Louis Vuitton imitation bag: How to spot a counterfeit

Louis Vuitton is one of the most counterfeited brands in the world. Most of the online shops offered by Louis Vuitton are not official retailers and sell used Louis Vuitton bags or obtain the bags from other sources. Particularly on classified ad sites, where you should check very carefully that the Louis Vuitton bag is not a counterfeit. It is no longer as easy to distinguish fakes from originals, as they often look very similar. Here are a few points to clarify before buying your bag.

Monogram canvas

Surface

First of all, pay attention to the Louis Vuitton monogram canvas. The famous monogram canvas bags are not - as is often assumed - made of leather, but of vinyl-coated linen. The surface is matt, very supple and has a light structure.

So, while the monogram canvas is luxurious to the touch, it should not have any leather grain. Often, counterfeiters will use a type of fake leather and print the monogram on it, as they cannot replicate the Louis Vuitton treatment process. Fake Louis Vuitton bags therefore often have a very shiny, reflective surface. Their structure is often too coarse or too fine.

Colour

The colour of the monogram on fake bags is often too bright and yellow instead of Louis Vuitton's signature mustard yellow. The colour of the monogram on an authentic Louis Vuitton bag can change with the age of the bag.

On the left a fake LV monogram canvas, on the right an authentic LV monogram canvas.

Logo stamp

One feature that Louis Vuitton keeps consistent across all its handbags is the stamping on the handbag. Inside the bag, you'll find a leather label with a stamp saying "Louis Vuitton" and "made in France" (or another country if it was made elsewhere) underneath. Make sure you look very closely at the shape of the font, the spacing and the quality of the stamp itself, as this is something that counterfeiters often reproduce very badly. Here are some additional features to check the authenticity of your Louis Vuitton bag:

• The tail of the "L" is very short
• The "O's" are very round and appear larger than the "L's".
• The T's almost touch
• The lettering must be fine, clear and very clean

On the left a fake LV logo stamp, on the right a genuine LV logo stamp.

Date code

Each Louis Vuitton bag has a date of manufacture code. They can be found inside the bag, or embossed on a label. The composition of the numbers and letters gives you information about where and when the Louis Vuitton bag was made. As a result, the code is not a unique number, so several bags may have the same code. The 4 digits indicate when the bag was made:

The first and third digits correspond to the month, the second and fourth digits correspond to the year of manufacture of the bag. In the case of completely new bags, the first and third digits indicate the calendar week of manufacture rather than the calendar month, as described above.

For example, in the photo below the fake datecode is MI 1920. MI means that the bag comes from France. If the stamping on the Louis Vuitton bag says: Made in the USA or Spain, you know that the bag is a counterfeit. The country indicated on the date code must be the same as the country indicated on the "Made in" stamp.

Example of a Louis Vuitton date code 

Leather straps

The straps of a Louis Vuitton handbag are made of untreated cowhide leather. Consequently, untreated leather is very sensitive and darkens with rain, sun and daily use. In the case of counterfeits, the leather straps generally remain light and/or are mainly made of artificial leather, which means that no patina forms.

What's more, the edges of the leather straps are sealed with a burgundy red colour. In the case of fake bags, however, these edges are often bright red, orange, two-tone or not coloured at all.

Warning: If, when you buy a Louis Vuitton bag from a private individual, the straps are wrapped in plastic, it is almost certainly a counterfeit.

Left: a strap from a 1970 LV bag, right: a strap from a 2017 LV bag

Secure the purchase of your second-hand Louis Vuitton bag with Obvy

Buying a new Louis Vuitton bag is expensive. So buying a second-hand one is an interesting alternative for getting your own inexpensive, good-quality Louis Vuitton bag without spending an entire salary. However, you need to be on your guard against internet scams and use our advice to check that the seller isn't trying to rip you off with a counterfeit!

To keep track of the seller, and above all to make your transaction 100% secure, we advise you to use Obvy, the secure payment method between private individuals. This will allow you to buy your second-hand Louis Vuitton bag by totally secure delivery or by hand, depending on what you want. In the event of a problem or attempted scam, you can go back to your purchase phase and you will have all the information concerning the seller.