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Hello my lovelies!!
This week, I’m not doing a review, but I’m doing something closer to my original content of dupe lists. However, in this case, they won’t be dupes...but the exact same items, just with a label slapped onto each item. Many smaller, indie Instagram brands do something called “white labeling.” The exact definition of a white label product is:
A generic product that is created by a manufacturer to sell to many retailers, and each retailer is allowed to resell the product under its own branding.
What this means in layman’s terms is what many inaccurately call “drop-shipping,” (I also only learned the difference recently!) Dropshipping is:
A retail fulfillment method where a store doesn’t keep the products it sells in stocks, instead it sells a product on their site, and essentially forwards the purchase to the manufacturer of the item, or another wholesaler, who ships the goods directly to the customer.
So, when you see a brand like Paragon, or today’s star of the blog, Briana K Fitness, selling the exact same items from AliExpress or Amazon, but with their label on it, they are actually doing white labeling, not drop-shipping. Drop-shipping would be if they didn’t even bother keeping or shipping their own inventory, but forwarded all purchases made from their store, to the original Chinese manufacturer of their items, and your purchases would be mailed from China, not from the respective headquarters of Paragon or Briana K.
Now that we have the definitions out of the way, this week we’ll be looking at where you can get the exact same items that Briana K Fitness sells, as she only has white label products in her entire inventory, despite having released multiple collections. I already have an entire Google spreadsheet - you know me and my love for spreadsheets, for all of her items, many of which are sold both on Amazon and AliExpress, so if you want to just skip directly to the dupes, here is the spreadsheet!
However, a picture speaks a thousand words, so...I felt like it would be the most apt to show rather than tell that the products Briana K sells, despite claiming that she designs her own line, well...aren’t designed by her at all, but simply white labelled products. Honestly, I don’t actually have a problem with white labelled products sold by instagram brands and influencers, these kinds of brands are a dime a dozen nowadays, but my biggest issue with Briana K is that she has insisted repeatedly that her designs are her own hard work, when in fact, they aren’t. Also, not only does she claim this about products that are made generically by manufacturers, but also about designs from well-known brands like Do You Even or Gymshark that have been “duped” by Chinese manufacturers. It is honestly shocking that people can defend that designs that were clearly popularized by other brands like DYE or Gymshark are her own design. Anyhow...without any further ado...
We’ll be starting off with her products that haven’t yet launched, which will be her Rise collection, launching on August 31st. Please don’t come for my head saying that someone else copied her, these products have been on Aliexpress and Amazon for months, if not years!
Shine Bra
The Shine bra is a new item, but it has been around on Amazon and Aliexpress for just about forever.
Left (Briana K), Right (Amazon/Aliexpress)
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3cGgmqT ($21.99)
Shinbene: http://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_dX70TNM ($16.82)
Lolli Mesh Leggings
Moving onto the new leggings that Briana is releasing, I haven’t managed to get a solid shot of the leggings, since they’ve only been shown on her instagram videos/lives, but here is a screengrab of the leggings...and the Aliexpress version to the right
Left (Briana K), Right (AliExpress)
AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_d8jqi3q ($18.58)
She mentions in her Instagram live that there isn’t a seam at the bottom of the leggings, and that she didn’t notice that at first...which, if you are designing your own pieces, wouldn’t you know just about everything about them? The exact transcript goes starting at 9:30:
“So, these are going to be the Lolli Mesh in Tape, so that will be this color name. These are really cool cause there is no seam at the bottom, so they won’t squeeze your ankles, which I really like. Cherry actually was the first one to notice that so I feel like that was really cool, so yeah the seam I took out here, so you don’t squeeze your legs you know.”
There is a clear contradiction here...if someone else noticed that there was no seam at the bottom...how could you have decided to take out the seam which was nonexistent in the first place?
Lolli Capris
Left and Center (Briana K), Right (Aliexpress)
The new Lolli Capris are coming in Olive, Stone (grey), Mauve (pink), and a Black Camo. Lo and behold, these are the four color ways that this lovely Aliexpress seller happens to have on hand.
AliExpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001157662854.html ($19.16)
She mentions in this Instagram live at 22:57
“My supplier actually gave me the idea to do like a little gold detail down the side, which we thought was super cute, so I really like it.”
Normally, suppliers don’t do designing...and, I can’t help but wonder what it means that another manufacturer has the exact same detailing on their leggings, with stock pictures and all...a whole month and probably more, before Briana K launches this capri in her collection. Interestingly enough, this legging is extremely reminiscent of the Lululemon Fast and Free legging, with the triple pockets in the back and reflective detailing.
