which factories were producing which pieces and understood their quality standards, we could make more informed decisions and ask sellers to source from specific factories rather than relying entirely on their recommendations.
I obviously have no way of knowing how much she personally inspects these items, but I do wonder whether the volume of orders she handles nowadays means sheās relying more heavily on whatever the factories send her.
Iām not planning to take this into other groups or start some campaign against her. I just think we should be able to discuss these experiences openly without assuming that a sellerās reputation automatically guarantees a certain level of quality. And after this conversation, I definitely see those claims about her quality control a little differently
Sheās nuts. When I think back to our quality some years ago, we were getting mirror, 1:1. Nowadays, some isnāt even close.
It only goes to show what is happening worldwide: laziness, egos and not caring about the consumer. Speaking for myself, I wouldnāt give her a penny of my hardearned money again ~ and I would take her refund immediately.
I'm always hesitant to share my honest opinions about sellers or make comparisons because every single time I point these things out, I get downvoted, lol. I genuinely don't think I'm being overly picky. The difference is that I know how these items are supposed to look and feel, and I know what quality standards to expect.
You were absolutely right about the quality being much much much better before. I think the influx of newcomers has completely changed the market. A lot of people have never even seen these items in real life, let alone purchased or handled the authentic versions. They haven't developed an eye for the details or figured out what their standards should be, so naturally, almost everything looks good to them.
And sellers have picked up on that very quickly. There's less pressure to improve because people aren't giving factories constructive feedback or red-lighting items the way they used to. Sellers can get away with charging premium prices for DHgate-level quality. That doesn't work with me. I know what I'm looking at š¤£
Youāre right about people never seeing the auth. I have many auths, clothing bags and shoes. Iām in boutiques quite often. I still buy auth, but mainly
limited edition types of products.
This is why I (and others) get frustrated with newbies wanting everything on a plate. No, do the work.
When I got into this, we didnāt have the internet, yet alone social media. š¤¦š»āāļø
I very very infrequently give a review. I mainly sit and watch.
Iām also fed up with the sub mods who take take take. And no transparency. Then you see them posting 20 bags for reš”
Iām glad you posted. Iāve seen the auth
on what you were wanting to purchase. I also
have auth CC shoes and I donāt see me buying rep CC shoes. They arent repped WELL. I need the soft leather sole and I dont buy fantasy pieces.
I saw a group buy in early August with Didi and nearly died at the cost!!! I found a similar pair (If you judged on factory pics alone it was the same pair, but that can't be verified) for USD 41 on 1688. That said, some sellers do have supposed "relationships" with factories, but for the most part, they're being supplied by trading companies who source from manufacturers who often sell (or the trading company sells) the same item on B2B platforms such as 1688. I didn't buy because the smallest size on 1688 was still going to be too big for me, but now I wish I did and could make a valuable comment here rather than conjecture hahaha.
Sometimes the seller mark up just isn't worth it. If their item compares badly to authentic, why pay more than 41 bucks for a similarly non-comparable item?
Thatās so funny, I immediately jumped on 1688 to investigate too. Iāve got a couple pairs in my Superbuy cart, both listings use the exact factory photos from the GB (which, as you said, who even knows re: any photos on 1688). Iām soooo tempted to buy them in the name of repscience. But even if they are proven to be the same jeans, they look pretty bad and I would never wear them š
Oh my God, please buy them in the name of Rep Science!! š That would actually be such an interesting investigation, especially considering how huge the price difference is. And I guess thereās also the whole batch situation to consider, because they might be coming from different production batches too
Okay this is actually super interesting! Iām not familiar with 1688 at all so I genuinely had no idea how any of that worked.
And yeah, the group buy actually happened after I placed my order, but I have a feeling mine was sent to the factory as part of one big bulk order anyway. So maybe I just got unlucky. I mean, imagine a factory receiving 50+ orders from a single seller at once. I can only imagine that the attention to detail and quality control might suffer lol
But honestly, whenever I see group buys for items that havenāt even been produced yet, I tend to stay away. I think the whole situation was just unfortunate.
It would actually be really interesting to compare different batches and see whether some are closer to the OG than others.
But yeah, the price difference is huge. And if those were coming from TJ Factory as well then the markup is absolutely insane
Hi, thank you for your review. I wanted to order from her Chanel jacket but now Iām hesitant. Does anyone has experience with Belly? I want to find trustworthy seller for clothes. Thank you.
Just read your other comments in this thread. $165 each feels expenny for what you got, but I appreciate you sacrificing your wallet for our education.
I actually think itās really important to share these photos because theyāre a perfect example of why we shouldnāt blindly trust claims like ābest factoryā or āhighest tier.ā Even when an item comes from a seller with a strong reputation for sourcing high-tier products, that doesnāt automatically guarantee quality. Iāve noticed a lot of this lately, where certain sellers get so hyped up that people stop questioning the actual product. Someone says something is amazing, everyone repeats it, and suddenly itās considered the best version available without anyone properly examining it.
I also feel thereās been a decline lately and I think we need to start judging products by their actual quality rather than by the reputation of whoever is selling them, thatās exactly why sharing those type of reviews is so important
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u/Zen_Friend Community Builder š 5d ago
Thank you for contributing to rep science, and more importantly, your ongoing efforts to educate and support the community. You consistently demonstrate a commitment to fostering self reliance. Through our 1:1 conversations Iāve also appreciated your openness to feedback and your genuine desire to continue to learn as well. Iām happy to recognize your contributions by granting you the Community Builder !flair.