Yves Saint Laurent Paris Kate bag: recognizing counterfeits

Yves Saint Laurent, also known as YSL, is a French luxury company that designs clothing and accessories. Today we're going to take a look at Yves Saint Laurent's Kate bag in powder grain leather. It retails for €1,490 on the luxury brand's official website. If you're interested in buying a YSL bag but want to go through the second-hand market, here are some tips to help you spot counterfeit Yves Saint Laurent Paris Kate bags.

1/ General appearance

The authentic Yves Saint Laurent Kate bag is made from top-of-the-range leather. This leather resists scratches and much more when the right leather is used. The grain is very tight and round. The overall look of the Kate bag from Yves Saint Laurent Paris is shiny, rather than matte like the replicas.

On the left, a real Kate bag from YSL, on the right, a fake Kate bag from YSL

2/ The interior label

This is one of the best indicators of the authenticity of the Kate bag by Yves Saint Laurent. Always look at the inside label. Check the stitching, the slightest flaw confirms that it is a replica Saint Laurent Kate bag. Look at the size of your label, the colour and the quality. Finally, analyse the text: sometimes it's too thick, sometimes too thin, sometimes it's not spaced far enough apart... be meticulous and don't hesitate to compare it with images on the official website of the French luxury brand.

Above, a real Yves Saint Laurent label, below, a replica Yves Saint Laurent label.

3/ The YSL logo

More and more counterfeiters are reproducing this detail, the Yves Saint Laurent logo. However, there are still a few details that can tell you whether or not you have acquired a counterfeit Yves Saint Laurent. On some replicas, the letters of the logo are unfairly slanted to the side, whereas on an authentic Yves Saint Laurent bag, the letters are straight. Also on some replicas the logo is not the right size, it can be a little wider than on the real YSL Kate.

On the left, the logo on an authentic Kate YSL bag, on the right a counterfeit Kate Yves Saint Laurent bag.

4/ The chain

This detail is very difficult for Yves Saint Laurent counterfeiters to reproduce perfectly.

Yves Saint Laurent text

Start by looking at the Yves Saint Laurent text on your chain. Observe the depth of the engraving of this text, the size of the text, and the spacing of the letters. This text is often over-engraved on Yves Saint Laurent Kate replicas. Also analyse the size of the rectangle on which the YSL text is inscribed; it is sometimes larger and thicker on fake Yves Saint Laurent Kate bags.

Above, a real YSL bag, below, a fake YSL bag

The materials

On counterfeit Yves Saint Laurent bags, the chain is much larger than on authentic Kate YSL bags. Don't forget to look at the metal ring, which should have "Saint Laurent Paris" written all around it - look at this text on your bag. As usual, look at its size, thickness, how it is engraved and its location. On fake YSL bags, the inscription is on the side, not on the top.

On the left, details of an authentic YSL bag, on the right, details of a YSL replica.

Buy your second-hand luxury bags with Obvy

Counterfeits and counterfeiters are everywhere. If you want to buy a luxury bag for this summer, but can't afford one from the official shops, opt for the second-hand market. However, to avoid being fooled by counterfeits sold by private individuals, use Obvy to secure your transaction.

Obvy is the reference payment method for securing all your transactions between private individuals. If, thanks to our advice, you realise after your purchase that you've bought a fake luxury bag, you can send it back to the seller and get your money back without the slightest hassle.

We also offer the option of paying in several instalments for costly transactions between private individuals.