How to Authenticate & Spot a Fake Loewe Basket Bag. Circa 2022

authentication-guides

14 Jun

Written By alice scaysbrook

Check out my full review and initial thoughts about my bag here.

THE NAME

Pronounced: LO-WEH-VAY

Loewe Website name: Basket bag in Palm leaf and calfskin

Just to save any confusion the bag is made of raffia palm. Some websites such as Selfridges call it ‘raffia basket’ - BUT IT'S THE SAME BAG.

The Loewe basket bag in palm leaf and calfskin Natural/Tan comes in three sizes.

Check 1: THE SIZE

Get the tape measure out and check the size of your bag, but remember they are all handmade so give the crafters a tiny bit of wiggle room (all good websites should allow returns if you suspect an item not to be authentic)

The small size is now £395 it was… £375 RRP.

Handle drop 20cm, Height 17cm, Width 33cm, Depth 13cm, Unlined,

The medium size is now £450 it was… £425 RRP and then £395 RRP in 2022.

Handle drop 20cm, Height 26.5cm, Width 40cm, Depth 16cm, Unlined,

The large size is now £495… it was £475.00 then it was … £440 RRP and then £425 RRP in 2022.

Handle drop 22cm, Height 34.5cm, Width 57cm, Depth 30cm, Unlined,

Check 2: THE LEATHER TOP HANDLE

-The leather feels slightly rough/textured to touch (great for longevity) if it's silky smooth, (feels soft and buttery like Celine leather with no grain) or it’s shiny it's fake.

-Counterfeiters get a bit carried away and tend to make the strap thicker than the authentic.

-The strap should be 2.5 cm wide.

-3 stitches per cm. The thread is white - but not a bright white, soft white. It sits 2mm in from the edge of the leather.

-When it is on its top notch (making the handle loop smaller) the leather strap should fall nearly to the base of the bag. (It falls roughly two rows of weave above the base – if we are being specific - which we are!)

-The leather handle is adjustable by a silver toned push stud. You should find this quite difficult to adjust. You have to really fight with it to get it on and off.

SERIAL NUMBER

-There is a six digit number which is on the underside of the adjustable leather shoulder strap on the front of the bag. This is all numbers - no letters.

-it's heavily stamped into the leather.

-Unlike Louis Vuitton, Dior, Celine etc there is no ‘decoding’ Loewe - its an internal production code.

But, in 2018-2019 the typical format was 4-5 digits.

2020 - 5 digits (rarely 4)

2021 - 5-6 digits

2022 - 5-6 digits (no letters)

2023 - 5-6 digits (slightly taller font than previous)

2024 - 6 digits (more consistently)

LOEWE HEAT STAMPING

-The back leather shoulder strap features a stamped LOEWE and underneath a 'Made in Spain'. The 'M' and the 'S' are capitalised.

-This is on the fixed leather side. [not the leather strap that detaches]

-It's roughly positioned 4cm from the top of the bag and 5mm from the edge of the leather strap.

-Note: the 'Made in Spain' is not centred below LOEWE. Instead it starts under the 'L' and finishes under the middle of the 'W'.

-Again, this is also heavily stamped into the leather.

SILVER TONED HARDWARE FEATURING LOEWE LOGO

-There are two.

-These are located on the interior of the bag on the leather strap behind the silver toned push studs which adjust the strap height.

-The logo hardware measures just under 1cm (9mm) each side.

-It is positioned 2.2cm from the bottom of the leather and 0.6cm from the sides.

-The stitching is symmetrical. 1 side stitch wide (fakes miss this stitch!) x 14 stitched (h) x 6 stitch (wide along the bottom). This stitching is replicated on all 4 points where the leather shoulder strap is attached to the bag.

EMBOSSED LOEWE LOGO

In 2014 Loewe underwent a rebrand and changed the font of 'Loewe' and reimagined the logo. But this doesn't affect the basket tote - as this was designed post 2014.

This is fixed to the bag by the top and bottom of the square being sewn to the palm.

The sides are not sewn down.

The biggest indicator for me that a bag is the real deal is the 3 double stitches which feature horizontally on the corners of the leather panel.(but not vertically)

Lettering

-Pay close attention to the O.Look how it sits on its side. The outer line is a perfect circle but the inside is shaped more like a lemon.

-The bottom lines of the 'L' 'E' 'E' are identical.

-I think counterfeiters get a bit carried away and stamp a bit too deep when it comes to this logo on the bag.

-It's not as heavily stamped onto the bag.

There is no interior pocket (which is so annoying Loewe)

BRAIDING/WEAVING TECHNIQUE

The bags are handmade in Spain therefore whilst these bags all come with high standards of uniformity - not one bag is identical. Also, its weave is not absolutely perfect.

RAISES AT THE BACK

The weave goes slightly higher at the back by just under 2 cm (on the side of the detachable shoulder strap)

THE WEAVE

These bags are all handcrafted so will all differ slightly making them unique.

The weaves are neat and uniform.

Fake basket bags tend to have thicker rows than their authentic ones. They are messy and don’t run in uniform rows.

THE BASE

-If it sits up straight and on its own this is a good indicator of an authentic bag. If it is wonky, sits unevenly, or keeps falling over it is very, very likely fake. This is because the base of a weave bag is hard to craft. Loewe have exceptional artisan crafters who weave these bags by hand from palm leaves. They get it right and create a flat base.

TAG

The tag is attached to the bag with black string and a small silver toned embossed square bearing the Loewe logo.

The front of the tag has Loewe and the logo. It is raised to touch - it is not printed.

Inside is a white sticker - this has a barcode on it, various style numbers and description of the bag.

You will also receive a care booklet

DUST BAG

The Loewe Logo is attached on a material tab to the bottom corner of the bag.

This measures 3.6cm wide and 3.3cm high.

If you look on the side of the tab the logo is perfectly mirrored but in black and white. It is not messy - there are not lots of loose threads or random bits of red thread anywhere.

It is a drawstring closure using a thick white rope. Knotted together to form the loops

The bag is a neutral colour. The material pattern is herringbone.