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"  Raf\u00E9 Totengco and Mara Hoffman; Photo: BFA The fashion crowd weathered the storm last night to support the third annual eBay and CFDA&amp;#039;s You Can&amp;#039;t Fake Fashion campaign, which protests counterfeits and supports authentic design. Top designers including Diane von Furstenberg, Tory Burch, and Ralph Lauren designed one-of-a-kind tote bags that just went up on an eBay auction to raise money and awareness for the foundation. &amp;quot;Educating shoppers about the dangers of counterfeits is now more important than ever,&amp;quot; CFDA CEO Steven Kolb told us. &amp;quot;eBay and CFDA are dedicated to protecting original design and the integrity of the fashion industry.&amp;quot; As far as getting designers on board with the campaign, that was a no brainer. &amp;quot;Asking designers to help protect their ability to create is sort of like asking them if they want air to breathe,&amp;quot; Luis Fernandez of NUMBER:Lab, who designed a weatherproof, rubber-coated tote, told us. His design joined the ranks of 89 other designers, the largest amount of participation the campaign has seen to date. Designers also enjoyed supporting each others&amp;#039; creativity in an effort to inform consumers about personal style and authentic design. &amp;quot;I love seeing everyone&amp;#039;s interpretation of the bag,&amp;quot; Michelle Ochs of Cushnie et Ochs told us. &amp;quot;Educating the consumer would be the best way to help the campaign. Style should be for everyone, regardless of price, and people should be encouraged to express that without using a knock-off.&amp;quot; Original style was definitely the message of the evening, as all 90 bags were displayed taking up an entire wall, ceiling to floor. Bags were ripped, dip-dyed, embroidered, embellished, and in some cases, completely transformed from their original canvas tote state, proving that anyone can be original with a little creativity. The battle for small brands to protect their original designs and their businesses is nothing new. Jewelry designer and philanthropist Ann Dexter-Jones told us: &amp;quot;I have people knocking off my jewelry, and I&amp;#039;m not even famous. My brand is very small, so we have to do what we can. Designers have to stand up and stand together to educate people about what is going on.&amp;quot; And of the mantra that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery? Ruffian designer Brian Wolk mused, &amp;quot;Obviously there are two sides to every coin, but when imitation is taking money out of your bank account for your hard work, it is not necessarily a good thing. There has to be a balance.&amp;quot; The original designer bags are available for auction now starting at $100 at youcantfakefashion2013.com alongside a standard tote for the Buy It Now price of $50. The auction concludes at 12 p.m. ET on Monday, March 25.  Claude Morais and Brian Wolk; Photo: BFA  Monica Botkier; Photo: BFA Read the latest breaking fashion news. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.elle.com/fashion/news/a22923/ebay-cfda-you-cant-fake-fashion-initiative/>