No one would want to spend a lot of money buying designer products only to find out it is fake. However, it is a clear that many people would continue spending their hard-earned money to purchase fake brands. If not, the knock-off fashion industry wouldn’t be worth a whopping $600bn.
Fake designer or knock-offs are products designed to look like they have a high-fashion brand, but are of low quality and cheaper than original brand.
While some people may not mind carrying or wearing a replica item, it is not okay when you spent a lot of money thinking you have bought a genuine brand only to discover it is a counterfeit.
If you don’t want to fall into the trap next time, you need to develop good “detective skills” to find out whether the item you’re spending your money on is the real deal.
Here are ways to spot a knockoff.
- The stitching
“We’ll look at the stitching [which] is usually a big one, making sure the stitching is perfectly straight, and looking at the two sides and making sure there are the same amount of stitches from one side to another.”
Symmetry tends to be the easiest way to tell apart a fake designer item, especially uneven stitching, according to the expert.
- Codes
Certain bags will have a code, try to match up serial codes and date codes and see if they make sense.
Doing a quick Google search for the code should bring up that exact item, and if it doesn’t, then it’s most likely not an authentic designer item.
Different handbags have different codes, according to experts. For example, Chanel and Louis Vuitton have date codes while Gucci, Balenciaga and other bags have style codes. These codes are either attached to a leather tag or hidden in a pocket or next to a seam. “You’ve got to kind of hunt for them.
- The materials used and finishing
The quality of the fabric or leather will be compromised in fakes, because as you know, the way to get costs down is to use a cheaper alternative. If you can produce a fake in China, it’s way cheaper than going to a mill in Italy to have something custom made. Hence the fakes will feel cheaper to your touch. You only get what you pay for.
Zippers and buttons or findings will be of substandard quality. Buttons will feel lighter if they are made of plastic-coated in metal instead of real metal. Zippers will come off the tracks or lose teeth prematurely if they are fake. A quick metal test can help you determine.
- The price
The most common way to identify a fake is the price. You must spend more money on designer goods, so if it’s a screaming deal, it’s probably not real.
A general rule is never to buy a prized product offered less than 30 per cent below the original price.
For instance, at no point in time would you ever get a pair of Louboutin shoes for such a ridiculous price as $200, as the signature Louboutin pair of shoes starts at $695, while the most expensive pair is nearly $6,000, according to Business Insider.
- Boxes and dust bags
Checking the item itself isn’t all there is to the authentication process. Everything that the item comes with serves as clues to the item’s authenticity, packaging included.
Comparing the box to an authentic box, specifically the logos on the packaging, and looking at the quality of dust bags are another way to spot a fake item. The logo will be slightly off-center, or angled and not perfect.
Or you’ll get a dust bag and it feels so thin and cheap and like it’s going to crumble. The chances are, if it’s not real then the item in it isn’t either.
Rule of thumb: to generally avoid making regrettable knockoff purchases, only buy from legit designer sites and stores.
Same goes for make up and other beauty products too, but we’ll cover that on a part two, possibly.
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