Endure Tank
As for the Endure tank, this is yet another Amazon and AliExpress favorite. In fact, if you are familiar with fitness activewear Youtuber, HopeScope, she actually had the exact same tanks, stamped with her motto when she was making her merchandise line, ShopHopeScope. Unlike Briana K, however, Hopescope never claimed that the designs were her own, or that ShopHopeScope is a unique activewear brand, where she was producing and designing the actual pieces of clothing. Instead, she acknowledged that she was just putting her logos/mottos on these pre-manufactured items as a form of influencer merchandise.
Left (Briana K), Middle (Hope Scope Merch), Left (Aliexpress/Amazon)
Amazon: https://amzn.to/33jPhJd ($13.99)
AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_dX9fBBS ($15.98)
And now that we’ve run the gamut for most of Briana K’s new products, just for fun, let’s include some of her older products in this photo lineup.
Essential Cami
Starting off, possibly one of the most private-labeled products I’ve seen as of late, the Essential Cami. First of all, the number of Amazon sellers selling this particular top has exploded as of late, possibly because of the increasing popularity of the top. Secondly, Briana K is not alone in private labelling this top, MusesOnly, Paragon Fitwear and I’m sure more brands that I don’t have the time to currently research, ALL. HAVE. THIS. TOP.
This is not an original design, no matter how hard Briana K tries to convince her followers that it is. So, for some fun, here is a lineup of all the brands that sell this top...along with the AliExpress and Amazon straight-from-manufacturer versions.
Top Left (Aliexpress Shinbene Tank), Top Center (Muses Only On the Fly Tank Green Bean), Top Right (Paragon Fitwear Sierra Crop),
Bottom Left (Briana K Essential Cami Teal), Bottom Center (Amazon Lemedy Tank Teal Green)
I feel like...this kind of speaks for itself...but I want to bring something interesting up. Out of all the white-label brands, as well as Amazon/Aliexpress sellers, Briana K has the highest price.
She sells the Essential Cami for $37, MusesOnly sells it for $32, but is on sale for $25 currently, Paragon Fitwear sells it for $30, Amazon sells it for $23.99, and Aliexpress sells it for $14.93. For a style that is apparently often sold out on the Briana K site, you may want to consider purchasing from any other vendor.
The Lolli Leggings
Now, these are the same leggings that were exposed by Youtuber Kathyrn Mueller to be white-labelled by Paragon Fitwear in her ParaGone video: linked here!
But in case anyone doesn’t want to watch the full youtube video, tl;dr, Paragon Fitwear was white-labelling the same leggings as Briana K does. The leggings are a pretty basic Lululemon align dupe, with a V seam at the back, and elongated gusset with a front seam. So, let’s do a side-by-side comparison for some of the colors that Briana K has come out with so far in the Lolli Leggings. Left will be Briana K, right will be Aliexpress/Amazon.
Dark Green:
Eggplant:
Sand:
Lilac:
Ocean:
Mint:
Charcoal:
Coral:
I’m not sure if these are all the colors of the Lolli leggings that she’s ever made, but...I think i’ve made my point. But as a fun bonus, the Lolli leggings are going to be releasing in some new, exciting colors with the Rise collection, one of which is a bright, bright red.
Which...you can get on Amazon or Aliexpress today, for $23.99 instead of the $64 Briana K charges for her Lolli leggings!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/31aZo05 ($23.99)
AliExpress: (different colors in each link)
Power Seamless Crop + Courage Seamless Leggings
Now, this is where I have the most beef with Briana K. Up until now, she’s been white-labelling products from manufacturers. The Lolli leggings/the original manufactured leggings are obvious dupes of Lululemon aligns, but there are so many align dupes out there at this point that I’ll give her a pass on copying an existing company’s style.
However, the Courage Seamless Leggings and Power Seamless Crop are literally the Gymshark Vital Seamless collection design that have been duped by manufacturers.
There is absolutely no way to claim that this is your original design without being a straight up liar. Say that it is a white-labelled product, sure. Say that you source from a manufacturer that dupes the clothes, also fine. But to say that this is a design that you made yourself? That is taking a bit far. And once again, since a photo speaks a thousand words:
Left (Briana K), Center (Gymshark), Right (AliExpress dupe)
Gymshark's vital seamless line is one of their staples, and they are constantly coming out with new colors, so there is no mistaking that this is their original design. You can actually tell that Briana K bought from the AliExpress manufacturer, as the original Gymshark (shown in the center), has a contrast color seam at the arms of the tank, whereas the Aliexpress dupes do not. If you want to grab the dupes, check the links below!
AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_dXNeoMy ($29.78 for the whole set!)
Amazon - Leggings: https://amzn.to/3i43ez8 ($23.99)
Vibrant Seamless Shorts + Sports Bra
Top Left (Briana K), Top Right/Bottom Left/Bottom right (Ryderwear)
These are another set of items that are designed originally by another activewear company, Ryderwear. Ryderwear typically re-releases the Seamless line every once in a while in new colors, but this line is literally so old, that I had to search like crazy to find any pictures of this set on instagram, in case anyone wants to claim that Briana K came out with this design first.
