Fake, for real?!

Have you ever been on a vacation where people tried to sell you a fake Rolex, a knockoff handbag or maybe even faux perfume? Of course you have!

You see more and more fake accessories in the streets nowadays. Maybe these people don’t care that they are wearing fake or maybe they think we can’t tell the difference between a knockoff and the real deal. But what upsets me the most is that some of these people may have been tricked into buying fake, believing it was a genuine product, but at a lowered price! We all know tourists get ripped off easily…

I want to show you some easy tips & tricks that will help you distinguish the fake from the real stuff when you are planning to buy a designer piece and you are not quite sure about the authenticity of the product you want to purchase. If you already have a trained eye, you won’t be needing these tips. You might even know some more, so feel free to comment below! I will explain them on the basis of examples, but these rules are quite general so they’re applicable on all designer brands.

Rule n°1: location, location, location!

Most luxury brands have their own flagship stores. If you would like to buy for example a Louis Vuitton bag, check their website if there is an official store near you. Some designers, for example Chanel, only sell their goods in official stores or certified corners in department stores (e.g. Harrods). In this case, you can be a 100% sure you are buying the real thing. Other designers, for instance Alexander McQueen, collaborate with a lot ‘local’ retailers and various online shops, which makes it more tricky for you to determine the authenticity of the product.

If you don’t go to at an official store, take a look around at the atmosphere and the interior of the store. The luxury of the products should also be found in the design of the store, even in the personnel working there.

For instance: places like Canal Street in NYC or markets near a tourist attraction, where men sell designer bags and wallets out of a cardboard box on the street, aren’t places where real Chanel handbags are sold. Just go with your instincts on this one!

Rule n°2: don’t forget about the price tag

Always remember that you are buying a designer piece. They won’t be sold off for next to nothing, unless there is something wrong with it. Do your homework and try to find the original price. Outlets, second-hand stores, … are OK, as long as you use your common sense. For instance, a new (with tags,…) LV bag sold for 40 dollars is probably a fake. LV doesn’t have official outlets and doesn’t produce bags with flaws. If you are able to buy a Vuitton at 50% off, you probably already have a very good deal! Anything below this price is questionable…  FYI: always keep in mind that official stores of LV don’t do sales, ever. So if you buy LV with discount, it’s a used of fake item.

Rule n°3: it’s all in the details

Luxury goods aren’t expensive without a reason. Lots of big fashion names stand for years and years of craftsmanship and quality products. This rule is very, very important! Fakers never manage to make an exact copy or use the same materials; otherwise their products would cost the same as the original ;-). Some things you need to keep in mind:

-packaging: counterfeiters not only fake bags, but also boxes, dust bags, receipts,… so don’t be fooled by the extra’s!

- presentation: expensive bags will never be wrapped in plastic by the brand itself. Furthermore, LV never has price tags on their goods!

Genuine Louis Vuitton boxes and bag

-finishing touch: LV usually uses their monogram on everything (buttons, zippers, locks,…); most high fashion brands do this. Only real leather is used, trimming should be flawless,…  Louis Vuitton NEVER cuts off a monogram at a seam!! Also, the light brown leather, frequently used for handles, gets darker over the years. So vintage pieces should have tanned color; if they don’t, its fake.

Top belt: fake, baught on Canal Street. Notice the silver button; that should not be there...
The bottom one is a real Inventeur, baught at the LV store in Antwerp.

The real belt has a seeming, the fake one does not. The direction of the stripes is also different.

The real one has nubuck lining, the fake one is 'Damier' on both sides.

Quality? Don't think so!

Top: fake, bottom: real

Definitely fake!! Bags should also be symmetrical.

Poor lining...

 

The real button says 'Louis Vuitton', the fake wallet has a random silver button on it.

 -technicalities: Louis Vuitton Paris nowadays also fabricates their goods abroad, e.g. Spain, USA. So don’t worry if the stamp inside your product doesn’t say ‘made in France’. All products should have a serial number, which can easily be tracked by an employee at LV.

  

Top: fake; bottom: real.

Finally, let me just say that buying a fake is never the answer. If you’re interested in fashion but you can’t afford the luxury brands, buy clothing and accessories from a cool brand you like and can afford. Supporting counterfeiters is a lot worse than wearing H&M! 

All images courtesy of mentrend.blogspot.com
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