HOW TO RECOGNIZE A LOUIS VUITTON COUNTERFEIT?

REAL OR FAKE LOUIS VUITTON SUITCASE AND TRUNK BAG?

DEFINITION COUNTERFEIT

TRUE OR FALSE BELT BAG LOUIS VUITTON TRUNK AND SUITCASE?

The  infringement  is a violation of intellectual property rights in that reproduce or imitate something without having the right or stating or implying assume that the copy is authentic. The notion of counterfeiting often has a pejorative connotation, implying something of poor quality.

  

Recognize a Louis Vuitton counterfeit bag, suitcase, leather goods, trunk, satchel, luggage… This luggage is so copied that we always have apprehension when we see a second-hand sale offer. Buying directly from  Louis Vuitton  is of course always possible, this guarantees the authenticity of the product. But for collectors of old pieces with patina over the years, it becomes more complicated.

  

The purpose of this article is to give some advice so as not to make a mistake by buying the authentic thing cheaper… Of course, you must avoid items that are too new, packaged in plastic, not expensive, or even on sale, because  Louis Vuitton does never sales . Counterfeiting is such that paid authentication sites have sprung up to help you buy the right product, beware of  certificates of authenticity as they have no value.


CHECK THE AUTHENTICITY OF A LOUIS VUITTON BAG, SUITCASE OR TRUNK


 12 RULES TO CHECK BEFORE BUYING A SECOND-HAND LOUIS VUITTON ITEM 

RULE N ° 1: DOES THE MODEL EXIST?

The question may make you smile, but many counterfeit Louis Vuitton bags are models whose design does not exist .

fake Louis Vuitton trunk and bag

 12 RULES TO CHECK BEFORE BUYING A SECOND-HAND LOUIS VUITTON ITEM

 

Since fake bags are complicated to sell, a new generation of counterfeiters is now producing small accessories. Some are more or less faithful "copies", others are totally imagined models, such as this bulldog keychain offered at 10 € on Chinese sites.

Louis Vuitton VIP gifts  are copied many years after their creation.

Even  Louis Vuitton VIP gifts  are copied many years after their creation. Example this Stokowski secretary trunk  snow globe   offered in 2011 to Louis Vuitton customers. The copies appear on the market 8 years later!

  

On these copies, the errors are: 

  • New "yellow" packaging 
  • Thicker base. 
  • Glass dome taller and different in shape. 
  • Snow in it and water unlike the original which is waterless.

Read also:

How to Clean Dust in Your Louis Vuitton Vip Globe

 

We must therefore determine the model that we have in our hands.


RULE N ° 2: CENTERED LV CANVAS

The canvas is centered in height and width , the lines formed by the pattern are parallel to the edges of the baggage. Luggage, bags, suitcases, even the smallest objects such as key rings are sized accordingly. In the case of personalization, the initials are also centered in relation to the vertical axis.

  

On the canvas in the  center in the two axes , at the ends of the bag the  LV patterns are not cut , or very rarely. Only flowers can be. 

RULE N ° 2: CENTERED LV CANVAS Louis Vuitton bag fake
RULE N ° 3: LOUIS VUITTON UNCUT CANVAS fake bag


RULE N ° 3: LOUIS VUITTON UNCUT CANVAS

When a wall is made up of several overlapping elements (for example a flap). The designs must extend or overlap while maintaining the alignment and direction of the designs.

RULE N ° 4: CONTINUITY OF THE PATTERN trunk bag Louis Vuitton


RULE N ° 4: QUALITY OF THE SEAMS

The stitching linking the leather to the coated canvas is perfect, made with thick yellow thread . The stitching is quality, does not overlap and keeps a regular step.

counterfeit louis vuitton recognize trunk trunk

fake bag steamer bag Louis Vuitton secret expert

the  steamer bag does not exist as a fake, its production is too complex ( saddle stitch stitching ) and its audience is small, because it is not a handbag or a bag that can be worn. easily on the street. Conclusion it is currently the only non-counterfeit Louis Vuitton bag. The new edition inspired by the historic  Steamer bag PM and Steamer backpack are counterfeit.


