Toronto Police Bust Clothing Store For Allegedly Selling Nearly $2M In Fake Luxury Brands
Everything from Nike to Calvin Klein.
The storefront of Brands Gone Wild in Barrie, Ontario. Right: Products inside of Brands Gone Wild.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Court documents seen by Narcity show that all charges against both of the accused were withdrawn as of December 2023.
Anyone who has shopped at a well-known discount store in Toronto might want to double-check what they purchased.
The Toronto Police Service (TPS) has busted Brands Gone Wild in Etobicoke for allegedly selling nearly $2 million worth of fake luxury clothing brands.
Police said they were first made aware of the suspected fraud at the clothing store near Kipling Avenue and The Queensway on February , 2023 and executed a search warrant related to the investigation shortly after on March 17.
In total, $1,885,150 worth of counterfeit clothing was seized from Brands Gone Wild, which included ripoffs of brands like Nike, Puma, Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein, police said in a press release. TPS has since arrested and charged two men in their investigation.
The two men, both from Toronto, have been charged with fraud over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime, and passing off descriptions of wares. The pair are both due in court on May 15.
As for Brands Gone Wild, it seems that the store in Etobicoke remains open.
The discount retailer has been known for selling brand-name clothing at a much more affordable price.
On its website, Brands Gone Wild says, "'Opportunity buying' is the name of our game," and adds the chain is "made up of a large network of Toronto-based wholesale buyers and sellers," who mark down luxury brands "ridiculously low."
"What's the catch? Once our stock is gone, it's gone for good," the company says.
In the wake of the news of this investigation, Brands Gone Wild's Instagram account appears to have been deactivated. In its bio, the account had written, "Great Finds, Wild Prices. Family owned since 1990."
Toronto police are asking anyone with information on this incident to contact them at 416-808-2200, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477) or at 222tips.com.
This article has been updated since it was originally published in March 2023.