Hermès Authentication: How To Spot FAKE Bags (2025)

Written by
Ch David
Illustration of a brown Hermes Kelly bag

Last Updated on janvier 6, 2025 by Ch David

The popularity of the Birkin et Kelly bags has soared, leading to a surge in counterfeit versions.

That’s why we’ve put together this Hermès authentication tutorial.


How to Tell If a Hermès bag is REAL

The answer is: Check if the “HERMÈS PARIS MADE IN FRANCE” text uses the same font for every letter. Replicas never have the right font.

1. Engraving

Real vs Fake Hermes Birkin Bag inner print
  • Authentique : Thicker, same font-weight for all letters — with more distance in-between.
  • Faux : Thinner inscriptions, and the letters are too close to each other.

On a real bag, the letters should never be “glued” to each other.


Is it too hard? Reach out to our expert Hermès authenticators:

2. Date stamp

2.1. Appearance

how to spot fake hermes birkin bags
  • Authentique : Thinner text, as it doesn’t fit so deep in fabric.
  • Faux : Thicker inscriptions — too deep into the laether.

2.2. How to read

The illustration shows you how to read your Hermes bag’s date stamp

Illustration of all date stamps on Hermes products
Hermès Code Checker

Use the table above to see if your Hermes bag’s date code matches the authentic database.

Let’s now move on.

3. Handler

Real vs Fake Hermes Birkin Bag handle
  • Authentique : Every stitch is angled the same, at 18 degress.
  • Faux : Some stitches are straight, while others are angled.

For a Hermes bag to be authentic, every stitch on the handler must be at angled at 18 degrees.

No exception.

4. Buckle

4.1. Exterior

Real vs Fake Hermes Birkin Bag strap
  • Authentique :
    1. The edges of the metal are curvier.
    2. The “-HERMÈS-PARIS-” text is thinner.
  • Faux :
    1. The metal is too little curvy on its edges.
    2. Thicker inscriptions.

Let’s flip the buckle to the other side.

4.2. Interior

Authentic Vs Fake Hermes Kelly Strap
  • Authentique : Perfectly straight stitching — also thicker.
  • Faux : Stitching is crooked and thin.

Une mention rapide :

  • Les étapes que nous avons écrites jusqu'à présent sont les suivantes BEST les moyens d'authentifier cet article
  • Les étapes suivantes restent des méthodes fiables...
  • ... mais elles s'appliquent aux versions non supérieures des répliques disponibles pour cet article

En cas de doute, nous vous recommandons de revérifier les étapes expliquées ci-dessus.

5. Flap

Hermes Bag Flap
  • Authentique : Solid and thick stitches all over the flap.
  • Faux : Very thin stitching — not inspiring high quality.

6. Leather

Hermes Bag Leather
  • Authentique : Bigger patches of fabric.
  • Faux : Smaller spots of leather.

7. Lock

Authentic Vs Fake Hermes Kelly Lock
  • Authentique : Thinner engravings all over the padlock.
  • Faux : Very thick “HERMÈS” text logo and numbers.

8. Luggage tag

Real vs Fake Hermes Birkin Bag label
  • Authentique : Thinner threads.
  • Faux : Very thick stitching all over the label.

9. H Logo

Hermes Bag H Logo
  • Authentique : Smooth golden surface — doesn’t reflect lots of light.
  • Faux : Reflects too much light.

9. Dust bag

Hermes Dust Bag Real vs Fake Logo
  • Authentique : Smaller and thicker “H” logo.
  • Faux : The “H” is too thin and wide.

Shortlist: Quickly tell fake Hermès bags

  1. Engraving: Look for thin, closely spaced letters.
  2. Date Stamp: Check for thick text deeply imprinted.
  3. Handler Stitches: Look for inconsistent stitch angles, some straight.
  4. Buckle Exterior: Look for less curved edges and thicker text.
  5. Buckle Interior: Look for crooked, thin stitching.
  6. Flap: Look for thin, low-quality stitching.
  7. Leather: Look for smaller patches of fabric.
  8. Lock: Look for thick, heavy engravings.
  9. Luggage Tag: Look for thick stitching.
  10. H Logo: Look for a reflective gold surface.
  11. Dust Bag: Look for a thin, wide “H” logo.

Tick off each feature as you inspect your Hermes bag to determine its authenticity.

Expert Hermès Authentication

Vous avez besoin de notre avis sur l'authenticité de votre objet ? C'est un service que nous fournissons.

Obtenez un rapport détaillé sur les raisons pour lesquelles vous avez un vrai ou un faux article. En moins de 48 heures !

Vous pouvez également utiliser nos ressources gratuites : guides écrits et tutoriels vidéo.

Merci d'avoir lu ce document,

Ch Daniel et Ch David

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About the Author

David est le cofondateur et le co-PDG de Legit Check By Ch. L'expérience de David : Plus de 5 ans de création de contenu éducatif dans l'industrie de la mode. Plus de 6 ans d'authentification d'articles de luxe. Actuellement, David est le rédacteur en chef de la bibliothèque LCBC, où plus de 1 000 000 de mots ont été publiés, dans des guides gratuits, pour plus de 1 000 articles.
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