General information about Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton is now available exclusively and only directly in an official Louis Vuitton store or online at www.louisvuitton.com available. There are no Louis Vuitton outlets in the world! Since the brand was founded, there has never been an item reduced or a sale or discount. On the contrary, annual price increases are part of everyday life. The only place where Louis Vuitton is still traded is like us: second-hand.
Our personal tip for you, besides all the features shown below, it's the overall impression that counts the most. Leave the fingers of bait-and-switch offers that a Louis Vuitton Bag for CHF 200.-, which was supposedly bought new for CHF 1`500.-. Louis Vuitton bags in a clean Condition do not have a great loss of value.

The classic Monogram Canvas Material
The Monogram Canvas is probably the world's most famous and often sought after Louis Vuitton pattern or material. This is vinyl impregnated cotton fabric and not leather, as is often assumed. The coating, which has been used for years, makes the material extremely durable, water repellent and not afraid of scratches compared to leather.

Original Monogram Canvas
The surface of Monogram Canvas is matte.
The structure of the Monogram Canvas surface runs horizontally.
The Monogram Canvas is applied in stripes and has the gradient from the bottom left to the top right.
The color of the Monogram Canvas varies depending on the model, age, intensity of use.
The Monogram Canvas becomes soft and malleable with time or use.
The Louis Vuitton initials "LV" are always shown in full, even near seams or on the edge. This is the case with all Louis Vuitton materials that use the initials LV.
ATTENTION: An upside down monogram canvas is unavoidable on continuous canvas such as a Speedy or Keepall and is NOT an indication of a counterfeit.
 
Fake Monogram Canvas
Monogram Canvas has a highly glossy or almost reflective surface.
The overall texture of the Monogram Canvas is usually too coarse or too fine.
The Monogram Canvas often has irregular or broken edges printed.
The color of the Monogram Canvas is usually too strong or goes strongly into yellowish.
The Monogram Canvas is usually very stiff and firm even after intensive use.
Mostly the Louis Vuitton initials "LV" are cut off or not completely shown.

The edge seals or leather parts
Original
The material is untreated cowhide, which is very light when new and darkens through use or even just daylight and develops a so-called "patina".
The edges of these untreated leather parts are sealed in a brown or reddish tone.
Fakes
The material is usually dyed leather or imitation leather - this often resembles plastic.
The sealing of the edges is often kept in red or orange or is missing completely.

The Louis Vuitton embossing/stamping
Original
The embossing/stamp should occur at least once. This is no matter if inside or outside. Besides "Made in France" there are also "Spain", "U.S.A" and "Italy". The Keepall waterproof was stamped with "Made in Germany".
The embossing is always placed in the center and easy to read.
Louis Vuitton can be seen on all fittings (metal) or engraved and easy to read - On vintage copies, the zippers are not provided with the classic engraving, but come from the zipper manufacturers YKK or Eclair, for example.
Most hardware is brass, which can turn greenish over time. This can be easily polished with a brass cleaner available from major retailers.
 
Fakes
The embossing/stamping is usually crooked, and the letters or spacing are uneven and difficult to read.
The paint often flakes off on the fittings, the stamping is not nicely engraved, hard to read and very angular.

Louis Vuitton stitching
Original
Louis Vuitton stitching is always straight and at a very even distance from the grain line below the seam. Both the outside and inside of the seam look identical on open bags like a Neverfull or Galliera without a clasp.
 
Counterfeits
The stitching is usually crooked and the grain line is often artificially printed in dark color. The individual stitches are often not of uniform length and have different spacing. Knots and crooked labels can also be seen.

Serial number
Beginning in the 1980s, Louis Vuitton began to include serial numbers in each Bag piece a serial number/data code (with some exceptions). This serial number/data code provides information about where and when the particular Bag was manufactured. Since 1990, this serial number/Datacode consists of two letters and a 4-digit number combination. This serial number/data code is usually in a somewhat hidden location and is sometimes almost too well hidden on certain models, such as luggage. This serial number/data code is either stamped directly into the material and color coded or noted on a leather label.
The serial number/data code must be decoded as follows:

Letters
Made in France: A1, A2, AN, AR, AO, AS, AC, BA, BJ, CA, CT, DU, FL, FR, LW, MB, MI, NO, ND, RA, RI, SD, SL, SN, SP, TH, VI, VR
Manufactured in the U.S.A.: FH, FF, OS, SD
Made in Spain: CA, LB, LM, LO
Made in Italy: SA, MA
Made in Germany: OL
Number combination
Older models:
Letters = place of manufacture
1st + 3rd digit = month
2nd + 4th digit = year
Newer models:
Letters = place of manufacture
1st + 3rd digit = calendar week
2nd + 4th digit = year

ATTENTION: The serial number or the Datacode is not to be confused with the model number or part number. Each bag model has a unique model number. This number usually starts with an "M" and consists of 5 digits. This model number is not printed on the Bag bag itself. It can only be found on the label or invoice from Louis Vuitton. If the model is available at Louis Vuitton joch, you can also find this model number at www.louisvuitton.de find.

These are abbreviations for the different sizes. The smallest version of each Bag is the Baby Bandoulière, which is called the BB, and the next largest model is the Petite Modèle, or PM. The Moyen Modèle, MM, is medium sized and the largest version is called GM, which is the abbreviation for Grand Modèle.

Yes, it is not leather. Many people think that the classic LV pattern is made of leather. Today, the Monogram Canvas is a vinyl-coated cotton fabric, which is much more abrasion and stain resistant than leather.

The Damier Plain Canvas is the oldest pattern at Louis Vuitton. It was designed in 1888. It was once inspired by a kitchen he owned.

Yes, Louis Vuitton has a wide selection of shoulder straps.