Yeah you read it right, our bags have been leaked to a Pakistan sweatshop (named Iconic Biker Apparels and their partner Stylonic International) where they are being copied. So a bit of history first on the R9Kustoms Hustler Sissy Bar Duffle Bag.
The R9Kustoms Hustler Sissy Bar Duffle Bag came out of one person’s head, mine. It was just as Covid was kicking off and I designed the bag because I wanted something for my chopper sissy bar and nothing else on the market fit the vintage feel in my opinion. I wanted something more retro, rolltop without that modern military bag styling that all the other bags have.
I had a friend who was working with canvas and leather, and I got him to make me a prototype in August 2019. It was basic at first, but after three alterations or should I say complete remakes, we had a bag that worked with the styling I wanted to use. At this point there was never any intention to move past just one for my bike. Fast forward and I posted it on Instagram, and it exploded which gave me the spark to start making these bags in small quantities and R9Kustoms was born.
We moved onto larger scales, never faltering on the quality of workmanship with a team that made them locally. So how did we get to the point where we are at where the market is being flooded with counterfeit copies of our bag. Well that blame rests solely on one of our customers. This customer I will leave his personal name out for now, bought a bag from us and then asked us to produce them for him at a wholesale price to sell on his Ecommerce store Moe’s Hills Bobber’s, drop shipping to his customers and with his logo on the bags.
Considering I designed the bag from scratch, with so many drawings and solutions to overcome, I wasn’t prepared to have another brands logo on our bag just for profit. I wasn’t going to sell out for a quick buck, so I said. NO! At this stage we had developed a large following on Instagram and Facebook, with sales we couldn’t keep up with.
This guy was getting a common thin Kevlar hoodie biker jacket made in Pakistan with his logo Moe’s Hills Bobber’s on it. These jackets are all over the market, every small-time moto website is selling them with their own logo on them and the market is flooded with them. His website and Instagram feature heavily with this Pakistan shops products.
We have proof it is at this point he approached them to copy the R9Kustoms Sissy Bar Duffle Bag, the original, our design! These Pakistan sweat shops aren’t interested who their step over, they just want to knock out a cheap knockoff and get some cash in the bank.
So old mate got what he wanted, a vintage sissy bar duffle bag, he didn’t care that the quality wasn’t as good, all he cared about was getting a product that people liked the look off and steal someone’s hard graft. Now what he doesn’t realize or has factored in is the case that these Pakistani sweatshops aren’t going to make them just for him, they will remanufacture them with whosevers logo will pay them.
What does the new year look like, it will be a flooded market of our designed sissy bar duffle bags hitting the sales platforms for all to buy. What’s this mean for you as the customer? Well they are simply price matching our bags, so you, the customer is getting screwed.
These knockoffs of our bags in Pakistan are being made for less than $25 and they are selling them for $200. You end up getting a sweatshop knockoff of lower quality compared to the OG R9Kustoms Sissy Bar Duffle Bag.
If you want the original, yes we will be here, continuing to make a great quality bag just like we have from the start. We have thousands of happy customers all around the world riding season after season with our gear but beware of the imitations!!
One thing is for sure, laws have been broken, and they (those who sell) or (those who manufacture) will be held accountable. An example for those who manufacture counterfeit goods in Pakistan:
Pakistan Counterfeiting a property mark used by another.
Section 483. Whoever counterfeits any trade mark or property mark used by any other person shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.
http://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd/
If you suspect you have seen a counterfeit bag of R9Kustoms original designs, please let us know by email. We want our customers to get the best quality products and to get what they paid their hard-earned cash for!!