How To Authenticate Louis Vuitton? 17 Best Tips To Spot A Fake Bag

Want to know how to authenticate Louis Vuitton? Check this post for the 17 best expert tips to spot a fake bag immediately!

Louis Vuitton (LV) is one of the most famous luxury brands in the world. And LV bags are among the most popular designer bags and luxury items.

It is said that the LV box was salvaged from the Titanic, and the box body was not damaged (there is also analysis that the LV box cannot withstand water pressure). It is said that the LV presbyopic leather handbag can only penetrate one layer when it is hit, and it can save lives at critical times (I have not found relevant experimental proofs yet).

It is said that LV handbags can withstand fire (experiments have proved that the real LV is only slightly deformed after being burned by the fire, and the fake LV burns and melts). Regardless of whether the legend is true or false, the legend only exists because of the legend. It is recognized that LV handbags are durable and practical. The brand uses the mentality of creating an heirloom to make its own products.

So can we use fire to identify the authenticity of Louis Vuitton? It really works. However, although real Louis Vuitton items is not afraid of fire, but the slight deformation of burning, even for vintage bags, is also distressing.

LV fake purses and bags are now flooding, and it seem that you can see Louis Vuitton Monogram patten everywhere. Especially for the popular Neverfull bag and Speedy bag, it is very easy to buy fakes accidentally. And now the counterfeiting technology is constantly escalating, it is difficult for you to use common sense to identify the authenticity of the LV bag.

So in this post, let me teach you the best tips on how to authenticate Louis Vuitton without destroying the LV bag, and find the real deal within your budget.

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This post is all about how to authenticate Louis Vuitton.

1. Confirm whether the model really exists

When you see a favorite LV bag, the first thing you should do is to confirm whether this model and the model number exist before buying it!

The LV official website also has sections such as the discount area, even the old models can be confirmed, because the current LV bag counterfeiters are likely to create their own models.

2. Check the dust bag

The new LV handbags will be equipped with dust bags.

There are two main styles of LV dust bag. The dust bag of the previous LV bag is brown with a dark brown LV logo on it; and the recent LV dust bag is yellow with a dark brown LOUIS VUITTON logo on it!

Open the LV dust cover, there will be a label of the origin of the dust bag, most of which are made in Italy or India. The dust bag of a fake handbag has no label.

There is a big difference in material between genuine and fake dust bags. The edging of the dust bag is covered with sutures. The hemming stitches of the genuine and fake are different, and the threads used are also different. The threads for the real LV bags have a high twist and fine stitches; the fake one only uses a single strand of thread, which is loosely routed.

3. Louis Vuitton date codes (Date Stamp) and the country code

This part is more complicated. LV handbags will print a combination of letters and numbers on some inconspicuous positions to indicate the manufacturing number of the production factory and year, generally composed of two English characters and four digits. Every LV handbag will have it. And the year of production is different. Different bags have different serial numbers.

And some counterfeit bags also have these codes, but often the same codes are used repeatedly by a counterfeit factory.

In addition, it must be noted that some authentic bags produced before 1987 do not have such numbers.

Many people think that the serial number that starts with SP is from France, which is more authentic. In fact, not all LV products are from France. LV is also produced in Spain, Italy, the United States and Germany. Therefore, even if the product does not come from France, it is not necessarily counterfeit items.

And LV’s quality control believes that no matter where it comes from, the highest quality will be the same.

In addition, not all serial numbers from France start with SP.

So how do we identify these codes that represent the date and country of production?

First, you need to understand the evolution history of these dates codes.

In the early 1980s, no code.

Since 1987, all LV bags and belts have had three or four digits to represent the year and month of production.

Later, two letters were added to indicate the factory codes.

From 1990 to 2006, the date code was changed to 2 letters and 4 numbers. The two letters are still the factory code, the first and third numbers represent the month of production, and the second and fourth numbers represent the year of production.

For bags bought after the end of 2006, the second and four digits indicate the year of production unchanged; but the first and three digits indicate the week of the year.

Second, check the factory location code of LV

The following is the LV factory code, you can clearly find the country where the LV package factory is represented by the specific code:

France: A0, A1, A2, AA, AAS (special order), AH, AN, AR, AS, BA, BJ, BU, DR, DU, DR, DT, CO, CT, CX, ET, FL, LW, MB, MI, NO, RA, RE (also in Italy), RI, SD (also in the United States), SF, SL, SN, SP, SR, TJ, TH, TR, TS, VI, VX.

Germany: LP, OL. Italy BC, BO, CE, FO, MA, OB, PL, RC, RE, SA, TD.

Spain: BC, CA, LO, LB, LM, LW, GI, UB.

