The Ultimate Guide: How to Spot a Fake Coach Pillow Tabby 26

The Coach Pillow Tabby 26 is one of the most popular bags of 2025, thanks to TikTok. It is soft, squishy, and oh so Gen Z. But with its popularity has come a wave of counterfeits. If you’re shopping pre-loved, here are the key details to check so you don’t end up with a dupe instead of the real thing.

Read my full review of the bag here. Spoiler alert. I sent it back.

1. The Leather & Pillow Padding

First up, measure your bag. Counterfeiters miss out a few cm’s and get the dimensions wrong.

Detachable short strap with 18.42 cm drop

Dimensions: 15 cm (15) x 7.5 cm (D) x 26.5 cm (W)

• Authentic: Made from smooth nappa leather that feels buttery, with a soft pillowy texture all over, not just on the flap. The padding is evenly distributed, never lumpy. Also when you squeeze it, it bounces back and does not dent, or become misshapen. However, I think over time it will definately crease and dent. I am reviewing boxfresh leather here.

• Fake: Often uses synthetic leather that’s overly shiny or plasticky. The bag may look puffy but feels stiff to touch, or the opposite is true, and it is puffy but doesn’t hold the puff.

Front

Back

Side

Bottom

2. The Signature “C” Clasp

Authentic:

• The ‘C’ measures 6cm x 4cm and is positioned 3cm above the tip of the flap.

• It’s weighty (more than I expected from Coach - I was surprised by the quality) and made of solid hardware, with a smooth finish.

• No rough edges or uneven colouring.

• The clasp closes with a satisfying heavy snap.

  Fake:

• The biggest giveaway is if the C is too lightweight and flimsy.

• The magnet isn’t strong enough

• Placement may sit slightly off-centre and is not positioned 3cm above the tip of the flap.

• The ‘C’ looks more squished and small, or alternatively its too tall.

• The leather on the C isn’t properly smoothed into and under the hardware edging and will come away easily. (thats the biggest and subtlest one for me)

3. Coach Engravings

Authentic:

• The word ‘Coach’ is engraved on a few pieces of the hardware. It features on the magnetic closure; twice on the stud and once on the socket.

• The ‘Coach’ on the shoulder strap hardware and socket measures 1cm in length.

• Coach is also engraved twice on the key ring clip with the bolt snap hook. (you push your thumb down on it to open it) and again twice on the key ring swivel.

• Fonts are sharp, with clean spacing and straight alignment.

• The “C” has a flat serif (the little horizontal stroke at the top and bottom) are not rounded off.

  Fake:

• Lettering may look too thin, bold, or blurry. It is usually blurry due to being made too bold.

• Misalignment is common - slanted or uneven spacing between letters.

The Hardware Batch Code

This is an additional little detail that counterfeiters forget.

The hardware batch code is engraved on the gold toned hardware plate underneath the C. Now, these numbers means nothing to the public - but they do to Coach. It means they can track where that piece of hardware was made, what factory etc.

Pro tip: the top of the numbers are ever so slightly hidden by the leather. 

Like with all my tips - just because your bag features this code - it does not mean its genuine. Dupes can feature random numbers too.

4. The Coach Creed Patch & Style Code

Authentic:

• Inside the bag, stitched into the lining, you’ll find a leather patch with a block of text - the Coach brand creed.

• Look at the spacing surrounding the embossed outline and the spacing around the text. Counterfeiters do not leave enough of a space, and the leather patch is usually too small.

• Notice the double stitches to secure the patch in place at the top and bottom. There are 14 stitches along each side.

• On recent Tabby models, post 2014, the creed includes a serial number or style number (e.g. N3 B2322 – C0772).

  Format

  Older bags (pre-1994): simple 4-digit or 5-digit numbers.

  1994–2014: Style code + factory code + year/month of production.

• In modern Coach bags (post-2014), this first part doesn’t translate neatly to a month/year like older formats did, or like LVMH brands did. Instead:

  First letter/number - N3 is usually the factory or plant code.

  The following sequence -B2322 is the batch/production run info. This is Coach’s internal system for tracking when and where it was made.

• C0772 is the style code for the Coach Pillow Tabby 26.

  Fake:

• Many replicas copy & paste the creed text but do not emboss it as heavily as the original.

• Serial numbers may be missing entirely, repeated across multiple bags, or make zero sense.

• wonky, large stitching, or no double stitching around the creed patch is a common giveaway.

5. Interior Lining & Construction

Authentic:

• The lining is a silky feeling faille lining (to use its proper name) but made from polyester - believe me if it was real silk, Coach would tell you on their website description and the price would go up. If you run your fingers over it, it has a ribbed texture, with a subtle grain. It also shimmers in the light.

• The interior features neat small white stitching.

• The lining compliments the colour of the bag.

• The Coach logo is printed on the lining (like with the Fendi Peekaboo) but bigger, more obvious and upside down. The logo is sewn to match the darker colour of the faille lining.

• The interior features a zip pocket in the middle of the bag with two exposed compartments either side.

• Shout out to Coach the interior is very well made.

Fake:

• Fakes will use a very flat cheap and cheerful lining. The ribbing might have too much spacing, and it will feel stiff not soft and luxe.

• Look for the usual red flags: glue residue, loose threads, or badly crafted zippers.

6. Hardware & Zippers

Authentic:

• The Zip will feature a YKK and 3 on the back. This is the company that make Coach zips, and the 3 indicates the size of zip.

• The back of the C features a heavy duty gold toned hardware plate with 5 screws. These are proper screws not mock screw heads.

• Pro tip look at the key ring clips - see how the gold tone fades into black at the point of constructing all elements of the metal together.

7. Stitching & Edges

Authentic:

• Even, precise stitching, all the same length. 3 Stitches x 1cm

• No frays or loose ends.

• Edges are finished smoothly.

8. Dust Bag & Packaging

• Authentic:

  Modern Coach dust bags are soft cotton with a cleanly printed logo (not blurry).

  Care cards and tags are crisp, with sharp fonts and no spelling mistakes.

  Tags usually have the style number matching the creed.

• Fake:

  Thin, scratchy dust bags with faint logos.

  Care cards with typos or misaligned printing.

  Hangtags that feel like cheap plastic instead of leather.

9. Leather Hangtag

An authentic hangtag is detachable.

It is hard, not super soft and squishy. That is the biggest red flag.

10. Price

Authentic:

• The Pillow Tabby 26 usually retails new for around £395–£450.

• On the pre-loved market, prices typically range from £200–£350 depending on condition.

  Fake:

• “New with tags” for £70–£100? Almost certainly counterfeit.

• Be cautious of sellers unwilling to provide close-up photos of creed, hardware, or stitching.

I hope this helps xxx