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“I Don’t Want to Buy a Handbag”
When Natalia Youssef moved to Walker Street from the Meatpacking District five years ago, she was astounded by the aggressiveness of the counterfeit-handbag vendors on Canal Street. “They take me for a tourist, and they keep harassing me to buy a handbag,” she says over a coffee at La Colombe Torrefaction. She went to a neighborhood meeting, and people were saying how scared they were to cross Canal, but the police couldn’t seem to do anything permanent about it. So she has decided to take matters into her own hands, making T-shirts with “I Don’t Want to Buy a Handbag” in Chinese on the front and selling them for $30 on her website, idontwantahandbag.com. (They’re available in men’s, women’s, toddlers’ and infants’ sizes.) A percentage of proceeds will go to Tribeca Partnership and Soho Partnership, assuming she can get someone there to approve it.
Youssef didn’t just Google how to say the phrase in Chinese—she learned the language. “I had always wanted to learn Chinese, because it’s the next economic superpower,” she says. “And I loved the idea of being the blond girl reading the Chinese newspaper on the subway, with people around me saying, ‘What the hell?'” She tells of shopping in Chinatown, surprising salesclerks with her proficiency.
The first time she wore one of her T-shirts on Canal, she was concerned that the vendors would react badly. “They were cracking up,” she says. “They were like, ‘Why not?'”
12 Comments
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This is genuis, very well done indeed
You go girl! Brilliant idea.
Yes, it must be so annoying for denizens of TriBeCa to have to occasionally deal with the non-rich. The poor girl. And are people really scared to cross Canal? Why don’t just move to Des Moines or something then?
It’s a fun idea – she should even have the alternative and hawk them to tourists!
Great idea! Now how do I say, “Move your damn baby stroller!” in Chinese?
Ha, this is great. There should be a “I don’t want a Rolex” version for the dudes.
this is bizarre and offensive. Just walk past people who harass you. Don’t try and make a fashion statement out of it. I mean really, what is next ” Don’t sell me a rolex” ….in what language?????…..oh I guess you have to generalize about a group of people in order to figure out the language. Just live and let live. rich people with too much time on their hands…sheesh
Neeta, even though it probably wasn’t Natalia’s intention, but the t-shirts are more of a socially concious statement than a fashion one. I would recommend reading this article about the harm caused by couterfeit goods (and I don’t mean to Louis Vuitton’s bottom line). http://www.takepart.com/news/2009/01/06/the-danger-of-knock-offs
Tribeca Fashion Examiner, I have no doubt counterfeit products are not ideal. And yes I did read the article. The t-shirt is not saying, “buy the original, save jobs, uphold licensing laws, stop supporting the mafia..etc” in English, which would be a message to both the vendors and the throngs of English speaking people who buy these products, and shocking thought it may seem to some, I bet those vendors know english. If she was trying to make a statement, as you contend, that might be the best way to do it. I would be totally fine with that. Even though she is accosted in English, she has chosen to use Chinese on the shirt, relinquishing all the people who create the demand for the items from the guilt and legal responsibility of their actions. Sorry I don’t buy that the shirts are a socially conscious statement 1 bit. Here is a white woman donning a shirt in Chinese, telling Chinese people to “F ing leave her alone.” Just imagine a chinese person having to sit next to her at a restaurant or in the subway or any other public place out of the context of Canal street. Her “cute” shirts are offensive and frankly I am totally surprised that as progressive as NY and downtown are, people think this is a good idea.
Neeta – I agree! I am shocked that people on this site were so quick to comment on what a great idea this is. I find the shirts more than a little offensive and completely condescending. I also find it interesting that some people that think these shirts are such a great a idea also seem to think that “there are too many nail salons” in their neighborhood (too many Asians for you, paulette…..?).
Since when is there only room for “hip” (wanna be hip), white girls in Tribeca?
Ignorant in deed…
Well if the objection is that the shirt is in Chinese, then the same objection should apply when NYC public schools or other organizations also hand out their information in Chinese due to community demographics. Which is the same theory that applies here, 9.5 out of 10 times the person doing the soliciting in the vicinity of Canal street is an Asian woman whose only knowledge of English seems to be Louis Vuitton or Coach. It’s probably safe to assume that the same person would need a translated hand out (in this case t-shirt), perhaps, for her next order, Natalia can add “I don’t want your ILLEGAL handbag”… to make a stronger point that what they are doing is breaking the law. Yes, being pc and sensitive to other cultures is very important, but not when it comes to condoning illegal activities.
First of all, this t-shirt is not about fighting fake goods. That is clear. If this is a one woman crusade against counterfeit goods (I am all for that), she would have a shirt in English also targeting the people that create the demand. I think that the maker of this shirt, probably thought by having it in Chinese was the cute part of it. It wouldn’t be as fun if it was in English, even though the hawkers are hawking in English and negotiating in English and probably managing to function in their business by using written and spoken English–not perfect English, but I bet they could read that shirt in English. She didn’t put it in Chinese as a service to the hawkers! I would be curious to see what Margret Chin and the other Chinese leaders of the city think of this. Can you imagine what a Chinese person must think if they have to sit across from her in the subway?