Switzerland: DI, FA (also Italy).

United States: FC, FH, LA, OS, SD, FL.

Italy: BO, CE, FA, FO, RE, MA, NQ, PL, PC.

Also, pay attention to the shape of the code label.

The leather tag of the date code should be rectangular in shape with straight edges.

Depending on the series of LV bags, the position of the serial number is also different. Look carefully, you can always find it.

4. Observe the color of LV bag leather.

Observing the color is a great way to authenticate the real bag.

The leather color of the new LV bag will gradually darken with light beige as the use time grows. Because the leather used in the authentic bag is raw leather and has not been dyed, the sweat, hand cream and sunlight on your hands will oxidize the leather and turn it into the copper green for a long time.

If you buy a second-hand LV bag that has been used for a period of time, you can use the same color to identify the length of use. However, the color change of the fake bags will not be obvious even after a long time.

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5. Examine the pattern

The pattern of true LV is symmetrically distributed. And there has never been an incomplete “LV” logo on the bag’s surface.

For example, the typical Louis Vuitton Monogram canvas pattern seems to be a solid yellow-green from a distance, but if you examine it carefully, you will find that the above print is composed of parallel diagonal lines of small dots. The overall color is very distinct.

The classic Monogram canvas pattern of some very advanced fakes is basically composed of diagonal stripes, but the color is often wrong, mostly brown.

Even if the colors are close, due to the overall texture, they are always felt ambiguous when looking at them from a distance.

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6. Check the particles (Surface Particles)

This is a technical problem that has only been overcome by some high fake merchants in recent years, and a considerable number of counterfeiters have not been able to overcome it.

The particles on the surface of the authentic Louis Vuitton bags are all squeezed together, but the size of the particles is uneven, which looks as natural as the cross-grain leather.

The particles of the fake Louis Vuitton bags are sparser, more uniform, and more reflective than the original product, and will give off an uncomfortable luster under the lamp. People who are accustomed to seeing genuine products find it particularly difficult to accept this kind of luster.

The pattern of the real Louis Vuitton bag is deeper, not too soft or too hard to the touch, and more flexible.

Fake bags, even very high-end fakes, have a similar pattern, but they will get oily and feel harder after a long time.

The texture of LV presbyopia is a difficulty that most fake manufacturers can’t overcome at all. Even some bags may have obvious lines, but often the particles on them look too smooth and lack texture.

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7. Smell

One best way is to directly smell the bag. The new products of LV authentic bags will smell a touch of denim leather, while the imitations are unpleasant due to the cheap leather, sometimes accompanied by the smell of plastic.

8. Check Stitching And the Number Of Stitches

LV uses cotton threads soaked in oil and wax to sew the bag. The sutures are even and regular, and very tight, tightly attached to the bag. Wherever there is a curve in the routing, the routing on both sides of the curve is symmetrical.

Even in an inconspicuous position, the real LV’s routing is also meticulous. Open the inner handle buckle of the LV handle bag, and the fixed position of the leather is also correct.

The stitching on the outside of the fake bags may be decent, but the internal stitching is often rough and loose.

In addition, from the perspective of the stitch angles, the fake bags’ are usually straight down from one line, and the real bags’ has an angle for each stitch.

In addition, the thread color for the real and fake bags are also different. But this is only limited to the difference between the new products and is only for reference. For the genuine Louis Vuitton bag, the color of the thread is yellow. And the fake ones’ is often the wrong color, such as very bright yellow. However, it is usually more obvious when it is new. If the fake is worn out, it will be difficult to distinguish from the color of thread.

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9. Louis Vuitton’s Hardware And Zipper Pull

Real LV hardware is mostly made of brass, even if the exterior is worn, the interior is golden. Even if the golden coating on the top is rusted off, rub it with a special maintenance cream, it will give a bright copper color.

However, most of the fake bags are not willing to use copper materials, and most of them are copper-plated on the outside, which is light in weight. And the surface does not have the feeling of genuine luxury, either too golden shining, or too rough and bleak.

The fake hardware will turn black when it is old, and it cannot be restored to its new state after wiping.

In addition, the letters on the real thing is very clear, the font strokes are neat in thickness, and the engraving part is clear and three-dimensional, which is very comfortable to the eye.

On the genuine product, each letter on even the small rivets is neat in thickness, with three-dimensional edges, and the same depth.

The fakes often use the fonts in Word, and the thickness of the strokes is uneven, and the engraving has a poor sense of three-dimensionality.

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10. Look at strap stitching

The ends of real LV bags are stitched neatly, while fakes are often not neat.

