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With the popularity of local brand Charles & Keith, it is no surprise that others overseas are also looking to buy its products.

In China, the brand has gained the nickname "little CK", in reference to Calvin Klein which was nicknamed "big CK".

Charles & Keith currently has over 270 stores in mainland China.

Baited

However, a user of Chinese social media Xiaohongshu recently took to the platform to explain that she had been fooled into buying shoes belonging to another brand, known as “Chermas & Kaeth”.

In her post titled “It’s not little CK at all, I was fooled”, she wrote that she initially thought that Charles & Keith had opened a store wherever she was at.

She then spent 500 yuan (S$93.47) buying a pair of shoes, saying that she had wanted a pair from the original brand.

However, the user only realised that she was mistaken when she stepped out of the store with her new pair of shoes, noting that “it was just a random brand from Guangdong”.

She also commented that the quality of her new shoes may not be as good as the original ones and did not manage to get a refund.

“I’ll just treat it as a learnt lesson for 500 yuan (S$93.47),” said the user.

Others also baited

The storefront of Chermas & Kaeth does bear an uncanny resemblance to Charles & Keith shops, with its marble floors and plain display shelves.

Some netizens were also under the impression that Chermas & Kaeth was Charles & Keith.

“Isn’t this little CK? It seems so from the looks of it”.

“I had also been fooled before, even the bags look exactly the same.”

Others expressed that it was surprising how China could open such stores and questioned the patrons who entered the store without looking at its name.

CHERMAS & KAETH

Though the user said that Chermas & Kaeth is from Guangdong, the brand’s website said that it was founded in Hong Kong in 2018.

Here’s some excerpts of the brand story (translated):

“As a brand with a concept of advocating a new generation lifestyle, Chermas & Kaeth has developed a very comprehensive product line, such as shoes, bags, sunglasses, accessories etc."

“Because of our easy-to-wear and modern design style, it stood out among many brands and has become a well-loved brand among fashion lovers in a short period of time.”

The brand apparently has “a large number of loyal followers” and has become popular both at home and abroad.

The average price of their products range between 300 yuan (S$56.08) and 500 yuan (S$93.47), though they were not stated in individual product pages.

It appears that one has to make an online inquiry in order to buy them.

Though the website has some photos from its outlets, it did not explicitly mention where they were located.

A quick search on Weibo showed that one of its outlets is located at Wangfujing Mall in Beijing, China.

Not the first one

Besides Chermas & Kaeth, various iterations of Charles & Keith have been spotted.

These are Cherlss & Keich and Chfpibs & Kslth – and both can be found in China.

When contacted, the real Charles & Keith told Mothership that Chermas & Kaeth was not affiliated with its brand "in any way".

Related:

Top images via Xiaohongshu/小姐姐的姐姐