By Anne Clarke
Louis Vuitton handbags and luggage are known around the world as representing the height of hand workmanship, design and status. To this day Louis Vuitton products are all handmade and tightly controlled to prevent counterfeit products. Even if you purchase this brand from a department store, it was sold by a highly trained Vuitton employee.
The story of how the original Louis became a world-renowned brand and status symbol is a rags-to-riches story that began in the late 19th Century. In 1835 at the age of 14, before he knew anything about making luggage, he walked 249 miles to make a new life in Paris. In 1854 he opened his first Parisian boutique stocked with his flat-top trunks (other trunks of the time had rounded tops and were not stackable), hat boxes and other travel luxuries for the wealthy. In 1892, Louis Vuitton died and left the business to his son George, who wasted no time in making the name a global brand name.
The now-famous monogram was originally created to prevent counterfeiting and is considered the first modern design "label." Ironically, this brand of handbags and luggage fashions are the most counterfeited items today. The company goes to great lengths to mitigate industrial espionage - mostly by keeping a tight control on products around the world.
These methods include a team of attorneys and investigators who attempt to suss out and stop known counterfeiters. The company only sells product in an authorized boutique or online at their own Web site or from eluxury. Any other site or merchant claiming to sell authentic LV product is being dishonest and probably breaking some laws.
Auction sites (such as eBay) dealing with individual sellers may or may not have the authentic merchandise they claim to have. Spotting a fake LV is easily done in person if you know what you're looking for. Spotting an online fake is slightly more difficult but there are entire Web sites devoted to pointing out the subtle yet glaring attempts to make and sell 'exact' copies that claim authenticity.
Sites with authentic and fake photos side-by-side do the best job of illustrating these differences. One of the biggest giveaways are off-centered LV's. Authentic LV's are always centered and not tilted to one side or another. Also, if the LV's are upright on both sides of the item, it may be a fake. When dealing with an individual Internet seller request more photos to ensure they aren't using stolen photos of the product from the main site.
Any site or seller offering any product for considerably less than retail is probably not for real. Another dead giveaway is the dust bag. If the dust bag is included, an authentic dust bag will have no rounded corners and will be made of quality material. Basically if you are considering dropping $1,000 on an authentic LV fashion handbag, buy direct from the company to ensure your money doesn't go to waste!
Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for Web sites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background also includes teaching, gardening, and fashion. For more of her useful articles on fashion handbags, visit Handbags, supplier of discount designer handbags.
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