These days you'll spot lots of people carrying designer bags as they walk down Grafton Street, but how can you tell if a bag is real or fake?
Paddy Coughlan, who trades at the Designer Exchange at 35 Exchequer Street spoke to Dublin Live about the fake handbag industry, and gave some tips on how to spot the real deal, using the classic Louis Vuitton speedy bag as an example.
He told Dublin Live: “The most important question our customers should ask is if the bag is real. We have gained professional knowledge of being able to do authentication. Depending on the brand, there are different points we go through to authenticate it.
Read more: Dublin Vintage Shop reveals best sellers that will transport you back to childhood
Showing us a beautiful Louis Vuitton bag, Paddy pointed out a few things to look out for.
"The exterior is made with one piece of canvas. This means that the logos at the front are the right way up, but if you turn it around to the back, you will see they are upside down. That's because it's one sheet of canvas, there is no separation on the base. So that's just one thing to look for."
Paddy also counts the stiches and measures the zips to check for authenticity.
The Louis Vuitton branding stamp is also one to look out for. Paddy makes sure that the distance between letters are all equal.
"There will be a date code inside these bags as well which will tell us what month or year the bag was made."
Paddy says customers can have peace of mind knowing that every item bought in their store is the real deal.
“Whether it’s the hardware, serial numbers, stamping, logo print and so on. We’ve a technology based authentication system as well.
“Once it passes through the system which is ground-breaking, it gives a financially guaranteed certificate of authenticity to us and to the purchaser so they know that it’s guaranteed to be authentic and we won’t let anything slip through the net.”
As a luxury handbag expert, Paddy says he is “entirely against the fake industry”.
He said: “It hurts the brands, employment in the sector and you don’t get the quality or guarantees. In my opinion, you shouldn’t do it.
“It doesn’t matter what the value is, people say luxury fashion is expensive fashion but we’ve items here from €50 right up to our recent €30,000 Hermes Birkin Bag.
“We’ve a full range from Michael Kors, DKNY, Marc Jacobs all the way to your classic Prada, Gucci, Chanel, Louis Vuitton. We’ve sunglasses and accessories.
“We get a lot of young customers who are excited to get a Michael Kors bag as another lady would be getting a Chanel bag. That’s the beauty of the business.
“We make handbag dreams come true no matter how expensive or cheap, every sale we make is important to us.
“It’s a real mystery in this business, you never know what is going to happen or who will come in. ladies will come in with particular requests and the joy is fulfilling their dream and sourcing the item for them.
“If you could bottle and sell their joy, I'd be a very rich man.”
Paddy previously worked with GameStop and dealt with the trading of technology and video games, but now he spends his days with glamorous staff, clients and accessories.
His shop in the city centre is Ireland’s premier venue for the resale of luxury fashion. Customers can bring in designer bags and accessories and trade in for a new item.
“I think when it comes to handbags, there’s plenty of great stores out there. We are not advocates of fast fashion, we’re advocates of sustainable fashion,” Paddy continued.
“By people coming to us, they’re unlocking the currency that’s already in their wardrobes.
“We’re not asking them to spend money, we’re asking them to bring the items they already have that they may not be in love with anymore or they may want to change to something new.
“It’s the perfect way to be a part of the sustainable drive that’s so prevalent in society at the moment and involve yourself in the circular economy.”
Read more: Dublin coffee shops training homeless people to become baristas
Read More: National GP shortage sees people unable to get blood tests or sick notes
Sign up to the Dublin Live Newsletter to get all the latest Dublin news straight to your inbox.