RULE N ° 5: VEGETABLE TANNED LEATHER

Louis Vuitton leather is vegetable tanned cowhide leather (VVN), it oxidizes with UV rays and time passing from a very light new beige becomes a caramel brown after several years, it is a very nice patina. The fake bags are often made of leatherette type plastic, so no patina.

counterfeit louis vuitton recognize trunk trunk


RULE N ° 6: JEWELRY & HARDWARE

Each brass piece such as nails, rivets, buckles are stamped  Louis Vuitton. Except the small diameters and the tips holding the lozine.  On the handbags, these jewelry and hardware are in solid brass polished gold mirror .

counterfeit louis vuitton recognize trunk trunk


RULE N ° 7: LOUIS VUITTON LV CANVAS

Regarding the monogrammed canvas of Louis Vuitton trunks, there have been several fabrications, canvas:

  • Woven from 1896
  • Stenciled in 1904
  • Modern coating from 1959 (corresponding to a printed leatherette called PVC canvas )

On the handbags only the PVC coated canvas version exists. Looking closely we see that the impression is not continuous. The patterns are printed with an oblique weft that leaves small lines.

counterfeit louis vuitton recognize trunk trunk


RULE N ° 8: TYPOGRAPHY OF LABELS

Recognize a Louis Vuitton bag and trunk marking

On each bag, trunk or small leather goods a Louis LOUIS VUITTON PARIS marking appears. It can be directly hot stamped on the leather lining, or attached to a label.  Rigid luggage such as trunks and suitcases, the tag is often paper or leather. In the cases and in the soft luggage the label is in leather. The quality and typography of the font is a good way to identify the authenticity of a bag. The "L " is very short and the two " T's " of "VUITTON" should almost touch each other. The LOUIS VUITTON PARIS marking  is always in upper case, only "made in France" is written in lower case.


RULE N ° 9: LOUIS VUITTON SERIAL NUMBER

louis vuitton secret bag serial number

The lock number for trunks, or the   Louis Vuitton serial number for bags is also a way of verifying the authenticity of a bag.

  • Before  1980  : no codes or letters only the provenance
  • Between  1980 and 1990  : three-digit code and two type letters XXX FO  
  • Between  1990 and 2020 it was put in place.

The serial number stamped / engraved on the leather or on the interior guarantees a certain authenticity. It allows to indicate the factory , the  week  and the year  of manufacture, it is generally composed of two letters and 4 numbers.  

XX  O

  • The  2 letters  indicate the factory and therefore the country of manufacture.
  • The 2nd and 4th digits  give the year of manufacture 
  • The  1st and 3rd digits  give the week of manufacture

Example:

TH 3162 = France 36th week of the year 2012

AR 4048 = France 44th week of 2008

FL 0031 = USA 3rd week of the year 2001

Country                                                          Factory code
 France  A0, A1, A2, AA, AH, AN, AL, AS, AR, BA, BU, CI, CT, CV, DU, DR, ET, FR, GG, GR, MB, MI, MS, MX, NO, ND, OU, RA, RI, SF, SD, SL, SN, SP, SR, TA, TJ, TH, TR, TS, TX, TY, VI, VR, VX
Italy BJ, BO, CE, MA, NZ, RO, PL, SA (is also used for footwear)
Spain AC, BC, BP, CA (Epi Vuitton leather), CR, GI, LB, LM, LO, MO, UB
Swiss TC, TO, FA, DI (Manufacture of brass jewelry))
USA FC, FL, FH, FF, LA, OS, SD

Special code (France):

 

                      AAS                                                                 

This designation means that it is a special order made in the historic workshops of Asnières sur Seine, a workshop dedicated to rigid luggage (trunk, suitcase, box ...).

The "Louis Vuitton tailor-made" section AAS: Ateliers Asniéres Spéciale 

Marquage spéciaux P Louis Vuitton sac a main media presse

 

 

 

Spécial stamping "P" :

The letter P is a special marking used to indicate that this bag has been offered to a member of the "PRESS", media...


