This guide will highlight how to differentiate between replica and genuine Louis Vuitton 'Monogram Icons'
Spotting a fake Louis Vuitton bag can be difficult as these bags are one of the most counterfeited in existence. In this guide, to show you how we authenticate Louis Vuitton on a daily basis, we have chosen the most popular designs ranging from the ‘Monograms Collection’ to the ‘Damier Ebene’ items.
Above: Sample of Authentic Pre-Owned Louis Vuitton on sale in Handbag Clinic. Although these bags are predominantly made of canvas, they all feature Vachetta leather, which when purchased new will be extremely light and all exposed areas will darken over time. Fake Louis Vuitton bags will not be made of the same quality as genuine ones – and potentially not leather at all. A tell-tale sign of an imitation piece is that all the exposed leather does not darken at the same rate or does not darken at all. Checking the interior leather against the exterior leather, or against a bag of the same age, will give this away if it is not already obvious. In several fakes LV bags we have seen, the leather appears to have a pink tint rather than the beautiful honey colour you would expect of a real Louis Vuitton bag. Pictured below, you will see the bag on the left hosts a slightly pink tint compared to the bag on the right, which is a genuine Louis Vuitton bag. The stamping and lettering on a Louis Vuitton bag host details that a counterfeit goods just can’t perfect. When we authenticate a Louis Vuitton, we look in detail at the lettering to ensure the following details are correct. Some examples of font and alignment differences are as follows:Vachetta Leather
Above: The leather on the bag to the left is much lighter and more uniform in colour than the real bag (right)Stamping and Lettering
- The tail on the L should be short,
- The “O” will look round not oval, some fake bags will have an “0” instead of an “O”, the “O” in a real bag will usually look larger than the “L”.
- The T's should be almost touching and positioned extremely close together.
- The stamp will read Louis Vuitton Paris but the “made in” may vary, the countries I mainly see are France, USA and Spain although occasionally some bags are stamped as being made in Italy and Germany.
- A genuine iconic LV sign will consist of one stroke being bold and one being thin, the bold strokes will cross over to create the iconic symbol.
Above: What genuine Louis Vuitton stamping and logos should look like
Hardware
Usually, the hardware of a fake Louis Vuitton bag is poor quality, with some even using plastic coating in a metallic finish so that it appears to be metal. Authentic Louis Vuitton hardware will be of high quality and will include branding on the majority of the items’ hardware. The branding guidelines from the lettering section above also apply to the hardware.
Padlock
It is common for people to lose the padlocks from their Louis Vuitton, so it doesn’t necessarily mean a Louis Vuitton bag is fake if a lock is not present. If a bag does have a lock, the quality of this is usually an obvious way to determine its authenticity.
The padlock will have the LV sign on one side with “LOUIS VUITTON PARIS”, as well as the location the bag was made on the other. A number will be printed on the bottom of the lock which will correspond to the keys.
It’s also important to consider the age of the bag and how this might impact the colour/condition of the hardware, in particular the padlock. It would be concerning to see a vintage Louis Vuitton bag hosting a pristine lock, whilst the bag itself looks worn.
Internal hardware
We always examine the internal hardware, as these elements are often overlooked by counterfeiters. With the interior rivets being in concealed areas, they will be a clear giveaway of an item's authenticity.
Above: Examples of genuine Louis Vuitton zips, studs and locks
Coding
Since 1980, the majority of genuine Louis Vuitton bags have a date/location stamp located on the inside of the bag. The location for the stamp will usually be on a small tab inside an interior pocket, the inside where the handles attach, or underneath a small interior flap.
Some fake bags state “MADE IN FRANCE” but will have a USA location code or a date code that does not match the coding format for that era. The codes have varied throughout the years since the stamping process began but can be summarised as below:
- Early 1980s
These codes consist of three or four numbers with the first two numbers representing the year and the last number(s) representing the month. For example, "822" would mean the bag was made in February, 1982.
Above: An example of an early 1980's Louis Vuitton code.
- Early to late 1980s
These codes were developed to show the location where the bag was made by a two-letter code and three or four numbers. The first two numbers represent the year and the next number(s) represent the month. The code "8612RA" would indicate a manufacturing date of December 1986 and a factory location in France. In the early 1980s, the location code came after the number but in the late 1980s, the letters representing the location came before the three or four numbers representing the manufacturing date.
- 1990 to 2006
The codes during this period kept the letter and number format but the numbers were laid out slightly differently. The two letters representing the factory location were still followed by four numbers, but the first and third numbers represented the month, and the second and fourth numbers represented the year. For example, “CA1906” would indicate a bag made in Spain, in October 1996.
- 2007 to 2021
This format continued until 2021, but the code slightly changed its meaning. Two letters represent where the bag was manufactured followed by four numbers. But now the first and third numbers represent the week of the year, and the second and fourth numbers represent the year. A bag with a code of “SD4029” would be a bag manufactured in the USA in the 40th week of the year 2009.
Above: Codes stamped into Louis Vuitton bags as used from 2007 onward.
- 2021 onward
Louis Vuitton continues to develop in-line with evolving technologies and has ceased the use of date codes. Instead, they’re utilising technological chips that will be placed within the bags to restrict the growing community of counterfeiters.
Country Codes
There can be several codes for one country, the location codes are:
- France: A0, A1, A2, AA, AAS (Special Order Item), AN, AR, AS, BA, BJ, BU, DU, CO, CT, ET, FL, LW, MB, MI, NO, RA, RI, SD, SL, SN, SP, SR, TH, TR, VI, VX.
- Germany: LP.
- Italy: BC, BO, CE, FO, MA, RC, RE, SA, TD.
- Spain CA, LO, LB, LM, LW.
- USA: FC, FH, LA, OS, SD, FL.
Other points that give away the fakes are the quality of the lining, stitching as well as the quality of the canvas used. All bags that we stock are fully authenticated using the above methods and checked to ensure that even our most vintage bags are of the highest quality.
Louis Vuitton Authentication Service
If you have a Louis Vuitton bag that you're not sure is genuine, we can authenticate it for you. We assess, clean, and restore thousands of Louis Vuitton handbags each year, giving us great insight into spotting the real from the fake.
If you're looking to purchase an authentic Louis Vuitton handbag you can shop our online range or visit in-store. Or, if you have an LV bag that needs cleaning or restoring, take a look at our handbag cleaning and restoration services
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