
A knock-off of the US-founded skateboarding and clothing brand Supreme has opened a mega-store in Shanghai, China, and if online reaction is to be believed, it's an improvement on the original New York store.

The fake Supreme appropriated the exact trade dress and logos of the original NYC company, allegedly registered it under a slightly different name, Supreme Italia, and got the green light to sell in China, according to NSS Mag.

However a source familiar with the situation told DailyMail.com that IBF, which runs Supreme Italia and sister-company Supreme Spain, is not registered in China, is operating there illegally and could be shut down at any moment.

The source said that the real Supreme has a trademark registration currently being processed in China.

Meanwhile, the fake store is garnering attention for its lavish design, complete with a half pipe skating ramp, skate decks hanging all over the walls, and of course, the unmistakable Supreme logo.

An allegedly completely legal knockoff of the US-founded skateboarding and clothing brand Supreme has opened for business in Shanghai, China, but the originator says it's not on the up and up

In response, Supreme founder James Jebbia, told Business of Fashion in April, 'This is a whole new level with this criminal enterprise - these complete imposters and impersonators'.

The New York City-based fashion brand made famous by its box logo, collaborations and limited-run items, added that it is working with local law enforcement in China to enforce its trademarks, according to Hypebeast.

While the legal status of the knockoff's activities remains uncertain, the execution of its imitation has been praised by social media users who got a glimpse of the 'flagship' Supreme Italia store in photos, even as Chinese media has ridiculed the establishment as 'disgracing us overseas.'

One Twitter user wrote, 'Dang... that store looks so much nicer than the New York store. Kind of digging fake Supreme over the real deal.'

Another said, 'The thing is that Supreme should do their stores like that.'

A company called IBF has opened Supreme Italia, which is running the Shanghai store, and a sister company called Supreme Spain. People are shown outside the fake Shanghai store

Reports have said IBF got trademarks over the iconic Supreme logo in China after the New York-based original failed to do so, but the US company has said that is false and it is working with local law enforcement to enforce its trademarks there. The fake store in Shanghai is shown

People are shown shopping in the knockoff store in Shanghai, run by Supreme Italia

One user identified as Henry even guessed the fake would be more profitable, writing, 'they prolly making more money than supreme.'

According to photos, customers were lined up outside the massive store and eager to take a peek at the off-brand items inside and check out the skating ramp inside.

Once inside, they were surrounded by Supreme’s classic Box Logo in Futura Heavy Oblique font, plastered all over the interior and on items available for sale.

The 'flagship' location is the second Supreme Italia store opened in Shanghai, following a much smaller version that popped up in February.

The billion dollar brand is known for its high-end collaborations, with one with Nike dropping on Monday.

Meanwhile, customers in China lined up around the block to get access to the counterfeit store's half pipe skating ramp, skate decks hanging all over the walls, and of course, the unmistakable Supreme logo, while social media users praised the design and said the US brand could take a lesson from the foreign entity. The New York Supreme store is shown

Supreme was founded by James Jebbia in New York City in 1994 and became a hit with skateboarding, hip hop and rock culture enthusiasts, though the design is much more modest than the counterfeit in Shanghai. The interior of the New York Supreme store is shown

One Twitter user wrote, 'Dang... that store looks so much nicer than the New York store. Kind of digging fake Supreme over the real deal'

Another said, 'The thing is that Supreme should do their stores like that'

One user identified as Henry even guessed the fake would be more profitable, writing, 'they prolly making more money than supreme'

The fake establishment comes complete with a half pipe skating ramp, and the unmistakable Supreme logo

According to photos, customers were lined up outside the massive Shanghai counterfeit store and eager to take a peak at the off-brand items inside and check out the skating ramp inside

Once inside, they were surrounded by Supreme’s classic Box Logo in Futura Heavy Oblique font, plastered all over the interior and on items available for sale

Inside the fake store in Shanghai, skate decks hang on the walls and are displayed on shelves

The original Supreme brand is known for its high-end collaborations, with one with Nike dropping on Monday

Supreme's collaboration with Nike is expected to drop this week

The US-based company highlighted knockoffs of its collaborations, like the one shown here with Nike, as another issue with the fake Shanghai store's potential sales, saying the products resulting from joint ventures similarly aren't authorized to be sold

A knockoff of the true brands collaboration with RIMOWA luggage is shown in a photo of the Supreme Italia store in Shanghai

A knockoff of the true brands collaboration with RIMOWA luggage could be seen in photos of the Supreme Italia store in Shanghai, which was one issue the US-based company highlighted with the store's potential sales, saying the products resulting from joint ventures similarly aren't authorized to be sold.

According to Supreme, Supreme Italia does not have a trademark registration in China, and a 2017 judicial order bars the imitator from the advertising, manufacturing or selling of product with Supreme, Supreme Italia or Supreme Spain trademarks.

Last year, Samsung was duped by Supreme Italia into agreeing to work on a collaboration, believing it to be the original Supreme.

Months later the tech giant posted a short statement on Weibo saying it would discontinue the partnership with Supreme Italia, a brand that clones Supreme’s red box logo but is actually a copycat hiding under an Italian trademark.

Samsung China’s digital marketing manager, Leo Lau, clarified in a now-deleted Weibo post that Samsung was not collaborating with the authentic Supreme brand.

'We are collaborating with Supreme Italia, not Supreme NYC,' Lau said. 'Supreme NYC has no sales and marketing authorization in China, but Supreme Italia has obtained product sales and market authorizations in the Asia Pacific region.'

The original Supreme brand has international locations, like in London, which opened its doors in 2016.

The official brand also has locations in Paris and Japan, in addition to its US stores in New York, Brooklyn and Los Angeles.

DailyMail.com has reached out to Supreme seeking further clarification and is awaiting a reply.