How to spot a FAKE and AUTHENTIC LOUIS VUITTON bag?
Louis Vuitton has been
manufacturing fine quality travel bags and handbags for over 150 years.And it is one of the most forged and counterfeited
brand in the fashion world due to its image as a status symbol. And the fact
is – only a small fraction of products bearing the LV initials in the general
population are authentic.
So the question is how to spot a fake and authentic Vuitton bag? There are many
ways to distinguish authentic Louis Vuitton from a replica! I am not an expert
but having surrounded with LV replicas all around Manila and authentic Vuitton
bags in Paris helped, plus some research and owning a few too.
So here you go:
The logo placement
. Authentic Vuitton products always have
the logos placed symmetrically. A
Louis Vuitton product will never have the LV logo cut off, if the logo appears
half on and half off the purse, wallet or whatever, it’s obviously fake!The authentic LV monogram is usually
(with the exception of some vintage pieces) symmetrical from side to side in
all monogram styles (traditional, Multicolore, Cerises, Mini mono, Vernis etc.)
the LVs are in relation to the handles, sides, quatrefoils etc.
The stitching.
Stitching should be very even and straight. Louis Vuitton places the
same number of stitches in the same locations on similar bags. So if you know a
particular style of handbag has 5 regular stitches across the top of the
leather tab, you can spot a fake if it has only 4 stitches.
The Fonts:
Louis Vuitton uses a very specific font. Nowadays, a lot of
counterfeiters have begun to do a better job at knocking it off. So be very
careful. Notice the VERY round “O”s.If the bag has oval “O’s” it is fake!
Real Louis Vuitton type font has very circular, almost perfectly round, O’s.
Note: It is neatly imprinted but my camera is out of focus.
Made
in Spain?
Yes, while it is true that the first authentic Louis Vuitton is made in France, for over
25 years, Louis Vuitton has also produced bags in the USA, Spain, Germany and
Italy. It is not true that a Louis Vuitton bag has to be marked
“Made in France” to be authentic.
(This bag was bought from Louis Vuitton store in
Champs-Elysées in Paris yet it has a mark made in Spain.)
The
leather.Examine the leather (the purse itself, not the
strap).
Louis Vuitton is well-known for their high quality
luxury goods. Fake: The leather is rather hard,
tough, and rough. Real: The leather is silky-smooth. Louis Vuitton uses
oxidizing natural cowhide leather that turns a dark golden honey color over
time.
The detail
. Louis Vuitton uses brass and
gold metal hardware, not gold painted plastic. The zippers should also have the
letters “LV” neatly imprinted and the zipper is extremely smooth.
The date code.
All authentic Louis Vuitton bags made since
the early 1980s should have a date code, which is two letters followed by four
numbers. If your bag has a variation of this formula or none at all, it is
probably a fake. You can find the date code hidden inside the bag.
The packaging.
A real
Louis Vuitton comes with a high-quality dust bag that perfectly fits the bag.
The dust bag is made from beige cotton with neat, tight seams, theyare not made out of
cheap material and do not have rounded edges. It also
has a tiny tag inside that says the dust bag is 100 percent cotton and made in
India.
When you
buy from Louis Vuitton store it always comes with tags but they are NEVER
attached to the bag.Other designer labels like Chloe, Marc Jacobs, Coach will do this – but
at Louis Vuitton –tags are usually tucked into a pocket or included in an envelope that
comes with your receipt.
Take note that the
bag handles and hardware are not wrapped with a plastic or with a tissue,
NEVER.
And
when buying a pre-loved Louis Vuitton in
an online auction, do not be fooled, do your research, ask for additional
actual and detailed photos from the seller and check the official Louis Vuitton website, if
the piece is of horrible quality or a non-existing style then it is a fake.
Avoid online sellers who offer no return policy.
Louis Vuitton never do ‘SALE’ and never give
DISCOUNTS!There is no
such thing as a Louis Vuitton “wholesale list” or “closeout liquidation”.You must be careful when purchasing from any websites that are not authorized
by Louis Vuitton. The ONLY authorized site by Louis Vuitton iseLUXURY.com
.
Louis Vuitton
does not include authenticity cards with their bags. If the seller is offering a Vuitton bag with an authenticity card
(creditcard-like), the bag is fake. If you are living in Philippines, you can
see a lot of these LV bags with authenticity card in Greenhills shops and
facebook online stores. Whether it’s Quad.A, Triple A, B, or whatever, it is
still a replica slash counterfeited, IT IS NOT AUTHENTIC! Buying such isthe worst investment you will ever make!
Of
course I can understand the temptation to buy a Vuitton replica that you can
get for only 80 usd. Sure, it is an enormous difference on price but an enormous
difference on QUALITY too! An 80 dollar bag that will only last maximum of 6
months, and after awhile the leather starts to peel off versus 1000 dollar
authentic Louis Vuitton bag that you can keep a lifetime (with a proper care of course) — you get what you
have paid for!
They are not fad bags and they are made
to be classic while styles may change.Authentic Vuitton bags
are water res
is
tant and they say that it is also fire proof (?)
–
in this case I care less for I don’t want to try. :p
Question: “When do Louis
Vuitton bags get annoying?” Answer: “When you can‘
t afford them!” LOL. Just kidding!
Disclaimer: This blog
post is intended to give information and not humiliation. So if you love
sporting your counterfeited Vuitton bag or any fake designer bag, I seriously don’t care. And WARNING: Nevermake “spotting
fake Vuitton” the most important thing
in your life. Never make it a hobby especially when you are in the Philippines
and chilling with your mean girlfriends around Makati area. *wink*
Love and peace to you all!