13 Ways to Spot a Fake Handbag

Designer handbag enthusiast Cassandra Connors knows how to spot a fake 30 feet away.

In fact, she does it so well that she started Bella Bags, an online boutique for resale designer handbags, from her NYU dorm room nine years ago to help women get their hands on real luxury below retail prices.

Their inventory includes limited edition Louis Vuitton, vintage Chanel and nearly one-of-a-kind Birkins.

“Everything we buy and sell is authentic,” says Connors. “Each bag is measured against the model based on our 13-step authentication process.”

It’s a process Connors wants to share with the world. “We want all women to know how to spot a fake. The issue of counterfeiting is bigger than artists’ rights,” she adds.

Counterfeits goods make up a $70 billion industry and many of the underpaid workers are young children.

Connors, a new mom, remembers the heartbreak she felt after reading the story of a seven year-old boy in Thailand who had both legs broken to ensure he would sit down and work 24 hour-shifts making counterfeit items.

So, she and her team of fake-spotters offered to share the Bella Bag 13-Point Authentication Inspection process with us.

“Designer brands are constantly adjusting their manufacturing process to ‘outsmart’ the counterfeiters,” says Chief Authenticator Lindsey Mackanos, “little things like the interior fabric, date codes and stitching color.”

Incoming bags are evaluated on the following criteria: stitching, exterior logo stamp, interior logo stamp, serial number, exterior material, interior material, hardware material, hardware magnetism, measurements, pattern formation, manufacturers, zipper heads and font.

“The most important thing to look at in a Louis Vuitton handbag, is the date code,” says Mackanos.

“Any bag made after 1990, should have two letters followed by four numbers, with the first two letters representing the factory location, the first and third numbers representing the month, and the second and fourth numbers representing the year.”

Other minor details to look out for include plastic hardware, or when the metal on the bag isn’t cold, off measurements (even if only slightly), incorrect zippers and messy stitching.

PINK Minute Mentor: Tips on how to maintain authenticity within success from PINK’s 8th Annual Fall Empowerment Event.

BONUS PINK Link: Are you ready for some color blocking?

Can you spot a fake?

By L. Nicole Williams

Nicole is the Editor at Little PINK Book. Follow her on Twitter @iamnicwill.

“More business is lost every year through neglect than through any other cause.” Rose Kennedy