GUCCI - Shirts: labels

Gucci is one of the most commonly faked labels, everything from socks to suits has been counterfeit. A lot of the Gucci fakes are very poorly done and obviously fake. Gucci is one of those mega labels that sustains a strong consumer base interested solely in the logo (see also Louis Vuitton and Chanel). The hip-hop culture of the 1980's embraced blatant fakes as a sort of satire. For many it was about a parody of the wealthy who chose to flaunt their designer logos, and it was about challenging their affluence, or at least how the rich portrayed it. It was a way of demystifying the appeal of two interlocking G's or C's, or an 'LV.' It was about showing the logo for what it is; a marketing tool, used invoke specific imagery and a sense of membership. Perhaps a bit ironically, the mainstream hip-hop culture of today has bought into the very cache it was mocking twenty years ago.

There are many varieties of Gucci fakes, some are obviously fake, and some are copied quite well. If you buy Gucci online from a secondary source such as eBay, pay close attention to my tips in the 'Hunting Basics' section of this blog.

Over the years Gucci labels have changed. When Tom Ford was the head designer the labels and font were larger (as seen in the first example below). I think it was in 2005 that they changed the shirt labels from the rectangular shape to the longer and skinnier shape with smaller text (as seen in the fourth comparison example below).

Example (click to enlarge):

In the above comparison you can see the difference in the size of the lettering, both on the label and on the size tag. The difference is subtle, which is why it's important to look closely at the pictures when you're buying online. This is a Tom Ford-era tag, which is taller than the current tags.

Example (click to enlarge):

Example (click to enlarge):

The two examples above are rather obvious fakes. The first one is proportioned totally wrong, the Gucci text is wrong, and the size tag is wrong. In the second example the tag is gold, and there are no gold Gucci tags. Unless we're dealing with vintage Gucci, the label should be white text on a black label. The marked size (in this example 'M') should not be on the same label, it should be on a separate piece of material either sewn to the label or elsewhere on the shirt depending on when style shirt it is.

Example (click to enlarge):

In the above example the fake tag is missing the 'Made in Italy' text.

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Example (click to enlarge):

These examples are all of pretty decent fake labels. You have to click the pictures to enlarge them to see the variances in the text. The text in both of the above fakes is too bold, and the stitches don't form smooth rounded letters. Also note that the spacing between the 'Made in Italy' and the 'Gucci' text is greater in the authentic label.

GUCCI - Shoes: Tennis Shoes

This white leather sneaker is one of Gucci's most popular styles, and naturally, one of the most often faked. Below are several real vs. fake comparison photos of this style shoe. eBay is flooded with the fake versions so pay close attention to the details. Keep in mind that there are many different fake versions of this style out there so make sure ALL of the details match the authentic examples because different fakes have different errors in the styling.

Example (click to enlarge):

Example (click to enlarge):

Above are two different comparison photos, with two different fakes. The top fake is a bit more accurate than the bottom one, but they're both easy to distinguish as fake. The bottom fake is missing some stitching/padding on the side and has a different sole. However both of these fakes have many things wrong with them. The fake eyelets are metal instead of the white painted metal as seen on the authentic pair. The red and green stripe should not have any stitching on it and both of these fake examples have white stitching. This red and green stripe should be made out of woven nylon. The fake stripes tend to be wider than the authentic one..

Example (click to enlarge):

The back of the heel on these Gucci shoes comes up quite high, and most of the fakes out there don't come up as far. Above are two different fake variations.

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The back of the heel is covered in a green alligator/crocodile embossed leather. In the fake example above the patch is wider and the material features a different scale pattern and coloring than the original. Also note that the authentic version is stitched around the rubber sole and this fake is not. Some fakes are stitched around the sole but with much larger stitches (like one stitch for every three on the authentic pair).

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The inside of these shoes is made of white leather (not brown like the above fake) and there is an embossed 'GUCCI made in italy' logo inside. In this style shoe the logo is only embossed and not printed.

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Here is another knock-off variation of the logo. Also note the difference in the size of the lettering and the spacing.

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A lot of these fakes can also be spotted by the shoe bags that are often included in the auctions. The authentic shoe comes with a dark satin brown GG print shoe bag.

Example (click to enlarge):

Also get to know what an authentic Gucci shoe box looks like. There are many fake examples on eBay (one of which is pictured above). The real box has slightly raised metallic lettering that runs parallel with the shorter side of the box. However, keep in mind that just because a box or a shoe bag may be real, it never guarantees that the shoes are also real. Always carefully inspect the pictures of the actual product, not just the boxes, tags, etc.