How to Spot a Fake Louis Vuitton Bag
Louis Vuitton is one the most iconic and best-known luxury handbag brands in the world.
Unfortunately, because of its well-known status and loyal following, there are a ton of fake Louis Vuitton bags out there.
In fact, Louis Vuitton is one of the most counterfeited brands in the world. So today, I’m sharing how to spot a fake Louis Vuitton bag so you can easily spot the difference between a fake vs. real Louis Vuitton.
Many of us have to save up for designer bags and are now shopping the resale market for these handbags. So it’s important to be able to spot fake Louis Vuitton handbags. After all, who wants to spend $1K plus on counterfeit items that’s not actually real?!
Here, I’m sharing eight of the most common ways to spot a fake Louis Vuitton bag below.
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How to Spot a Fake Louis Vuitton Bag
Louis Vuitton offers many different lines of bags from the Louis Vuitton Neverfull bag range, the Damier Ebiene canvas bags, the Speedy bag and many more. And though these are all different designs, spotting a fake Louis Vuitton purse is similar no matter what style bag you get.
Unfortunately, counterfeit bags are getting harder and harder to spot. Use this guide to help ensure that what you’re getting is the real deal.
Heat Stamp
The heat stamp that reads “Louis Vuitton Paris” on the inside pocket of the bag is a great way to spot an authentic Louis Vuitton handbag. Before we dive into the specifics of what to look for with the stamp, you also want to look out for authenticity cards.
Those are a big red flag when it comes to spotting a fake because Louis Vuitton doesn’t send authenticity cards. They may send some sort of card within the dust bag listing different facts about the bag. But it will never be about authenticity.
The heat stamp basically acts like an authenticity card in and of itself. The font will tell you a lot about genuine bags like:
- The horizontal line on the letter “L” has a short tail.
- The letter “O” is very round – NOT oval-like. It also looks proportionally larger than the “L”.
- The two “T” letters are almost touching.
- The lettering will be crisp and nearly perfect in how it’s aligned.
The letters will all be capital letters, too.
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Stitching
You get what you pay for with luxury bags, down to the stitching.
With genuine bags, the stitching is nearly perfect with no odd spacing, loose strings, etc. In fact, the same number of stitches should be found on each side of the bag.
The color of the string can also help you spot the real thing.
A genuine Louis Vuitton bag will have a muted yellow color or brown stitching on the leather.
A fake LV bag will sometimes have a very bright thread. This is typically a dead giveaway that you have a fake handbag.
Hardware
Another one of the best ways to spot a fake Louis Vuitton bag is to look at Louis Vuitton’s hardware.
Authentic Louis Vuitton bags have hardware made of solid brass. The hardware is also evenly colored.
Because the hardware is brass-coated, it’s natural for it to change color over time. It can even take on a greenish hue!
The hardware includes things like the zipper, zipper pull and other accent pieces.
Real LV bags have the LV or “Louis Vuitton” logo on every single piece of hardware from the zipper, to the feet of the purse to the rivets. Even the hardware inside of the bag should have the logo.
Speaking of zippers, another critical thing to keep in mind is how well the zippers work. Try them out. If they don’t glide well, then it might be one of the telltale signs the bag is fake.
If you’re paying for a luxury brand handbag, that zipper better glide like butter.
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Leather
The next way you can spot a fake bag is the quality of the leather.
A real Louis Vuitton bag is generally made of leather. Some types of LV bags are made of coated canvas or other exotic animals too. The leather is soft to the touch and high-quality.
Some Louis Vuitton bags are also made with one continuous piece of leather. So one side of the bag might have upside-down logos. Be aware of that if you think that doesn’t look like the real thing.
Louis Vuitton uses Vachetta leather for the trim of its bags. This type of leather naturally darkens, also known as patina, as the bag ages.
If the Vachetta leather doesn’t naturally darken, then you know the bag is probably a fake bag.
Also, look for the deep red/burgundy edge that lines the handles on an authentic bag. This will also change color over time, and shouldn’t be a bright red.
Lining
A real LV bag has high-quality materials all the way down to the lining. However, depending on the type of bag you purchase, depends on the color and material of the lining found inside the bag.
You can find a variety of colors from a deep red to tan with varying materials like leather and microsuede.
Before you purchase a real LV bag, be sure to know what color and type of lining that bag is supposed to have. That way you know what to look for.
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Dustbags
Another important aspect on how to spot a fake Louis Vuitton bag is the dust bag that handbag comes in. An authentic LV bag comes in a dust bag that only has the LV logo or name on the bag itself.
There is nothing else on these like a model number, country code or letter code on the bag. It has a minimalist design and acts as a dust cover for your specific bag.
The dust bag will also be beige in color—not white. You can see the difference here in this photo.
The dust bag on the left is a fake LV dust bag while the dust bag on the right is much warmer and more of a yellow tone.
The font is also dark brown on the authentic LV dust bag while the fake one has black font. They may be subtle differences, but they’re still important to pay attention to!
The Logo
The easiest way and quickest ways to spot a fake Louis Vuitton product is by the logo. The LV logo is one of the most recognized logos because of its household name in the designer industry.
Authentic Louis Vuitton logos have three distinct designs plus the logo. They will never be crooked, misaligned and always look symmetrical. Additionally, the three designs and logo are in the same pattern throughout the bag.
Date Code
Louis Vuitton handbags do not have a serial number but instead, each one has a date code. Especially if you are shopping for more vintage bags.
Since the early 1980s, Louis Vuitton began including date codes on each bag produced. They can be hard to find but usually are inside the bag. The date code tells you where and when the bag was manufactured.
The date code begins with two letters. These letters represent the country that it was made in. For example, if the beginning two letters were SF, that means that your bag was manufactured in France.
Following the two letters are four numbers. These numbers represent the date the bag was made. The 1st and 3rd numbers represent the week or month the bag was made.
Between 2007-2021, the 1st and 3rd numbers represented the week of the year. Between 1990-2006, the 1st and 3rd numbers represented the month of the year.
The 2nd and 4th numbers are the last two digits of the year the bag was made.
So for example, if the date code on a bag was SF0028 that means the bag was made in France in the 2nd week of 2008.
Confusing? Yah. You can try an authenticator service if you’re really concerned. Or an online date code authenticator like this one.
Beginning in March 2021, Louis Vuitton did away with the date code and began including microchips in the handbags that store information like what the bag is made of.
There is no personal information shared. Just specifically details about the bag. This chip can be scanned at Louis Vuitton stores and cannot be duplicated or modified.
With these eight basic ways to spot a fake Louis Vuitton bag, I hope this helps you better determine if a bag is real or not!
Do you have a Louis Vuitton bag? If so, what kind of bag is it? Let me know in the comments below!
Great info! Lots of attention to detail… I have an Alma PM handbag. It’s currently being repaired by the Louis Vuitton folks… I probably won’t get it until November, it’s been almost 5 months since I sent it in.
Thanks, Charlotte! I had to have the lining replaced in my LV Neverfull. It took awhile BUT when I picked it up it was packaged in a new box and bag and felt brand new!