As incredible as it may sound, spotting a fake Luis Vuitton bag is not an easy task. Nowadays, replica manufacturers have perfected their designs so well that it is almost impossible to differentiate a well-made fake from the original product. Still, there are some guidelines that one should follow when trying to assess the authenticity of an LV Speedy.
The most important thing is to know its parts. What type of lining should it have? Should it have feet or not? How should the base be? Is it a model with a d-ring inside? Where the d-ring should be positioned? What codes and markings should it have? Where? All these details matter and it will help you determine if the bag is original or not. So check out the Louis Vuitton website and gather all this information about the model you are interested in, also search the web for any relevant piece of information you may find about it and start comparing. Additionally, I will present below a series of general guidelines you will need to know about the Luis Vuitton Speedy.
I will start with the particularities of its lining. The insides of a Monogram Speedy bag are always a little bit tricky and here’s why. The original bag has a brown cotton canvas, but on replicas you will find many variations for this very simple and common brown cotton canvas lining. Do not be fooled by a brown suede lining. LV has never used this type of lining on its Speedy Monogram models, not even on the vintage ones. There is indeed a fabric called Alcantara that resembles a lot to suede, but it isn’t actually suede and its specific color is a grey mushroom color. It isn’t available in dark brown. A Monogram Speedy must have a brown cotton canvas lining regardless of its manufacturing year. Any other kind of lining means it isn’t real.
Even the stitching is important. Louis Vuitton is very careful about this very small detail. An original bag will have even and regular stitching. Similar locations on a bag should have an identical stitching pattern. For example, on a Speedy the leather tab where the handles attach onto the bag should have 5 identical and even stitches.
The font used to write LOUIS VUITTON PARIS and the codes on the leather patches or tags is a very specific font. The use of a different looking one shows that the item is a fake. Original LV products have a very round “O”; the two letters “T” don’t touch in the word “VUITTON”; and the “N”, “A” and “V” are quite pointy. Regardless, where these words are stamped, these need to look clean and clear without any smudges or surfaces that have a lower legibility.
Literally, Louis Vuitton has put his name on every important part of its bags and the hardware is no exception. Any metal clasps, buttons, zippers, plates or locks will have a number or the Louis Vuitton name printed on it. Original bags use brass or gold metal, but low quality replicas have these parts made out of plastic with a layer of gold paint over it.
If your bag says made in USA, Spain, Germany or Italy, this doesn’t mean that it’s a replica. Indeed, the origins of Louis Vuitton are in France, but for over 25 years it has also been manufacturing products in USA, Spain, Germany and Italy.
And last, but not least Louis Vuitton Speedy bags are very expensive products and everything about it needs to feel of very good quality. No part of such a purse is allowed to feel cheap or to be made from a plastic material. It must be made from high quality fabrics and to feel nice and refined. Consider all the above when you are assessing the authenticity of a bag or even when you are looking to buy a good quality replica Speedy and you simply can’t go wrong.
31 Comments
Hello. Just bought a speedy B. 25 in damier ebene. On one side it says made if paris france. However, when i checked the bag code inside, the it has LA 5108. LA is a factory code for USA made bags. Is this an indiciation that the bag i got is fake?
Hi can you please help me authenticate, was sold to me at a estate sale and told me my was 100% authentic
Hi I would like to know if my speedy 25 is authentic
I want to know if my bag is a fake or authentic
Hey Kate, it’s hard to tell from this picture. It looks real, but might be high quality replica. Need to feel the texture and color of the leather, and the only way to do it is to actually hold the bag and “feel” the leather. I attach image from closet full of cash with tag pictures side by side. Hopefully it helps.
Ciao 🙂
I am confuse with your blog. Its the pictures example above are authentic or fake?
Hey Von, the pictures from this article show only Authentic bags and what you should look for to tell the difference between genuine and fake handbag.
Ciao 🙂
Is it just me or do these letters and and numbers point to this bag being a fake?!
I am not focusing solely on the letters or numbers even though the numbers do not seem to be evenly spaced which would concern me. The main issue I see is the fraying around the edges of the “leather” tags. I believe I also see some frays around the edges on the piece around the squared hardware. Usually the edges of the leather tags are cut cleanly on authentic LV handbags, and I am pretty sure that leather will never start to fray like this.
