Louis Vuitton Alma BB Monogram Authentic vs Fake Guide 2024: How To Spot Fake from Real? (Sizes+7% Cashback)

Louis Vuitton Alma Bag History

The Alma was the second handbag by Louis Vuitton, after the Speedy. The Alma's ancestry can be traced to the end of the 19th century, with its most direct forebears taking the rather humble form of a linen bag and a night bag - two simple canvas pouches designed to keep trunk drawers tidy. 

 In 1934, Gaston-Louis Vuitton further refined this smart yet practical shape to create the more compact Squire bag. It was created as a special order for Coco Chanel. Coco gave permission to produce the bag for the public later on.  At first, the bag was called the "Squire bag". Afterwards, the name was changed to "Champs-Elysées", after the famous street in Paris. But only the third adopted name "Alma" was a success and has been used ever since. "Alma" is named after "Place de l'Alma", the tree lined square in Paris, where the Avenue Montaigne meets the Seine.

How To Spot Fake Louis Vuitton Alma BB Monogram?

1. Shape & General look of Alma Bag

• The Shape

Louis Vuitton is unique from other designer labels in that their handbags are extremely durable and will retain their shape and rigid posture even after decades. 

The handles should be sturdy and symmetrical and the bag shouldn't slouch. Pre-owned Louis Vuitton handbags should still retain the same qualities as they had when brand new, albeit they may have some patina depending on the age.

• The Front 

1) The authentic bag has a much lighter looking brown-black combo than it appears on the fake and it immediately gives it a cheap look 

2)The authentic bag has a grainier look than the replica has. Besides that,  the squares image look much bigger on the original and they take up more space too, which is not replicated very well on the bottom mode.

• The Bottom

As for leather part of the bottom, the authentic LV Alma bag has a darker leather than the fake one which undoubtedly is not the same material.

As for stitching  part: Very thick and high quality thread is used on the real bag and the stitches are super tight and it truly is going to last the lifetime of a bag, while the fake has a thin thread and these stitches do not look secure and solid at all.

2. The Material of Louis Vuitton Alma 

1) Alma comes in almost every material available by Louis Vuitton. From classic Monogram and Damier Ebene canvas to Epi leather, from Monogram Vernis to various limited editions. 

2) The most recognizable Louis Vuitton aesthetic, the LV monogram canvas, has been a classic for over 100 years. For a used bag, the canvas will become more soften slightly while a new bag is more stiff. If the material of Monogram Canvas feels like leather, it's a fake. Monogram canvas is supposed to feel rigid and durable, not supple.

3) You can find some basic rules that apply to most Louis Vuitton Monogram items: The 'V' of the LV logo should be slightly above the L without touching the of the letter 'L'.  An authentic Louis Vuitton product should have an even pattern that is well matched and proportionate! The symmetrical pattern (for example from left upper corner to right down corner) of an authentic Louis Vuitton Monogram pattern should be: a LV logo, a quatrefoil flower, a flower in a circle, again a quatrefoil flower and again a LV logo. This pattern should repeat until you reach a stitch on the opposite side.

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3. The Louis Vuitton Signature

The font of the fake Louis Vuitton signature has not been replicated  well at all. The authentic letters are very bold, and the fake letters cannot be said the same,  as the letters are thinner and smaller, and   it's super difficult to read as the letters have a washed-out look to it.

4. Louis Vuitton Alma BB Date Code / Serial Number

The date code is stamped on leather attached into the right-hand corner of the inner pocket.  Most date codes are a combination of letters and numbers. The letters indicated the country in which the item was made while the numbers indicate the month/year of the production date. Just because a LV bag has a date code, it does not necessarily mean it's real.

From the 1980's onwards there was date stamping. But at the beginning, the code was simply 3 digit codes that represent the year and month of manufacturer. From the 1990s this has now evolved using letters and numbers.

1) The format of the date codes

Prior to early 1980s：No date codes.

• Prior to early 1980s：No date codes.

• Early 1980s：Three or four numbers with the first two numbers representing the year and last number(s) representing the month.

• Early to late 1980s：Three or four numbers followed by two letters with the first two numbers representing the year, the next number(s) representing the month and the last two letters representing the country.

• 1990 to 2006：Two letters followed by four numbers with the first two letters representing the factory location, the first and third numbers representing the month and the second and fourth numbers representing the year.

• 2007 to now：Two letters followed by four numbers with the first two letters representing the factory location, the first and third numbers representing the week of the year, and the second and fourth numbers representing the year.

2) Louis Vuitton Factory Location Codes:

• France: A0, A1, A2, AA, AAS (Special Order), AH, AN, AR, AS, BA, BJ, BU, DR, DU, DR, DT, CO, CT, CX, ET, FL, LW, MB, MI, NO, RA, RE(also Italy), RI, SD (also USA), SF, SL, SN, SP, SR, TJ, TH, TR, TS, VI, VX.

• Germany: LP, OL. Italy BC, BO, CE, FO, MA, OB, PL, RC, RE, SA, TD.

• Spain: BC, CA, LO, LB, LM, LW, GI, UB.

• Switzerland: DI, FA (also Italy).

• USA: FC, FH, LA, OS, SD, FL.

• Italy: BO, CE, FA, FO, RE, MA, NQ, PL，PC.

