How to Spot a Fake Handbag with Technology & More | The Leather Laundry

Spot a Fake Handbag with Technology & More!

When you splurge on a Louis Vuitton, Hermes or Chanel, you want to be sure that it is 100% original and authentic! Differentiating between a real and a knockoff is a tedious art of counting stitches, feeling the grain of the leather and comparing print (monogram) patterns!

Guess what? It’s time to shun all that guesswork! A New York based startup called Entrupy has come up with a technology that can authenticate your handbags for you! There is a handheld microscope camera that let’s anyone with a smartphone check a luxury accessory within minutes! The company claims that over the last one year, it’s accuracy has gone up by more than 98% for 11 brands including Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Gucci. Holgraphic tags, micro printing and even radio beacons woven into fabrics have been used by luxury labels to help establish the authenticity of their products! According to a British research company, fashion labels have spent 6.15 billion US dollars on anti-counterfeit technologies over the last half a decade!

Anonymous internet shopping and growing number of second-hand dealers are making matters worse! Entrupy’s device magnifies objects 260 times, so features invisible to the naked human eye become immediately visible under the microscope – blunt stamp marks, paint overruns, spaced out leather grain etc!

The device which looks like a flashlight with a wireless connection can be leased for a fee! Monthly plans are also available! So far about 160-200 businesses have signed up!

Blog Source : Bloomberg | ET Panache 

Image Source : Entrupy 

Other Tips and Tricks to Spot a Fake Handbag:

Source: Who What Wear 

• A sloppy zipper is a sure shot sign of a counterfeit
• Genuine handbag linings are super soft, smooth and silky! A shoddy quality of lining is a tell tale sign
• If the handbag has a strong smell of industrial chemicals, glue etc, instead of having genuine leather smell, then it is a huge red flag.

Source : Who What Wear 

• If the website or the shop does not look posh and upscale, then they are surely selling fake products! Also make sure that this shop or website offers an authenticity guarantee!
• When shopping online, always and always check the actual images of the product! Never go by stock images!
• If the bag has a semi transparent loose plastic cover on it’s handles, then it is surely a knock off. Look for such signs!
• Look for the authenticity of the hangtags and other labels! Luxury brands do not offer handbags with leather swatch tags!
• Inspect the quality of metal trims (if the zippers, pullers, buttons, buckles, eyelets and other trims have bad plating quality and a rough surface, then it surely is a sign of counterfeit).
• Conduct a comparative study of prices! If a handbag is priced relatively lower, vis-a-vis similar handbags on other websites, then it is surely a fake!

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