I am not sure of the model bag this is, but you could search if that bag was made in 2006 and find another example online to compare against. But I do believe it is a replica.
Please tell me this is not a fake
Hi, can u help me see if this bag is real or fake?
I’m thinking to buy this bag but worry it is a fake one. Thank u very much for helping
Hi I just bought a speedy and the hardware on the bag looks fake to me I can barely read it and it’s all scratched up and the tabs where the D ring is looks too long and the taps are super thick and the stitching around the tabs is sloppy and the straps came with plastic around them can you please help me
Hey Lexy, it’s very hard to say judging by one picture. My advice is to take the bag to LV store, they should be able to tell for sure.
Ciao 🙂
Real or fake
Can u tell me if it’s a fake bag?
Can you please tell me if mine is real. The lock says made in France but the tag says made in the USA. I dont see an R copyright logo either I tried selling it on Ebay but they removed it saying it was fake please let me know Thank you in advance!
Hey Rosie, It’s hard to tell just by looking at this one picture. It looks more like a replica than an authentic handbag.
Ciao 🙂
That is very much a fake. A real bad would simply say where it was made on the tag and no where else on it. There would be no contradiction as to where it was made
I bought a speedy monogram bag from a resale place. The bag looks great but my gut is telling me it’s fake. It does not have size of bag as in 25 30 35 etc. Os it true real bags say the size of bag under tag on purse? It also looks like the t’s are very close. Any help would be appreciated. I posted pic of label. Will send more pics if need be. Thank you
Ok I just found 30 on the back of my tag so that is there. Everything is pointing towards real except for the T’s they look close to me. If this is a fake it’s a darn good one.
Hi, I would just like to respond. I can see the pattern along the zipper is not symmetrical and the glazing along the zipper pull (in the left corner) is too bright red, points to being a fake!
As Cher said below, those two things were points of contention for me. Another issue is that I can not see the “R” which would be in a circle above the “Louis Vuitton”. I believe that it could be possible for the heat embossing to wear down under certain conditions so maybe it tells us nothing. I will say that the leather tag has the proper patina (honey-colored) and the heat embossing has the correct placement. This could be an optics issue due to the camera or lighting, but some letters don’t seem to be as legible or deeply embossed into the leather. The “A” at the end of USA seems a bit off maybe.
It would be a Japanese superfake if not authentic. They can actually patina the leather correctly and make the canvas or leather look appropriately aged and add signs of everyday use/wear and tear. On a second look (very long and hard look) I can see a very slight space between the “TT” which is correct. Even with my questions about the trademark symbol, the rest of the tag appears correct in size, shape, stitching, spacing, etc. If it is for personal use, unless you hang out with Louis Vuitton employees, I can’t imagine anyone would give this tag a second thought. Or if you need to know for sure, send it to a PROFESSIONAL LV authenticator. I’m pretty stumped.
And this is the other part. Ever see the m is not straight
The heat stamp is not correct. It seems to be embossed by hand and there was not enough pressure applied overall (making the lettering unclear and basically illegible in some areas). The stamp would be deep in the leather and easy to read each letter with no mistakes such as the obvious “m” problem. It does not appear to be authentic.
See the link below for specific pictures of identifiers for the Speedy 30 Bourg
Hello could you identify mine speedy bandou 30
Hi Did you find out whether your bag was fake or authentic
I am going to say that nothing in the given picture would give me a reason to call it a replica. A larger picture of the bag with more identifiers would be helpful.
One specific thing about this picture has me questioning the bag come to think of it. The hardware looks gold. A majority of replicas color the hardware and it looks very shiny and yellowish like gold. Authentic hardware should be more of a bronze shade. This may just be due to flash from the camera or lighting in the room, but I wanted to point this out.
I just bought one and am curious if its real or not! It looks so good but now I am concerned mine i a really good fake! I will attach a photo and if you can give me your opinion I would be great, TY
Your bag is a fake. It’s the “R” in Paris that gives it away. Wrong font!
great post thanks so much , I wish so much EBAY would stop allowing fake purses sell as authentic