How to determine if your precious Hermes is genuine or fake?

One of the most luxurious and investment-worthy bags in the market is manufactured by the ultra-luxury brand Hermes. You may have spotted the Birkin or the Kelly recently in the hands of Nita Ambani during an event, or in the cupboards of Ameesha Patel. The Kardashians too own some of the rare designs of a Birkin.

However, if you are to purchase the bags direct from the seller it may involve a wait-time for at least two years. Due to this there are several other channels people take to get their hands on their dream bags. Right from the secondary market to auction houses, one keeps a lookout everywhere. But one danger that they are susceptible to is finding a fake bag in almost the same price as a genuine one. Thus, it is important that you know how to determine if your Hermes model is fake copy or not.

Four ways to understand if your Hermes bag is a fake

While there are several ways of understanding if the bag you possess is genuine or fake, there are four basic ways you can keep determine it yourself, before having it passed through an authenticator.

Check the Stitches: Each bag, no matter the model is hand-stitched by a craftsman. This accounts for the perfection, care, grace and time taken to get a model ready. A genuine bag will have even, symmetrical stitches that are tightly done and slightly slanted. These stitches do not have any loose ends and neither do they look like machine-made. If you notice the stitching goes awry in a bag, then definitely that is not genuine.

Logo matters: Another important facet of differentiating a genuine bag from a fake is looking closely at the logo. Every bag comes with the brand logo in the centre of the bag. It stands cleanly positioned and crisply visible. These logos come embossed and not deeply pressed onto the fabric. The logo is also manufactured such that it is always visible and don’t get blurry, unless very roughly handled. Each logo has the same font, size and spacing. Anything which is a fake will have something amiss, so always do a logo check.

Weight in hardware: Most bags come in a few different types of hardware – silver, palladium, gold, brushed gold or rose gold, being the most common ones. This hardware are, as their names suggest, hard and heavy. When touched, you would be able to feel their weight on the bag. No matter the type, they always have a crisp finishing giving off a luxurious shine. If you notice discolouration or peeling off around the hardware, then most probably it is a fake.

Verify lock-key-clochette and bills: Any genuine bag will always come in a full set, that is, including the lock, key, clochette and bills. This is because those investing on the bags are aware of their resale value and thus pay attention to keeping all accompaniments safely for the best return. When purchasing, verify date and stamp, bag accompaniments, bills, dust bag, and bag box.

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