Are Balmain and Pierre Cardin stores in Dubai Mall authentic or selling replicas?

From messages by 4 participants in 3 sources · Last activity: 56 days ago

TL;DR

Opinions differ: some claim Dubai Mall has only one authorized Balmain store (women's line) and it's a legalized replica for the Middle East market, while others insist there are two genuine Balmain stores — one near the reception and one near North Residence.

What the community said

Clarification: Dubai Mall does have genuine authorized Balmain stores — two of them, one near the reception entrance and another near North Residence. The commenter warns against spreading misinformation without checking facts first.

2 Balmain stores: near reception & North Residence

The item is sold in multiple locations around the city, but there's a risk of getting a fake. A traveler is trying to find someone who already bought it to figure out which location sells the authentic product.

The Balmain situation in Dubai is described as a well-known case of legal replicas ("pali"), with a separate detailed discussion referenced in the community chat.

Balmain — legal replica case ↗ link in original

One traveler claims several stores in Dubai Mall look questionable: Balmain reportedly has only one officially authorized store, and it carries only the women's collection. A similar situation applies to Pierre Cardin — both brands are said to be legalized replicas for the Middle East market, though the quality of items is reportedly decent.

Balmain — only 1 authorized store (women's line)