Also, you’ll notice that the colors that Briana K sells aren’t an exact match to any of the old Ryderwear colors, why? Well, looking at what is available on AliExpress, the stock photos from this AliExpress seller, Nepoagym, seem to match up quite perfectly with Briana K’s pink set.
AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_dXTJDw4 ($18.04)
Dream Seamless Leggings + Bra
Part 3 of Briana K claiming other brand’s designs is the Dream set. These are manufactured dupes of the Do You Even Hyperflex Seamless collection, which has been around for at least a year, if not longer.
Original Do You Even Hyperflex Set
Aliexpress and Briana K Dupes
Top (AliExpress Dupes), Bottom (Briana K)
You can see that the original Do You Even in dark green has a much more vibrant, emerald tone, whereas the Briana K and Aliexpress/Amazon versions are much more muted. But, hopefully, the obvious duping of the Do You Even brand is clear. You can think of it as a three-tiered level of design infringement.
Do You Even’s original design is copied by AliExpress, then Briana K sources from AliExpress a copied style and claims it as her own unique design and product.
I'm not going to get into every single Briana K item, if you want to find a particular style and purchase from the original manufacturer for a fraction of the cost, check out this spreadsheet, and feel free to drop a comment/message on this post if you can't find something and I'll send you the link!
My Personal Thoughts on Briana K
To give my two cents on Briana K and her brand, to reiterate what I said at the beginning of the post, I have an issue
with her claim that her items are her own original design,
especially when so many of her items are actually dupes of well-known styles by reputable brands.
In fact, her items can be found on Aliexpress or Amazon BEFORE she even releases the collection, making it obvious that they aren’t her original design. Yet, she has repeatedly claimed that it is. If she were to acknowledge that she is adding her own label to items that aren’t designed by her, then her behavior would be fine in my book. Do I think her prices are a bit ridiculous for things you can get for 60% cheaper on Amazon or Aliexpress? Yes. But do I deny the hustle that she’s doing? No.
However, she just won’t acknowledge the truth.
Honesty is the best policy. By claiming that she is designing her own items, she is intentionally lying to her numerous followers. I understand the desire to support your favorite influencer's creativity and work, in fact, thats a good thing! To encourage and support people who inspire and motivate you. But, if an influencer refuses to be truthful, even when confronted, it means that they aren't being genuine with you. Some people may be ok with being lied to. I personally am not.
Because if she isn’t being honest about this, what else isn’t she being honest about?
There is nothing wrong with saying that her items are white-labelled, or if she doesn't want to go that far, to say that she doesn't design her items herself. Plenty of brands do the same thing. If, as a follower of Briana K, and you love and truly support her, then it shouldn't matter where the clothes come from and if she designs it herself. Keep buying her brand because you like her and what she does!
But, if you support her assuming that she is producing unique clothing, then 1. Briana K is knowingly deceiving you, as she has been called out numerous times on instagram for private labelling, and 2. Do you really want to support someone for so-called original work when the overwhelming truth of the matter that it is not original is in front of you?
Her problem isn't that she is white-labeling, her problem is that she lacks honesty and integrity.
If no one ever asked her about whether or not her items were designed by her or not, then I don't think that she is obligated to disclose that information. However, whenever someone does ask her about whether or not she designs her products, or if they are white-labelled, she has repeatedly deleted comments (and sometimes whole posts) or blocked individuals in order to deny or hide the truth.
To me, it is a sign of insecurity and immaturity that she cannot acknowledge or accept the critiques or comments from others gracefully. I don't think that bashing her for white-labelling is constructive, which I've seen on numerous posts of hers (before she deletes them). But, asking her for accountability and honesty in answering the criticisms directed towards her and her clothing line is merited.
I'm not Briana K, I'm not friends with her, I've only seen her interactions with individuals both fans and foe on social media and have no idea what is going on in her life or mind.
However, I would say that as individuals we can control who we support and should seek to follow role models who desire to have a genuine, truthful relationship with us, rather than simply putting on a facade. This is why I do not, and cannot recommend others to support Briana K either as a fitness influencer, or as a clothing brand owner.
Someone who blatantly lies to my face isn't a role model or "influence" that I want to have in my life or support.
Anyways, this was a much more philosophical post than usual, but I hope that you enjoyed it!
Leave your thoughts on the matter in the comments on your thoughts about Briana K if that tickles your fancy! What do you think of fitness influencers and the increasing prevalence of people starting their own brands?
As always, if you want to stay updated with all the latest dupes, make sure to subscribe to this blog by registering your email or filling out a contact form!
Happy Hunting! Happy Shopping! Happy Saving!
Caly Out!
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