A THIRD of people wear knock-off gear to help save cash, figures show.

Fake clothes, fashion items, cosmetics and watches are among items snapped up.

A third of Brits admit to wearing knock-off gear to help save cash

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A third of Brits admit to wearing knock-off gear to help save cashCredit: Alamy

A huge 32 per cent knowingly buy them from traders, online and from friends.

Such purchases make up two thirds the value of Britain’s black economy, which itself is worth a tenth of GDP.

Men are more likely to own dodgy gear — 35 per cent compared to 30 for women.

Seven per cent of Brits have more than 15 fakes.

Londoners are most likely to own a bogus item, then Geordies, a study of 2,000 by watch and sunglasses specialist Tic Watches found.

Spokesman Danny Richmond said: “The scale of the counterfeit industry is shocking.

“While it’s tempting to buy cheap alternatives, fake designer products can be incredibly damaging to the fashion industry.”

Police raiding suspected counterfeit clothes shop in Manchester left red-faced as workers escape from under shutter a few yards away

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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk

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