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.

JOHN GALLIANO - Shirts: Fabric Content Labels

Galliano's men's line is not produced by Ittierre Spa. To the best of my knoledge it has only ever been made by Gibo' Co. Spa., who's tags usually look like the example on the right. Some of the auctions on eBay for fake men's Galliano clothing have pictures of Ittierre Spa. labels. Why? Ittierre does produce women's prêt-à-porter. You'd think the counterfeiters would at least try to get their labels correct. They probably just had a surplus of these fake Ittierre labels laying around the factory and decided to put them to good use.

Example (click to enlarge):
Example (click to enlarge):

Some of the fakes do have the the proper style label but the labels are still different from the authentic ones। In this example the print quality of the fake text is poor. The letters are very bold, as if the printer was laying on too much ink and the spacing and formatting of the text is a bit off. This fake does not have "Gibo Co Spa" printed on it (which is the production company of authentic men's Galliano). Some of the authentic labels are missing this too (such as the first example above) and I believe it is because they didn't print it on the labels of pieces from earlier collections, but I'm not sure.

DIOR HOMME - Shirts: Size Tags

If you ever see the size tag connected to the silver Dior Homme logo tag, it's a fake. The authentic size tags are sewn either in the collar (not connected to the logo tag) or in the side seam with the fabric content label.

Example (click to enlarge):

Some (but not all) of the fake Dior Homme t-shirts have the size tag attached to the silver logo tag. T-shirts are a little harder to authenticate than jackets and other items with more details. The simpler the item, the easier it is to fake. This is why it is important to pay close attention to the tags and labels, as well as the 'Hunting Basics.'

JOHN GALLIANO - Shirts: Real v. Fake Photos

Here are some more comparison photos of real v. fake John Galliano shirts. I know this whole 'spot the difference' game can get a little tedious, but if you're buying online it really is necessary. The upside is that there are some great deals to be had on eBay (and elsewhere...).

Example (click to enlarge):

I don't know where to start with this one. You can pretty much see for yourself the vast difference in print quality (despite the blury pic of the fake). Also, keep the scale of the head in mind, and the lack of text on the fake.

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The fake example above has less gradation and subtleties, which can be seen in the flowers, and the ribbon around the heart. The fake's colors are also over saturated, as usual.

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The above fake example has over saturated colors, a lack of color subtleties in the cartoons, and the newspaper headlines are smaller, and not as bold.

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Example (click to enlarge):

With these napoleon print shirts the fake print is pretty close to the original but there are differences. The fake head is larger in scale and the print is less angled than the authentic shirt. I have drawn lines on the photos to highlight the differences in the angles and spacing.

For more real v. fake comparison photos of John Galliano T-shirt designs, click the "print quality" tab under the John Galliano drop-down menu to the right of this page. Or, click here.

JOHN GALLIANO - Shirts: General Info.

The major thing separating fake designer clothing from the authentic stuff, is quality. The fabric and construction of the fake stuff is totally inferior (...looks like crap). However, since that is not always easy to determine from photos, one must find other ways to examine the item. Which is kind of the purpose of this blog. If there is a printed graphic on the item, print quality is a good place to start. For more detailed information please select the 'Print Quality' link in the John Galliano drop-down menu to the right of this page.

Within the past year eBay has been flooded with Galliano knock-offs. It's mostly men's stuff that's being faked, but they are also faking some women's jeans and pants. The vast majority of John Galliano items on eBay are fake. A large percentage of these fake items are men's t-shirts, and most of the sellers selling them are from China (As I have said several times on this blog; there are some good sellers from China/Hong Kong who do sell authentic stuff, but most of the sellers form China are selling fakes). If a seller has a lot of the same style item listed in different sizes, it is cause for suspicion.

As always, it is good to remember that the starting bid price of an item on eBay has NO bearing on its authenticity. Most of the fake Galliano t-shirts are listed for $19-35. However, there are some sellers out there listing the fakes for $158. I guess they figure it's a more believable price, which means buyers get ripped off even harder.


The Good News: If you do take the time to sift through the Galliano listings on eBay you will come across the occasional authentic piece. This authentic stuff is often dirt cheap because the fakes are scaring the other bidders away. The other bidders don't want to sift through the loads of fakes to find the real stuff, and/or cannot tell what is fake and what is real. But, since you are armed with all this great Fake Hunter information you'll be able to weed-out the fakes and grab a bargain on the authentic stuff!!

JOHN GALLIANO - Shirts: Print Quality

The print quality is one of the best ways to check authenticity with these Galliano shirts. The fake prints have harsher colors, sharper edges, and less subtleties. The fake prints do range in quality but none of them are as good as you real things.

Example (click to enlarge):

The comparison photo above shows the fake and the authentic version of the same print. The difference in print quality is pretty apparent, especially with the head of the figure. You can also notice that a lot of the subtlety is lost in the fake (note the background colors and the black vs. gray skull). Lastly, the fake print stops short of the bottom of the shirt, whereas the authentic print goes all the way to the bottom.

Example (click to enlarge):

That first comparison was pretty easy, but this one is harder. You really have to look at the details of the print. As with the first comparison, the orientation of the print on the shirt is different.

Example (click to enlarge):

You have to zoom in to see the differences in the detailing. This photo of the fake is pretty grainy, but you can still make out most of the differences. The most noticeable differences are the lettering font and lack of detail in comparison to the authentic print.

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John Galliano makes authentic v-neck AND crew neck shirts, so, don't concern yourself with that detail in this example. What you should be looking at is the print quality, especially in the hair. This fake example is actually one of the better ones. There are some that are much worse, where the shadow of his nose is very dark, with very little subtlety in the print.

Example (click to enlarge):

Enlarge this example to see the differences in the hair. The authentic shirts have raised metallic gold paint in the hair. The fake ones just has printed yellow lines. The fake colors are also much more saturated, and often have a very orange tint to the flesh.

For more real v. fake Galliano T-shirt examples, click the "real v. fake photos" tab under the John Galliano drop-down menu. Or, click here.

DIOR HOMME - Shirts: Logo Tags

These silver logo tags are sewn into the collars on t-shirts, button-front shirts, sweaters, and sweatshirts. The ends should be folded under, not frayed or cut.

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The thickness and size of the lettering is the key to distinguishing the real from the fakes. It takes a close look but if you compare the examples above you will note the differences. The fake "D" is thicker and the tag itself is a little shorter.

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I included the fake examples above because the first picture has black stitching and the second pictures has "homme" on the tag. The silver dior logo tags are always stitched with silver thread (never black). Also, the word "homme" is never spelled out on the silver logo tag (only on the fabric composition tag sewn inside the shirt seam.

Example (click to enlarge):