How to Spot a Coach Knockoff: Business of Counterfeit Handbags Fashion And Style

How to Spot a Coach Knockoff: Business of Counterfeit Handbags

Don’t waste your money on a counterfeit Coach handbag. Follow these tips to learn how to spot a fake Coach product at a glance.

There is real money being made on the sales of counterfeit designer handbags. Fashion consumers seek to discern an authentic product at a mere glance. When shopping for a Coach handbag, despite popular beliefs, the serial numbers inscribed on the leather creed patch (inside the lining of the purse) are not a reliable means to authenticate a Coach handbag.

Facts about Coach Serial Numbers

Coach did not begin issuing serial numbers until the 70s. The format changed in the 90s (around the same time the handbags were no longer exclusively made in the US); the final four digits of the serial numbers on the creed patch (and later a five-digit number in the 2000s) indicates the style number and manufacturing date.

The Coach Creed Patch

Authentic Coach handbags have embossed numbers on the leather creed patch (not stamped in ink). Yet, there are many authentic Coach products (the “clutch,” the “swingpack” and the “mini”), that will never have serial numbers, but will possess a creed patch, nonetheless. [Note: The newer “Legacy” line uses a gold ink stamped serial numbering system, but in keeping with authenticity, it is also embossed before being layered over in gold ink.]

Remember, fake handbags also have serial numbers typed onto the creed patch, confirming again that authentication by serial numbers is not a reliable method of spotting a replica Coach product.

Manufacturing of Coach Products

According to Ray Sherman, an expert in internet fashion marketing who hosts a fashion web blog, Coach handbags have not been manufactured in USA for over a decade. Ninety percent of Coach bags are now produced in China. Turkey, Italy, Pakistan, Mexico and India also manufacture Coach accessories, with rumours that ones from Thailand and Korea are always knockoffs. Sherman states that despite its origin, you will almost always see the word China on the bag’s creed patch which reads something similar to the following:

“This is a Coach bag. It was handcrafted in China trimmed with the finest materials. Its superior craftsmanship and attention to detail reflect our commitment to enduring quality.”

Tips to Spot a Fake Coach Handbag

The most reliable means to detect counterfeits is to logically examine the workmanship while keeping a few important guidelines in mind:

Authentic Coach Signature bags have the “CC” design perfectly centered and facing each other; all other letters (including “G” and “O”) indicate obvious knockoffs.
Signature Coach handbags all have plain lining; non-signature handbags will have the Coach signature logo on the inner lining; never will both outer and inner have signature logos.
The zippers used by Coach will have “YKK” stamped on them, no matter how tiny the zipper.
The creed patch will be legible and not puffy, always leather (not vinyl).
The leather tag attached with a bead chain is always leather and the word “Coach” fills up most of the tag (versus an abundance of wasted margin).
All stitching is symmetrical and neat, never sloppy.
The “CC” logo will rarely be severed by a seam.

A visit to the Coach web site underscores the massive underground market and various other implications as a result of counterfeit Coach products.

So now that you are an educated Coach consumer, your risks of purchasing a knockoff Coach handbag have decreased substantially. However, if you do purchase a fake, chances are if it got past your scrutiny, it’s likely no one else will ever notice.