It is a woman’s most loyal friend: the bag has room for all the essentials and ours are perfect.
Favorite accessory for every outfit. If it’s a designer bag, happiness is even greater. But not only does it cost a lot of money, but the models are not so easy to get. That’s why most people look for their coveted items in thrift stores, flea markets – or more often the Internet.
It’s no secret that luxury bags have always been popular in counterfeiting. But today, it’s not just street vendors distributing counterfeit products anymore, there are also more copies on the Internet that you’re not entirely sure about for a long time. However, the authenticity of a handbag can be checked by some special features.
check ingredients
Louis Vuitton uses only high-quality materials for its Chanel and Prada bags. This means genuine leather, where designer bags are usually made from cowhide or deerskin. The natural material – unlike faux leather – changes with rain, sun and daily use, often darkening. This can be seen especially well on handles and handles that are most subject to stress.
Better imitations often use low-quality leather, such as sheepskin. You can tell by its strong smell. You can also notice a difference in weight: designer bags made of genuine leather are often heavier than fake bags made of faux leather.
Take a closer look at the seams
The number and quality of stitches also indicates whether you are holding an original or a fake sample. The first has always even and continuous seams that are never made of threads of different colors.
Basically, the fewer stitches a handbag has, the better. Because most originals consist of only a few pieces of leather. You can see this especially in real designer pieces on the bottom of a handbag that consists of only one piece of leather.
You should always look very carefully. Even if you don’t see anything striking at first glance, it’s always worth taking a look inside the handbag. Because there is usually a crappy process that turns it out to be fake.
Take a look at the metal elements
Tiny feet, zipper, clips, buckles, snaps or tags on the bottom of the bag may also indicate counterfeit goods. Because all these parts are subject to the strictest quality criteria for designers. All of them should be well made and work properly.
For example, an original’s feet are the same size and are in the same place at the bottom of the bag. The brand’s logo is often embossed on metal elements. If a zipper says YKK, the world’s largest zipper manufacturer, it’s a clear sign of fraud as designers never trust this brand.
Check logo
The brand’s logo is never cut in the originals. It never gets lost in one stitch. Of course, there may be exceptions even in real examples. However, you should always examine logos very closely and compare them with images to detect fakes.
In counterfeit products, it may be good that the letters do not have a regular arrangement, are sloppy or unevenly printed on the leather, the letters are finished or have no regular color coating.
Pay attention to the serial number, receipts and packaging
Handbags from designer labels are equipped with a serial number. For example, in Louis Vuitton it consists of two letters and four numbers. This includes the place and date of manufacture. The first and third digits indicate the month, and the second and fourth digits indicate the year of manufacture. Here’s how you can see the big difference: On counterfeit products, the serial number is usually written with spaces, while the original has no spaces.
Also, if receipts or certificates of authenticity are available, they are more likely to be genuine. But these should definitely be compared with the design and font of the original documents.
Packaging can reveal many things too: Real designer handbags are never wrapped in plastic, but are always packed in a protective bag made of fabric and the original box.
Compare with pictures of the original
Photos of the originals can be found on the designer label’s website. With the help of these you can compare the lettering, pattern and color of the bags. You should also make sure that the model is also available in this form from the designer tag.
Some labels even offer a comparison service that clarifies model-specific information about the differences between genuine and fake bags. You can also find information about the differences on blogs or forums.