Taiwanese Actress Sharon Hsu, Who Lives In A Mansion With S$5.9K Toilet Bowl, Apologises For Using Fake Burberry Bag

Taiwanese singer-actress Sharon Hsu (許維恩), 40, has apologised after she was called out for using a fake designer bag.

Last week, Sharon, who has starred in movies like One Night In Taipei (2015), shared a video of her trip to Hualien with her girlfriends on YouTube. 

However, eagle-eyed netizens noticed that the canvas bag she was carrying was a blatant knockoff of fashion house Burberry's design. Emblazoned across the bag was the word “BUREEBRY”, though you probably wouldn’t notice it was spelt differently if you had taken just a quick glance.

According to reports, the knockoff bag is selling for as little as 31.90 yuan (S$6.40) on Taobao. Burberry’s canvas bags would set you back at least NT$40,000 (S$2K).

The faux pas sparked heated comments among netizens who criticised Sharon for “flaunting her mansion and NT$130,000 (S$5.9K) toilet bowl but uses knockoffs”.

Some called her “superficial”, likening her to Single’s Inferno star Song Ji A, who was exposed for wearing fake designer clothes and accessories.

There were also netizens who slammed Sharon for her lack of regard for intellectual property.

“Your bag doesn’t have to be branded but that doesn't mean it can be a counterfeit. Is your concept of intellectual property rights so weak?”, “This is not a matter of whether you like it or care about what other people think. The brand's intellectual property rights and trademark rights... should be respected, no?” and “Why don’t you ask Burberry if they are okay with it", were some of the comments.

Sharon has since apologised for using a designer knockoff and vowed never to do so again.

“I must apologise to everyone. I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have used a knockoff. I will not carry it again,” she wrote on Facebook, adding that she used the bag as it is waterproof and “good for holding [her] swimsuit”.

She later explained in an interview that the bag was a gift from a friend and she didn’t think to check when it was given to her.

"I am not someone who is very concerned about whether something is branded. Every gift is a thought, and it is very normal to use it. I apologise to the brand. I didn’t check the bag which was given to me.  I just thought that this bag is very practical and convenient for holding my swimsuit. I didn’t think much about it,” she said.

She added that she has bought Burberry products for her husband before and would not deliberately buy fakes.

However, some netizens are not buying her explanation.

"It's impossible not to know that [the bag is] pirated.... Even kids can tell," wrote one netizen.

Photos: Sharon Hsu/Facebook