END OF SERIAL NUMBER: MICRO-CHIP

At the start of 2021 , Louis Vuitton removed the serial numbers from some of its items in order to integrate an RDFI (radio frequency identification) microchip  . This is sewn inside the bag during its manufacture, undetectable to the touch, because it is as thin as a sheet of paper. It provides information on the traceability of the product:

  • The material (provenance). 
  • Product reference. 
  • Place of manufacture. 
  • Date of manufacture.

No information is added to the chip after manufacture, so it does not hold the identity of present or past buyers, nor the date of purchase ... Its functions are: 

  • Traceability  
  • Fight against counterfeiting
  • Commercial follow-up of its current owner  

The integrated chip was developed by Aura Blockchain Consortium . This non-profit consortium brings together the groups:

  •  LVMH :  Vuitton, Dior, Fendi, Tiffany & Co, Séphora, Givenchy, Moêt Henney ...
  • Richemont :  Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Montblanc, Joeger-Lecoultre, Panerai ...
  • Prada

Now, this chip generates a unique identifier for each item and places them on a blockchain (like Bitcoin). They cannot be copied or modified without breaking the whole chain. Thus, no one from the outside can add new elements to the database, a veritable tamper-proof digital passport .

While this digital certificate does not prevent counterfeiting, it will prevent a customer from buying a counterfeit product without knowing it. The stake for brands goes beyond the fight against counterfeiting since this certificate also makes it possible to monitorcustomers more effectively commercially, even if the product has been offered or resold.  

  

Currently, there is no official application yet to read the information of this chip, nor to interact directly between the current owner and the brand. However, some apps can read bullet points and display item information:

  • Serial number: sequence of numbers and indecipherable letters 
  • Chip standard: ISO 15693 

It is therefore not the same information that appears when items are scanned using the phones of employees in Louis Vuitton stores. 

  

Two of these free apps are: 

  • NFC Tools 
  • NFC TagInfo 

Neither, however, guarantees the authenticity of the chip. But everything suggests that Louis Vuitton is offering in the coming months or years an official application that will revolutionize the second-hand market and fight against counterfeiting.


RULE N ° 10: COMPARE WITH THE LOUIS VUITTON WEBSITE

If your product is still in the catalog, it is also possible quite simply to check the positioning of the canvas on the bag or luggage with the photos from  the official Louis Vuitton website . All Vuitton bags have a unique positioning of the Vuitton canvas.

louis vuitton bag and trunk counterfeit fight


RULE N ° 11: CLASSIFIEDS

Attention to the site between private individual:  ebay ,  Leboncoin, vinted, collective cloakroom ... On classified ad sites between private individuals, each year thousands of counterfeit bags, suitcases, vanity cases and trunks are offered for sale. 95% of the ads are either fake , or the person will not send the product in picture but a fake. Let's not be naive, a new bag at half the price does not exist.

RULE N ° 12: LOUIS VUITTON CUSTOMER SERVICE

If in doubt, you can go to a Vuitton store to have the product authenticated or contact customer service free of charge.

 

To help you and make sure you don't buy a fake Louis Vuitton bag: Contact Louis Vuitton customer service 

After-sales service louis vuitton sac, fight against illegality lv customer service


A + COUNTERFEIT


Fake A+ trunk Louis Vuitton russia china

If the trunks and rigid suitcases were copied in an anecdotal way by isolated illegal cells, it is now over! Counterfeiting has become a major activity of the mafias , comparable to trafficking in drugs, weapons or human beings. These activities finance organized crime and terrorism. Just like luxury leather goods ( Hermès ,Louis Vuitton, Goyard, YSL, Chanel ...), and Swiss watchmaking (Rolex, Patek ...) criminal networks have now attacked the market for monogrammed trunks and suitcases.  

