Dupe culture is fascinating and polarising.

For some, it’s shorthand for cheap imitations – an insidious part of retail that’s all about making a quick buck through inferior copies of premium products. 

To others, it represents accessibility. A dupe is an opportunity to own something otherwise out of reach. Perhaps it represents even more – for Gen Z, there’s a sense that some dupe brands are actually far more interesting than the brands they’re copying.

Regardless of where anyone stands, this conversation has just got a little louder. That’s thanks to Dossier, a dupe fragrance brand, who’ve opened a flagship boutique in SoHo, New York.

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First and foremost, it’s really significant that Dossier has a flagship boutique – and its position on Elizabeth Street means it rubs shoulders with many giants of beauty, fragrance and cosmetics.

This, in and of itself, has a legitimising quality.

Merchandised thoughtfully and creatively in this beautiful store (it’s designed by Rekon Retail who are so often behind the best DTC spaces in the area), the fragrances demand to be taken seriously.

Here, any sense of quick, cynical knock-offs of luxury brands are challenged. The stories are told and the space is encouraging testing at every turn.

Dossier is saying to the customer: try me, you’ll be surprised how good this smells.

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