How to Check a Hermes Birkin

The Birkin bag was inspired by the need for a weekend bag large enough to hold an array of items.

Produced by the luxury goods manufacturer Hermes, the Birkin bag is named after the British actress Jane Birkin, who allegedly once complained to the then-C.E.O. of Hermes Jean Louis Dumas how difficult it was to find a good weekend bag. Struck by her plight, he promptly designed one for her. Below are some steps that you can take toward checking that a Birkin bag is genuine.

Instructions

1. Look at the overall shape. The genuine article has slightly concave sides, giving the bag a hint of a waist. Fakes seem saggy by comparison.

2. Follow the lines of stitching to inspect the edges. On genuine Birkins, these are rolled -- that is, they are rounded and slightly fatter than the surrounding leather. Fakes omit this detail entirely.

3. Examine the Hermes branding, which you will find printed inside and engraved on the clasps. The quality of the printing and engraving should be excellent, with no blotches or spottiness.

4. Inspect the bag's interior. This should be as crisp and well-finished as the exterior. If there is a drop in quality and detailing, then it is undoubtedly a fake.

Tips & Warnings

• All of these steps might be summarized as checking for quality. If the bag doesn't win you over with a wealth of fine detail, then it's definitely not the real thing.

• You're unlikely to impress your friends with a poorly made reproduction.

References

• Mail Online, May 20, 2009: Bag Lady -- Victoria Beckham's 100-strong Birkin bag collection
• BagBible: Hermes Birkin

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish