Recently, I have encountered someone who thinks that MADE IN CHINA Le Pliages are not the real thing.
Contrary to popular belief, not all "CHINA- MADE" stuff are fake. A lot of design houses and big brands are already manufacturing some of their products in China. We all know that labor in Western countries is expensive, so a lot of brands had tapped the Chinese community for fast and cheap production. And Longchamp is one of these brands.
Long before Longchamp became a must- have for every woman in all ages, The LCs we see are only MADE IN FRANCE. Perhaps, in order to sustain the worldwide demand, Longchamp had already licensed a production factory in China. So the Longchamps nowadays are either MADE IN FRANCE or MADE IN CHINA.
In this entry, I am comparing FRENCH and CHINESE Le Pliages in order to remove any shadow of doubt regarding the authenticity of China- made Le Pliages. This will also serve as a helpful entry to determine whether your Le Pliage is authentic or a knock- off.
These are two of my Le Pliages. The one on the left is Large Long Handle in Navy (Made in France), and the other is a Medium Short Handle in Black (Made in China).
Actually, the only striking difference between the two is the material of the bag. The bag material of the French- made Le Pliage is thicker, heavier, and matte in finish, while the Chinese- made is lighter, thinner, and glossy in finish. Apart from these two striking differences, there are no known inconsistencies between the French- made and Chinese- made Le Pliages (unless what you have and bought is fake).
What's the reason behind this? Methinks that this phenomenon is caused by workmanship. French laborers work differently than the Chinese. Also, the material they have available also varies. Perhaps each country (since they're licensed by Longchamp) are already producing their own raw materials to create a Le Pliage, hence the differences in the bag material. No need to worry, because the fact that MADE IN CHINA Le Pliages are being sold in Longchamp boutiques in France is a telltale sign that these Le Pliages are the real thing.
Now here are more comprehensive descriptions and detailed observations on authentic Longchamp Le Pliages.
The Large Le Pliage is MADE IN FRANCE.
The Medium Le Pliage is MADE IN CHINA.
Le Pliage handles are made of cowhide leather (the leather used to manufacture LV bags).
The leather on the handles should be soft, smooth, and flexible. Not stiff and rough. Cowhide leather colors vary, as well as the markings on the leather. Genuine cowhide leather comes from genuine cows. Inasmuch as no two cows are the same, so no two leathers are alike. :)
Here is a comparison pic of the flaps. The jockey graphic on the Large Le Pliage is bigger than the jockey on the Medium Le Pliage. The size of the jockey depends on the size of the bag.
Button closures of Le Pliages are gold- plated. The exterior part of the button should bear the jockey on the middle part. And the round closure on the inner part of the flap should bear the word "ORIGINAL PRYM" around it.
Also, the furry interior of the flap should feel very smooth to touch. Le Pliages are expertly and carefully handcrafted, so authentic Le Pliages don't have loose hair sticking out of the stitching on the tip of the flap.
Zipper pulls of Le Pliages come in two colors: GOLD and PEWTER. The round- shape is thin, and should not seem too big enough for the jockey logo.
The zippers are made by YKK. This is one of the unmistakable signs that your Le Pliage is authentic.
On the back part of the flap, the words "MODELE DEPOSE" are engraved on the leather. This indicates the style of the bag. Another telltale sign that your bag is authentic, is that it should bear the accent on the letter E. So if you count the Es on "Modele Depose", you should find 3 accents (The last E on the word "Modele" does not have an accent).
Recently, the phrase was engraved in between the stitches of the back flap. Before, it was placed right below the LONGCHAMP word. This is a new characteristic of today's Le Pliages.
Bear in mind that the phrases embossed on the middle part of the stitches may vary, depending on what country a Le Pliage is from. It may say "Modele Depose", "Modele Depose "Shopping"", or "Shopping Type _". Also, the indicated style should agree with the actual style. This applies to all Le Pliages. This is a helpful one taken from ebay:
Sac a dos - backpack
Type L - large tote, short handles
Type M - medium-large tote, short handles
Type S - small tote
"shopping" - large tote, long handles; medium tote long handles
cabas - rectangular, no zipper
The handle bases should bear cream- colored stitches that look almost rope- ish. And the stitch markings of the handles are visible on the interior part of the bag. Authentic Le Pliages have "V" shaped stitch markings. The fake ones have bigger and "U" shaped stitch markings.
Lastly, the inner pocket should be sewn right below the zipper lining. Fake Le Pliage inner pockets are sewn half an inch below the zipper lining. The stitches on the tips of the pocket are also joined with the running stitches of the zipper lining for it to become sturdier.
Here are some of my Le Pliages. The Navy, Steel (Limited Edition), and Old Rose LPs are Made in France, while the Black, and Thistle LPs are Made in China.
For better comparison, I shall purchase a fake Le Pliage. I will also compare the Le Pliage deemed as fake by the person I recently encountered, with the fake LP and an LP from my personal collection.
I HOPE THIS ENTRY HELPED YOU IN AUTHENTICATING YOUR LONGCHAMP! :) FEEL FREE TO ADD ANY INFORMATION ON HOW TO AUTHENTICATE LONGCHAMP LE PLIAGES.
