How to check a designer handbag

Why bags are worth checking

Designer handbags are among the most counterfeited items in fashion, and the better fakes are now made with real leather and heavy hardware. No single detail settles the question, so work through the whole bag and look for details that agree with each other.

Materials

• Leather has a natural grain with small variations, not a uniform plastic-like surface
• Coated canvas feels firm and even, with a print that is sharp rather than blurry
• Edges are painted or finished neatly, without cracks or bubbles on a new bag
• The lining is the right material and colour for the model, and fits without wrinkles or loose glue

Smell can help too: new genuine leather smells of leather, while many fakes smell of glue or plastic.

Stitching

Luxury workshops are known for consistent stitching. Look along the handles, the base corners and around patches, where fakes most often go wrong.

• Stitches are the same length and evenly spaced along each seam
• The thread colour matches the model (for example contrasting or tonal, as the brand makes it)
• Seams run straight and parallel to the edges
• There are no loose ends, back-stitching in visible places or crooked rows

Hardware and heat stamps

• Zips, clasps, feet and rings feel solid and heavy, not hollow or light
• Engraved logos are crisp, evenly deep and correctly spaced
• Zip pulls carry the markings the brand uses for that model
• Plating is even, without flaking or a coppery base showing through on a new bag
• Heat-stamped logos are sharp, evenly pressed and centred, with the right font and letter spacing

Codes, chips and cards

Most brands mark their bags, but the system changes over time, so check what is right for the year the bag was made.

• Many Louis Vuitton bags from the early 1980s onwards carry a date code, a short series of letters and numbers stamped inside; newer bags, from around 2021, use an embedded chip instead
• Chanel used a serial sticker with a matching authenticity card for many years, and moved to a different system on newer bags
• Gucci bags usually carry a serial number on a leather tag inside
• Hermès uses blind stamps that include a year letter, alongside the brand's own stamps

Brand notes

• Chanel: the quilting lines should meet neatly across seams and pockets, and the interlocking CC should be even, with both Cs the same size
• Louis Vuitton: the monogram is symmetrical and placed with care; on some models made from one piece of canvas, the pattern runs upside down on the back, which is correct
• Hermès: saddle stitching done by hand looks slightly slanted and very regular; a perfectly machine-like seam on a model that should be hand-stitched is a warning sign
• Gucci: the GG pattern should line up at seams and be centred on the bag's panels

Photos to take for a check

1. 1The front and the base of the bag
2. 2The logo or heat stamp up close
3. 3The inside label and the serial number or date code
4. 4Zip pulls and hardware
5. 5Stitching at the handles