9 months ago
50 ARTICLE AD
Just call it Faux-gue?
An emerging fashion designer was nearly duped by an elaborate con involving a fake Vogue website, and a chance at what she thought would be sartorial stardom.
The designer, who has dressed celebrities and top influencers, tells Page Six she got an email from “Vogue” about a supposed Netflix show the fashion bible was creating about rising designers.
The email, seen by Page Six reads, “Vogue is currently in the process of selecting brands for the upcoming Vogue Business Netflix Series, and we’re keen to explore the possibility of featuring your brand in our upcoming episodes.”
The message says the alleged project, “adopts a captivating documentary-interview format… We delve into their compelling stories, their interactions with customers, and the dedicated teams behind these illustrious brands.”
The “Vogue Business Netflix Series” had a real looking site and marketing materials. voguebrands.orgThe email was even connected to a very professional looking website, Voguebrands.org, (which was taken down on Thursday evening after Page Six began asking questions).
The designer got spooked when the site started asking for money through via Coinbase or PayPal.
A Vogue spokesperson confirmed to Page Six that the brand has no involvement in the show or site.
The site’s scammers even sent a well-made document outlining a supposed “symphony of prestigious partnerships,” claiming they were working with entrepreneurial ABC show, “Shark Tank,” and Mark Cuban’s cryptocurrency platform, Polygon.
The emails offered promises for networking opportunities, and exclusive invites to Vogue events. voguebrands.org They also claimed to have a partnership with ABC’s “Shark Tank.” voguebrands.orgThe designer tells us she spent hours sending the phony fashionistas “my history, content, images, every collection and lookbook, videos about every employee, day in the life videos, press history,” and that it was “so much jumping through hoops.”
The designer says that when she was alerted she’d been chosen for the faux show, she was so happy that she cried, only to wind up in tears when she realized it was all seemingly a high-end hoax.
She says an email then asked her to become a member of “Vogue Brands” for $200 with the promise of not only being featured on streaming, but also to appear in the legendary fashion glossy.
A Vogue spokesperson confirmed to Page Six that the brand has no involvement in the show or site. FilmMagic“It goes through this membership thing and asks for a fee and for you to send it through PayPal and Coinbase,” she says, which made her suspicious.
An email seen by Page Six gives detailed instructions on how to pay, including sending money through PayPal to an individual with a personal Gmail account. (Page Six could not find anyone associated with actual Vogue with that name.)
The email promises that the membership will give, “Participation in Vogue projects and features in Vogue magazine,” plus “Industry alliances with fellow member brands for mutual success,” as well as access to “Vogue events,” and marketing courses.
Our disappointed designer tells us, “I wonder what the scam’s end game was? It was so elaborate to steal $200.”
