SS24 Designer Brands Collection

How You Can Spot A Fake Prada Bag

How You Can Spot A Fake Prada Bag
Prada is a luxury fashion house originally founded in Milan in 1913. Now under the creative direction of Miuccia Prada, the brand has solidified its place in the high-fashion world over the last century due to their innovative collections and impeccable craftsmanship. Prada handbags and clothing collections are known to be minimalist and clean with an emphasis on practical modern silhouettes. Similar to most designer brands, Prada’s notoriety has spiraled into an increased underground trade in fake and inauthentic products, many of which can be quite difficult to differentiate from the real deal. Read further to discover the best details to watch out for when trying to authenticate your next Prada purchase.

What Goes Into A Prada Handbag?

A large aspect of Prada’s popularity comes from the luxury materials chosen for their collections. Prada uses Saffiano leather in both clothing and accessories. This luxury cowhide is characterized by its cross hatched texture and supple feel, its quality is shown in its malleability and durability. Hardware on Prada handbags is generally made of gold-plated or stainless steel metals, both of which are known for their high shine and general scratch resistance.

Prada Materials

The first thing you need to pay attention to when checking the authenticity of your purchase is the type and quality of materials used. The leather, cloth, and hardware materials all have unique properties but as a whole should be high quality with no noticeable defects either visually or texturally.

Leather

Prada uses a variety of calfskin and lambskin leathers in their accessories. All of these have their own benefits and uses, but there are a few main leathers used by the brand that you will most likely run into when purchasing a Prada bag. Saffiano leather is Prada’s signature leather. It is a luxury calfskin hyde treated with a wax-pressing process to make it both waterproof and scratch resistant. This pressing is also what gives the leather its light cross hatching texture.

Nappa leather is another staple used both by Prada and other luxury brands including Hermes and Chanel. This calfskin leather is full-grain and untreated, making it much more subtle to the touch while also decreasing its durability. A handbag made from Nappa leather would be much more suited to occasional wear as opposed to a Saffiano leather bag that could go through daily-wear, travel, and liquid spills with much less difficulty. Other popular leathers include Vernice leather, a shiny high-varnished calskin, and Spazzolato Leather, a smooth brush leather. Both of these are used often with shoes, accessories, and handbags, and can go through daily wear without much damage.

Re-Nylon

Nylon is a newer material used throughout many types of prada accessories and clothes. The inclusion of this modern material came from the brand’s designer, Miucchia Prada, who wanted to find a newer material outside of leather to popularize in the world of couture. Prada specifically uses Econyl yarn from the Italian producer Aquafil for its Nylon products. This yarn is a sustainable material crafted from waste products like fishing line and clothing scraps. It can be recycled indefinitely without losing any of its quality, making it a perfect fabric for brands seeking more environmentally conscious ways to produce. This nylon is distinguishable due to its water resistance, durability, and sleek feel, all of which create a long lasting and usable handbag for shoppers needing a little more wear out of their purchase.

Prada Hardwear

Prada only utilizes high-quality silver or gold plated hardware on their handbags and purses. These colors will never be combined on a singular piece and should be uniform from the clasp to the zipper. The zipper itself will come with the name or initials of one of the five factories it could have originated from embossed onto its back.

Spotting Fake Prada Bags

All of the individual pieces of hardware on a new Prada handbag should be high quality with no deep scratches or tarnishing. If you find that your bag has mismatched, dull, or worn-looking hardwear with scratches, it’s likely a fake Prada bag. Get to know the look and feel of the high-quality leather and nylon materials mentioned above, these are authentic staples of Prada bags and once you’re familiar, you’ll be able to identify a fake Prada bag anywhere.

Additional Handbag Details

Knowing what materials to look for in your new purchase can be a great way to weed out fake Prada bags, but sometimes the differences can be difficult to pin down when you are not familiar with the look or feel of what Prada bags should look like. It can be much more useful to know which details are standard among Prada accessories, as these individual pieces can be easily messed up by fake Prada sellers. Read further to discover more easy tips you can use to make sure your next purchase is the real deal.

Logo

Unique logo in comparison to other high-end brands due to its triangular shape. An authentic Prada handbag should have an attached logo plaque on its front crafted from either metal or leather. This label will be embossed or studded with the brand’s logo and the year and place of its foundation. Keep in mind that the R within the Prada logo should be notched right where the leg shoots out followed by an A that contains a larger right leg that extends past the top of the letter. The stitching on the logo is equally important for spotting a fake. Stitching on or around the label should be straight and neat. Any handbag that is missing these details should not be trusted and is probably a fake Prada bag.

Dust Bag and Authenticity Card

All new Prada handbags should come inside or with a Prada branded dust bag. These are generally white or pale satin with a centered circular prada logo. More retro prada handbags may come in a blue or navy dust bag so keep in mind the difference when buying a resold or older piece. Inside the dustbag there should be an authenticity card next to your new purse. This authenticity card would arrive in a small black envelope embossed with the Prada label in brand new condition. Any Prada bag that is not offered with this card is much more likely to be fake and you should proceed with caution. These cards can also occasionally be forged if a seller is particularly detailed, so always make sure to google the serial number on the offered card to ensure it does indeed correlate with a real item.

Inside ID Tag

Prada handbags should come with a small tag on the interior of the purse or within one of the purse’s smaller pockets. This tag contains the factory number and can provide similar assurance of the authenticity of your purchase. Note that smaller Prada purses like a wallet or wallet handbag may not come with these tags. Factory tags can be forged more easily than the authenticity card however so make sure you utilize multiple methods of authentication besides checking this tag.

Prada Bag Lining

While you’re checking out the interior tag, take a moment to look over the inside lining as well. Most Prada handbags have an embossed jacquard fabric lining with detailed imagery including ropes, flowers, or the brand’s name. The lining should also contain another logo most likely above or on the bag’s inside pocket. For both the name within the lining and the embossed logo, make sure the same lettering details are present as previously mentioned for the front logo. For handbags that contain leather lining as opposed to cloth, check to make sure the brand name or logo is still embossed on the inside.

Shopping For Authentic Goods Online

When you are not purchasing an item directly from its brand, it is much more important to take into account all the previous details. When shopping online or from a reseller there are a few things to watch out for to increase your confidence in your purchase. When shopping online make sure the website has pictures and product details to help you identify and compare the product with its twin from the original brand’s website. Similarly, make sure the website has an authentication process or guarantee so that your purchase can be ensured every step of the way. Shopping online and from resellers opens up a whole new world of amazing price points and convenient purchases, just make sure you keep all these steps in mind for the best experience possible.

Shop Prada with Buyma

Prada is a high-fashion house founded in Milan in the early 1900’s. Their beautiful craftsmanship and clean modern collections have made them a hugely popular brand among luxury fashion lovers around the world. When it comes to handbags and accessories, Prada’s designs are gorgeous additions to anyone’s wardrobe.

Buyma is a luxury reseller of Authenticated and never before worn clothes and accessories. Their multi-step authentication process and zero tolerance policy for fake products has put them on the top of the list for international designer reselling websites. Buyma also offers unbeatable prices and discounts for many of their products, helping you get the best deal possible on all your favorite brands.

Shopping designer brands doesn have to be a bank-breaking experience. Shop Buyma’s wide range of Prada products and discover their variety of authenticated new Prada handbags today.
FIRST TIME PURCHASE COUPON
CODE
BMNM1000
Free Shipping & $10 USD OFF for first time purchase with $140 USD

Shipping to United States?

Continue shopping