Really though,  i think all the fakes have provided better business for LV, prada etc,   because now people say  "oh, my purse,  its real LV"     it creates status.     If there were no fakes would people still focus as much on wanting the real label?  Or would it just be another label?

Real LV and Prada create their own status, by reputation, quality, price and the people who can afford them - there doesn't need to be  cheap copies of anything to elevate the value of something else, and again I personally believe that's a short-sighted rationalisation. 

 "I can't afford the real thing, but I can afford something from someone else who steals, it's not bad because the real company wasn't going to get my money anyway and because of me other people get to say they have the "real thing", even though they could say that if there weren't any fakes, saying it means more when there are fakes around..."

Sorry, I don't buy any of the rationalisations for stealing other people's name / work and profiting from it.