Alexander Wang’s controversial new ad: Fashion fans stunned by campaign that appears to feature A-list stars like Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift – but all is not what it seems

People love a dupe but Alexander Wang’s latest campaign may have taken it too far.

A video posted by the brand shows a handful of what appears to be A-list celebrities admiring the the brand’s famous Ricco bag – but viewers immediately spotted something was awry.

The campaign uses lookalike actors rather than the actual celebrities.

In the clip, the faux celebs unboxed the popular bag, pointing out its features.

The campaign included four social media stars known for their uncanny similarities to Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Kylie Jenner.

While imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, fans of the designer were perplexed by what they saw by the clip, which has had more than 2.3 million views on Instagram since it was posted on May 20.

‘100% certified authentic,’ the tongue-in-cheek caption read, noting the bag which comes in two sizes, priced at $850 and $1,050, would be restocked on May 22.

‘Oh that’s not – ‘ a user wrote on X, alongside the clip.

‘Alexander Wang using celebrity lookalikes for their latest campaign is so… cheap,’ another perplexed user wrote.

‘Alexander Wang could have real A-list celebrities in his campaign if it weren’t for the allegations…’ another wrote, referencing the 2020 sexual assault allegations made against the designer.

Representatives for the brand told Business insider they ‘wanted to play with the idea of deep fakes.’

They said it was birthed from the idea of ‘exploring the multiple realities within the digital landscape.’

‘Imitation is the best form of flattery, after all,’ they added.