  

If between 1990 and 2010 the fakes cost only a few tens of euros, of very poor quality, sold on the sly, spotted several meters away, it was very easy even for a novice to detect the true from the false. At Malle2luxe our expertiseis for you the guarantee of the authenticity of the products sold on our online store.

fake lock brass Louis Vuitton trunk
In 2020, criminal networks have grown, are more professional and have improved the quality of copies, a fake trunk costs more than $ 2,200 , these replicas are no longer resold on the sly at the exit of the parking lots of buses. tourist places, but through organized networks that flood the sales depots. Small multi-brand merchants, chips from Saint-Ouen, darknet, e-commerce platforms, but also advertisements between individuals, of A + quality, these new copies can deceive many buyers, even professional buyers. We are seeing more and more fake Louis Vuitton items in storefront merchants, auction rooms, eBay listings, leboncoin, Alibaba ... and all being persuaded to resell genuine products. Even the limited editions are copied like the  Louis Vuitton Supreme series.
Do not buy just anything from just anyone , only an expert like Malle2luxe is the guarantee for you to acquire genuine authentic Louis Vuitton.

FAKE LOUIS VUITTON TRUNK - COUNTERFEIT


TRUE OR FALSE ? VANITY LOUIS VUITTON RECOGNIZE A COUNTERFEIT

authentic louis vuitton vanity real flask box

 The Vanity Case, a bottle box, is one of the most widely copied Louis Vuitton rigid items .

  

Example of an authentic Louis Vuitton Vanity. The design has not changed since its inception. Always a central lock and two clasps on the sides. The lozine is nailed down ...  

  

Another example of these  fake Louis Vuitton vanities  for sale on the internet. Everything is false. Non-centered pattern, cut logo, unmarked studs ...

Fake Louis Vuitton counterfeit vanity bag.
faux vanity louis vuitton made in morocco
recognize counterfeit Louis Vuitton vanity


FAKE LOUIS VUITTON TRUNK - COUNTERFEIT


Louis Vuitton counterfeit trunk

 

To create the illusion that the trunks are old. More and more these counterfeits produced in small quantities, often in garages by fans of the monogram brand. Even if of very mediocre qualities, these trunks  can deceive many buyers . Anonymous trunk upholstered in Louis Vuitton canvas

Sometimes the Louis Vuitton canvas that was added is genuine, other times it is fake. In both cases, these trunks are counterfeit and have no collector or decorative value.


REAL OLD TRUNK, COUNTERFEIT LOUIS VUITTON CANVAS


LOUIS VUITTON REPAINTED CANVAS

fight against counterfeit louis vuitton trunk fake canvas vuitton monogram

Much more dangerous , on a real old trunk , the canvas was replaced by a false Louis Vuitton canvas . Difficult to detect this kind of scam for an untrained eye. Another scourge, the repainted canvases.

  

Expert tip :  Check the regularity of the grains forming the checkerboard or the LV logos, flowers, and rhombus. And The color, example on this photo the checkerboard was never red.

PRINTED FAUX CANVAS

fake canvas Louis Vuitton

 

A new generation of merchants prints canvas

Even worse than the repainted canvas, Louis Vuitton faux checkered canvas and faux Goyardine canvas printed on plastic tarpaulin. We have also seen fake canvas printed directly on paper which is then varnished ... a plague.

We must not confuse restoration and destruction of heritage.

REAL PIECE ASSEMBLY

fake trunk Louis Vuitton

Real piece assembly

More Vicious and more complicated to recognize, assembly of real parts (lock, handles, clasps), with fake new canvas. No collection value.

There is no Louis Vuitton trunk with a  leather border and a steel corner. 

These photos were found at an American merchant who resells on Ebay, we saw several French merchants offering false trunks by assembly. So beware!


READ ALSO:


price trunk Louis Vuitton

Buying guide for an old luxury trunk

Denounce certain indelicate practices. We help you avoid the pitfalls! It is a question of fighting against the destruction of the heritage which affects the world of the restoration of old trunk.

  

Price of new L Vuitton trunks and suitcases?

Analysis of price trends over the last thirty years. You will be surprised with the result ...