11. Paperwork And Authenticity Cards

Some LV handbags will come with a card with the material of the product written on it. Check whether the information on this card matches the condition of the handbag.

Some fakes have only one version for this kind of card, and all the cards attached to the fake packages from the same factory are the same, so the content of the card may not match the actual situation of the package.

But remember, there will be never be authenticity cards in a real LV bag! So if you find an authenticity card, that is a red flag.

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12. Check LOGO Heat Stamp

There will be a heat stamp of LOUIS VUITTON PARIS on the LV internal leather label inside of the bag. The first line is ®, the second line is LOUIS VUITTON, the third line is PARIS, and the fourth line is Made in……, where it is made. The fonts of the authentic Louis Vuitton logos are unique fonts specially researched by LV, independent of the Word font world

The bottom of the V in the LOUIS VUITTON in the genuine LV hot stamping is particularly sharp, while the fake one is not so sharp.

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13. Dripping Verification

One easy way to authenticate Louis Vuitton.

The real LV often use vachetta leather (high-end vegetable tanned leather) for handles or bags, which is characterized by discoloration.

The vegetable tanned parts of the new real LV bag are white and tender, looking very smooth, but a little astringent to the touch, with obvious pores. The water droplets will soon spread and penetrate, and the dripping area will change color

Although counterfeiters can also obtain vegetable-tanned leather, it is often not as high-quality as the brand and is not soft enough. In order to achieve softness, counterfeiters can only soften the leather. After the treatment, the pores will not be obvious, and dripping water will not penetrate easily.

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14. Check the binding and shoulder straps

The first is the thin binding of the white original leather around the bag: the genuine LV is usually very thin, straight, round and three-dimensional, and it is very neat without breaking, no seams, no distortion and other problems. The binding of the fake products will be slightly rough if you look closely.

The second is the leather shoulder strap. Even for a real LV cross-body bag, it is completely without seams. This requires a lot of leather, and the loss of leather is great, and it is difficult for the counterfeit factories in general.

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15. Check the handles

The genuine new bag with leather feels a bit like raw silk to the touch, a bit astringent to the touch, and looks a bit matte, with obvious pores and no luster. In addition, for genuine products, perfect symmetry of the arc of the handle and no wrinkles in the leather are the basic requirements.

When the real bag is worn out, the pores of the leather will be somewhat closed. If it is properly maintained, it will shine and become flexible.

The matching leather of the fake Louis Vuitton handbags, even if it can be wrinkle-free, is brighter when it is new and does not have a soft feeling.

In addition, you can check the details of the handle.

The handles of the authentic LV bags, especially the lacquer seal of the rolling line connecting the metal buckle, will not be uneven due to the change in thickness. This detail is most likely to reveal the imprecision of fake workmanship.

Some people say that it can be seen from the color of the leather to see if it is genuine. This is the most misleading. Because the same bag of LV cannot be matched with the same color in different periods. In addition, after the real bags have been used for a long time, their colors are different due to their different oxidation levels. This kind of leather, even if it is not used for a long time, the color will change.

Also, you can check the edge of the handle. For example, the edge oil on the handle of the real Louis Vuitton Neverfull bag is matte, and the touch feels like very delicate sandpaper, with traces of sanding. The edge oil on the handle of the fake bag is shiny. Even if you just bought a new real Neverfull, the edge oil will not be so shiny. From this alone, you can tell that this is a fake bag.

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16. Check the matching leather edge oil

From the perspective of the edge oil on the edge of the matching leather, this is also easier to see when the bag is relatively new. The difference between real and fake new products is more obvious.

The edge oil of the real bag is brown-red. It seems that the color of the edge oil for some real bags of the limited editions will be slightly lighter, but not much lighter.

The fakes’ color is always too light, a bit orange.

But the color is not easy to see if it is for the older bags. So the old bags can actually conceal a lot of details, so pay special attention to some online second-hand bags that are fake but sold as real.

Except for the color, the edge oil of the real package will not overflow. Some places of the fake Louis Vuitton bags are not neatly painted.

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17. Look at the inner lining of the bag

You can also pay attention to the lining, most of the LV bags use the lining that looks like a grid pattern.

The lining of the real bag feels a bit rough to the touch, like a linen cloth.

In addition to the color difference between the lining color of the real bag, some fake LV bags use twill or use the same grid pattern, but the weave feels thinner. In addition, the lining of some counterfeit items will be relatively smooth to the touch.

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Conclusion

In short, even if the fake bag is very similar to the real bag, some details can not be exactly the same, and it cannot stand scrutiny. Hope that the tips on how to authenticate Louis Vuitton we introduced in this post can help you to confidently distinguish between real LV bags and fake LV bags!