Men’s Wallets : Signs to Spot the Real Brand From the Fake

Fakes and first copies of high-end brands are ruling the flea markets and also slowly creeping in the e-commerce domain. Their sellers master the skill of copying designs and selling them off for substantially less than the original price. This business not only hurts the luxury brands but also cheats the consumer of his money, of his experience of high quality and of the status that he aspires for by owning a big brand.

The only way out of this mess is through being a smart shopper and arming yourself with the right information to spot a fake. We drafted a cheat sheet of  popular Men’s brands to help you buy only what’s original.

1. Louis Vuitton

You can be sure of your wallet to be a real Louis Vuitton if:

• The monograms of the alphabets ‘LV’ and the four petal flowers are in perfect symmetry. You can match the height and breadth of each monogram on one side with the other on the opposite side. They should be in absolutely same dimensions.
• The trim is made up of vachetta cowhide leather and is exceptionally sturdy, being about 3.2 to 3.4 mm thick. Also the stitch should be perfectly even, and can even be counted using a ruler or tape. The fake wallet will have a lot less stitches than the real one.
• Serial number and Labels are present, and do not have a shallow stamping. Also, a real Louis Vuitton will never have a price tag. If it does, be sure it’s fake.
•  The wallet overlaps accurately when folded. A fake LV wallet will not fold properly, its front part will fall shorter to its back.

2. Burberry

You can be sure of your wallet to be a real Burberry if :

• The material used is PVC or Vinyl Coated Canvas, that looks like leather but gives a different texture. On touch, it should feel sturdy and you can also check it to be stain resistant.
• In case it has a classic Nova Check print (as shown in the image above) notice that at a time, three thick faint navy stripes will crosshatch each other. In between the stripes, there will be a white filling that will also be faint. Also, the red thinner stripes will cross exactly in the middle.
• The logo has either ‘Burberry’ or ‘Burberry Established in 1856’ written over it. The font of the logo should be be very distinctive. The left side of the U and the Y should be slightly wider and the R’s should have smaller tails. Also check that the logo is centred and that all stitching is aligned and finished neatly.
• All its zippers have ‘Burberry’ engraved into them. Also they must be made up of solid metal that won’t easily chip off or flake.
• The tag inside the wallet reads either “Made In Italy/China/Romania. Also check for a unique style number behind this tag.

3. Gucci

You can be sure of your wallet to be a real Gucci if:

• It came with an authentication and an identification card, with a unique serial number (10-13 digits, in two absolutely even rows). This card looks like any other business card, but can be used in any official Gucci store to verify the originality of your wallet.
• The traditional Gucci logo, with ‘GUCCI’ written in capital letters is in the ‘sans serif’ font. Also the symbol with a ‘double G’ should look like two capital G’s facing each other, upside down, and should not crawl upon each other.
• It comes along with a dark brown colored dust bag for maintenance, which also boasts a Gucci Logo on it. If it comes packed in plastic, it is probably fake.
• The material used is only either real leather, suede or canvas, and the stitching is extremely tight. You can see the smooth finish that the stitching gives so that there is not one single loose thread. If there is, it is most definitely fake.
• If there is a zipper, it should be made of leather and should be the exact same colour as the trim. Never different. Also, the cut of the pull should be perfect; the length between the stitching and the edge of the pull should be the same all the way around. Anything sloppy indicates a fake.

4. Versace

You can be sure of your wallet to be a real Versace if:

• It has not come out of any random sale online. Versace , if ever it goes on sale – then it’s only through its fixed, reputable retailers like Barney’s and Nordstrom, not others. Make sure your wallet comes only through them.
• The Label mentions only ‘Made In Italy’, as its manufacturing location. If any other place is mentioned, it’s probably a fake.
• It comes with a clean dust-bag with silk draw string cord, and not in plastic packaging
• The Versace tag is embossed and not printed, and all hardwares attached are heavy and made of solid metals that can’t chipped or flaked.
• The seams and the stitch are perfectly crafted and in complete symmetry, so that there is no forward and backward stitching and no loose threads. The stitch looks clean and strong and if you measure it will have many more counts than a fake

5. Armani

You can be sure of your wallet to be a real Armani if:

• The winged logo is embossed, and not printed. Also , it will always be in same size and breadth every time, they appear on the wallet, and will have horizontal stripes running along them, decreasing in size as they travel from top to bottom of the logo.
• The stitch and seams are absolutely uniform and flawless
• The leather used is rich, fine, sturdy and durable, and does not appear either too glossy or too raw. It is a highly treated material and is sturdy and smooth to touch , with almost a matte finish exterior.
• The inside has ‘Emporio Armani’ embedded with the winged logo between the two words.