For example, SD 2009 means Made in USA in the 20th week of 2009. 

5. The Keys and Clochette 

1) The key of original Alma LV Bag has a number stamped on it, so in case you lose it, they will replace it with another one with the same code you had. The keys and padlock comes with a dust bag.

2) Look at the writing on the clochette. In the original, one side is clear and has no writing in it, in the other side you can clearly see the initials and the country where it is made from. For example, in the real one it’s written only Louis Vuitton Paris, meanwhile in the fake one it’s written Louis Vuitton Paris Made in France. 

3) You can see the material is quite mismatched on the fake Alma bag, as the original one has more of a matte surface and the letters are engraved without coloring it. The material on the fake looks more leather-like and even though it might look good, it is not nearly the same. The font is different in this case too.

4) The clochette of the authentic has perfect stitches, regular, symmetric and they have 6-7 stitches. In the fake bag it’s obvious the cheap stitches. Stitches of leather tag  can be hardly seen on the authentic tag as the colors blend very well, but the fake bag failed to do so.

6. The Padlock

1) The original padlock has an actual shiny gold-like color and the letters are much smaller and take up less space than it appears on the fake.The fake one might not look that unappealing, it looks toy-like because of its artificial color.

2) You can see that the writting in the original is only Louis Vuitton Paris, meanwhile in the fake bag it is Louis Vuitton Paris made in France. Be carefull of the size, the shape, the color and the letters so that you can spot the differences.

7. The Inside of Bag

1) Look inside your bag, the difference of real and fake Alma bag can be found in the color. While the original material has a rosy-red color to it, the fake one is more on the pinky-red side. 

2) Inside the bag, there is a small pocket that is completely different from the fake. In the original bag, there is no stamp leather as it is in the fake one.

8. The Stitching Quality and Pattern

1) Another important characteristic of authentic Louis Vuitton handbags is the color of the stitching. For the Louis Vuitton Alma Vernis, you can see that the colour of the lining matches the outside of the bag. 

2) Louis Vuitton coats its threads in a special type of resin to add extra durability and weather-resistance; this resin also gives authentic LV stitching a distinct mustard-yellow color. The resin will also develop a patina with age, but this will only act to darken the hue. Counterfeits will frequently use brighter, synthetic yellow or orange thread for the stitching.

3) Authentic Louis Vuitton bags are hand-stitched. There should be a slight angle to each stitch-be wary of any bag that has perfectly straight stitches, as this is a sign it was machine-made and counterfeit.  The stitching of real Louis Vuitton Alma bag should be even and symmetrical, and that there is no fraying or otherwise any unsightliness. 

9. The Zipper

1) The zipper is a very important part of this bag. In the authentic bag the zipper is a quintessential component, looks solid, straight and it had a beautiful color of pure gold. They are supposed to be smooth to open and look solid.

2) The stitching is done very tightly on the authentic bag, but the fake model has pretty sloppy and uneven stitches, which gives it a cheap look.

3) The slider of the zipper is different from the fake one.Look at the letters LV, it's not the same trademark.

10. The Metal Carbines of LV Alma bag

1) The fake Louis Vuitton Alma bag's carbines that have the “LV” inscription appear to have the text looking thinner and poorly printed than the text on the legit bag. Not only that, but the fake bags' “LV” text is also less readable than the text on the authentic Louis Vuitton bag's carbines.

2) Besides, we can see the bottom side's in the fake vs real LV Alma image: the fake LV bag is shinier and it reflects more light than the authentic LV Alma bag.

11. The Handle Attachments Method

1) The little pentagon-shaped leather pieces are different sized on both pictures and the color is mismatched as the replica handle attachment has a washed-out look. Rivets on both models are completely different. While it looks luxurious on the first photo, It looks very cheap on the right. "LOUIS VUITTON" is also written mistakenly on the fake.

2) Handle attachments are supposed to last the life of the bag and feel solid. The authentic model's stitching is super tight with thick, high-quality threads that truly is going to last forever. The fake model's stitching is absolutely asymmetrical with thin thread that looks like it's going to come off any minute.

12. The Handle

1) The material on the original handle is much shinier than the fake one, and the color is completely different too as it is supposed to be darker on the fake. The size is mismatched too because fake has a thicker handle. 

2) Stitching is done very tightly and evenly on the authentic bag creating a perfect line on the edge, but the stitch on the edge connects to both sides of handles and it is not supposed to be so. Stitching is done very unevenly and asymmetrically on the fake model that it's hard to unsee after you notice.

13. The Strap of LV Alma bag

In the fake vs real Louis Vuitton Alma bag, the fake bag has its stitching too thin and long. On the other hand, the stitching found on the authentic bag’s strap has its stitching on the strap looking thicker and shorter than the one found on the fake bag.

14. Packaging Box and Dust Bag

The main difference that appears on the packaging bag is the font. Letters are much thicker and bolder on the authentic one, while they are super thin on the fake.

1) An authentic Louis Vuitton bag should never be wrapped with plastic around the handle. Designer bags with plastic bags with handles are usually fake.

2) The real Louis Vuitton handbags do have labels, but they are only placed in the inner bag or dust bag of the handbag and NEVER attached to the bag itself with plastic or pins.

3) The authentic Louis Vuitton bags never come with a plastic (yellow) authenticity card.

LV Alma sizes chart:

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