How Aupen became an It-bag brand and a target for counterfeiters in China

On a crisp autumn day in September 2024, Chinese authorities raided a factory in Guangdong province, uncovering stacks of counterfeit handbags totalling one million yuan (S$183,430).

Each bore the unmistakable design of Aupen, the home-grown brand that has taken the celebrity world by storm ever since American pop star Taylor Swift was photographed carrying its black Nirvana bag in October 2023.

Undercover surveillance had confirmed what Aupen’s Singaporean founder Nicholas Tan had suspected for months: This factory, employing over 2,000 workers, was churning out thousands of fake Aupen bags, flooding the market with dupes that traded off the brand’s rising prestige.

The counterfeit merchandise was seized, and nine individuals, including ringleaders and a factory foreman, were arrested.

Investigations are still ongoing, with the authorities now tracing the broader counterfeit network that extends beyond just one factory.

Speaking to The Straits Times over the phone from Milan, Italy, on Feb 19, Mr Tan, 35, reflects on the moment he truly grasped the importance of intellectual property protection.

It was Swift who drove home the lesson, when the 35-year-old singer-songwriter was embroiled in a public dispute with American talent manager and entrepreneur Scooter Braun to reclaim ownership of her master recordings in 2019.

She had lost control of her first six albums after Mr Braun’s company acquired her former record label, Big Machine Records, in a US$300 million (S$403 million) deal in June that year. The sale happened without her knowledge, leaving her unable to profit from her own early music.

After failing to buy back her masters, she took matters into her own hands by re-recording her albums under the “Taylor’s Version” banner – an unprecedented move that reshaped music industry conversations around creative ownership and control.

“I think what that Taylor Swift saga did was really highlight the importance of owning your rights as an artist,” says Mr Tan. “Before that, there wasn’t as much emphasis on artists or designers securing ownership of their work.”

As a result, he had made it a non-negotiable priority to file design and trademark protection for every Aupen product before it even hit the market in November 2022. To him, it was the only way to safeguard his brand’s originality in an industry notorious for copycats.

But for a young, independent fashion label, securing intellectual property rights was not easy. The costs were high and the roadblocks came early.

In the brand’s early days, he sought financial support from Enterprise Singapore, a local government agency designed to help local businesses grow internationally. His application for grants and patent protection, however, was swiftly rejected.

He claims the feedback cited issues with Aupen’s business and marketing plans, suggesting they were not holistic enough.

Instead of giving up, he cold-called industry professionals, sought legal advice and eventually secured the protections he needed. Aupen did not revert when asked how much was paid out of pocket.

But in July 2024, one of Mr Tan’s staff members stumbled upon counterfeit Aupen bags being sold on Chinese e-shopping platform Alibaba.

“It was identical, down to the smallest detail,” Mr Tan recalls. “The designs were exactly the same, even the little Lumiere charm at the side of the bag with ‘Aupen’ engraved on it. The only difference was the quality – it wasn’t on a par.”

But what stunned him the most was the pricing. Some of the counterfeits were being sold at nearly the same price as the originals, which are priced from $457 to $654.

“When I saw that, I felt sorry for the customers who unknowingly bought them,” he says. “They probably thought they were getting the same product, only to realise later that it wasn’t the real deal.”

The discovery also raised an urgent issue: consumer awareness.

“I want to make it clear that we sell our products only on Aupen.com,” Mr Tan says. “We don’t sell through third-party department stores or any other website. So, if anyone sees an Aupen bag listed elsewhere, it’s a counterfeit.”

Armed with evidence of the counterfeits, the company swiftly brought it to the attention of its legal team, which advised Aupen to work directly with Chinese law enforcement “to crack down on the source”.

Aupen handed over detailed documentation – including screenshots and comparisons of the fake bags against the originals – to the authorities in China. What followed was a months-long undercover investigation, culminating in the dramatic raid on the Guangdong factory.

Meanwhile, customers who have purchased Aupen bags from third-party resellers and want to verify their authenticity can reach out to the brand at service@aupen.com. According to Mr Tan, the unique order number is key for verification purposes.

Meanwhile, Aupen is pressing forward. The brand recently expanded into accessories with its first jewellery launch in February, a move that showcases its commitment to artistry beyond handbags.

Taking cues from the surrealist costume jewellery crafted by Italian fashion house Maison Schiaparelli, Aupen’s debut piece, the Sinner Earrings, features a sculptural S-curve design, handcrafted with gold-tone metal and light-catching crystals.

The earrings, created in collaboration with Jade Groupe, a subsidiary of French luxury conglomerate LVMH’s artisanal arm Metiers d’Art, retail for US$790 (S$1,050) and have already sold out on Aupen’s website.

Mr Tan offers a candid piece of advice for young designers and those in the fashion industry: creative endeavours are still businesses at the end of the day.

“Many creatives want to focus on the vision, product and design process, but that’s not realistic in today’s climate,” he says. “You need to understand business, legal protection and strategy to grow and last.”

This article was originally published in The Straits Times.