Spoting fake designer products part 1

Stitching work :This applies to all designer products; look at the stitching work, if the stitch work isn't even, this is an indicator that you might have a fake product. Tell-tale signs are that the stitching is missing or is already starting to come away before being worn. It just shows that too many corners have been cut and the purchase is certainly a fake.

Material : Most of the designer houses hardly ever use polyester in making men’s clothes and use mostly 100% cotton or silk. Pay very close attention to the material of the item, if you are buying online look in detail at large photographs of the product.

Logos : Each designer’s house has a distinct logo and most brand their products with their logos on the left breast side of most shirts and T-shirts. We will use the Giorgio Armani brand as an example in this section. There are lots of Armani fakes out there and we have created a guide to help buyers from getting duped.

Here is a breakdown of the various lines for Giorgio Armani:
A/X Armani Exchange
Armani Jeans
Mani (Discontinued sportswear line)
Mani (Discontinued line of suits, slacks, dress shirts)
Emporio Armani
Giorgio Armani Neve (discontinued, very rare)
Giorgio Armani Golf (discontinued, very rare)
Armani Collezioni
Giorgio Armani (Black Label)
Giorgio Armani Classico (Blue Label)
Armani Privé

A/X Armani Exchange is a line that was created by Armani, which competes against Gap/Old Navy, FCUK, RL Jeans, Guess, Benetton, Club Monaco, Sisley, Diesel, and DKNY Jeans and is marketed to urban youth. It is very reasonably priced. It is sold in A/X Armani Exchange stores.  A/X Armani Exchange is probably the most commonly listed line of fakes online. Most listings have those wild designs, which are not Armani styled. A/X Armani Exchange is known for having logos on the clothing, however, the sellers of the counterfeit A/X Armani Exchange take it too far with ridiculously large logoed items. Also, be careful of the wild Armani t-shirt designs listed. Many of those wild designs have the Armani eagle logo that is so large that it covers half the shirt. Always remember, that A/X Armani Exchange does not use the Armani eagle logo on its clothing. Real A/X Armani Exchange clothing uses logos that only say "Armani Exchange", "A/X" or a combination of both. There are some A/X shirts that have a photo of an eagle in a landing position, those shirts are real. The large number Eagle logo shirts listed on most online sites are fakes.

Armani Jeans is a jeans line that is usually sold in the Emporio Armani boutiques or the Giorgio Armani boutiques. Most of the items are manufactured in Italy. The label is blue with white lettering that says, "AJ/Armani Jeans." The manufacturer is usually Simin T S.p.A.

Mani (Suits, sport coats, slacks, dress shirts) was the entry level of Armani clothing. It is now discontinued. It was usually sold in upscale department stores such as Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Barney’s or Bloomingdale’s. The suits are usually made in Italy, but occasionally you will see some made in Spain or the US. Currently, many Mani suits are made in Mexico. A factory called Gruppo GFT was the manufacturer of older models through the mid-1990s. The Mani label has changed a few times over the years. The last line manufactured around 2004 had a black label that simply said,"Mani" in white letters. The older labels were a white label that says,"Mani," by Giorgio Armani Made in Italy.

Mani (Sportswear line) was a newer line for Armani and now discontinued. It was a dressy and casual lower priced line. It was found in Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s and Barney’s. Most of the items were manufactured in Hong Kong. The label is black that says, "Mani".

Emporio Armani is a line of dressy to casual fashion forward sportswear and suits aimed at younger buyers. It tends to be the trendiest of all of the Armani lines. It is usually sold in Emporio Armani boutiques. Simin T S.p.A., Sicem Industraile S.p.A. and Antinea SRL manufactures most of the items in Italy. Most of the fakes listed under this line are for t-shirts and polo-style shirts. While the Emporio Armani line does sell some t-shirts, most of them sold in Emporio Armani boutiques are actually from the Armani Jeans line. The label is white with black lettering that says, "Emporio Armani." In new suits, the hangtags will have an eagle symbol on it. However, fakes will put this tag on the other Armani lines. 

Giorgio Armani Neve is a rare (and discontinued) and seldom seen skiwear and ski casual wear started in 1995. The word neve means snow. This product is rarely seen on most online listings.

Giorgio Armani Golf is another rare (and now discontinued) but casual line designed for golfers.

Armani Collezioni is the most common line of clothing found online. It is usually found in the same previously mentioned department stores and some of the Giorgio Armani boutiques. The label has been changed in the last few years. It is a white square label that says,"Armani Collezioni, Made in Italy." The older labels are white rectangular labels that say, "Giorgio Armani Collezioni, Made in Italy" and a white rectangular label that says, "Giorgio Armani, Made in Italy." An Armani garment normally has a tab indicating the country of origin, which usually will be "Made in Italy". These days it can be Made in Hong Kong (on some shirts and sweaters). The country of origin tab is normally found under the size label or under the washing instruction label. Most fakes normally do not bother to include an extra tab stating the country of origin.Conf. di Matelica S.p.A. manufactures the suits, jackets and pants in Italy and with a rare exception Portugal, Turkey and Spain. Gruppo GFT manufactured them until the late 1990's in Italy. The suits rarely have polyester in them, not more than 5% will be in the fabric. Sometimes there may be some nylon in the suits to add strength to the fabric. Some fraudulent sellers list suits made in Hong Kong and refuse to show the label. If their listing does not show a label, a red flag should go up in your mind immediately. Some phony labels are black and will show an Eagle's emblem on the label and on the hangtags of a suit listed as new with tags. Most of these fake Armani suits actually have the phony label on the wrong side of the inside part of the jacket! The Armani label is always on the right side of the inside of the jacket. Look for the lining inside suit jackets and sport coats. The lining NEVER has Armani eagle logos or anything else on it. The linings are always clean rayon or silk with no pattern. The buttons on the suits and sport jackets never have a logo or the words "Armani" on them. Most of the dress shirts under this label are manufactured in Italy. But some of them are actually manufactured in Hong Kong. Most of the worst fake dress shirts have an eagle logo on the pocket. Most of the Armani Collezioni sweaters are manufactured by Industriale S.p.A. in Italy. Occasionally, some sweaters are manufactured in Hong Kong.Avoid the "RGA/Armani Reportage" suede and leather jackets and other clothing, they are not real and are of poor quality. Armani does not have such a line of clothing! You would be better off buying a leather jacket from a flea market/swap meet or from Wal-Mart. The sellers of "RGA/Armani Reportage" often list "genuine Armani" which should translate to "genuine imitation."Another common fake is the multi-colored polo-styled shirts, Armani polo-style shirts are always solid colored, made in Italy.Armani polo-style shirts are always solid colored, made in Italy.

Giorgio Armani is the couture line of Armani. It is found in the Giorgio Armani boutiques in New York, Beverly Hills, South Coast Plaza, Houston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Atlanta, San Francisco, Manhasset, Palm Beach and Boston. You can also find it in select Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barney’s and Bergdorf Goodman stores. It is known as Giorgio Armani Black Label. Even though you never see polyester in Armani Collezioni suits, it may be used sparingly (if rarely) in the Black Label suits (no more than 5%). A very easy way to tell an authentic Black Label suit is that the manufacturer of the suits and sport coat is Vestimenta S.p.A. You can see this tag inside the wallet/chest pockets in the suit, or the right inside lining of the suit or sport coat and in the inside band of the pants. Also, a black collar tag that says, "Made in Italy" in white letters is found at the top of the suit and sport coat linings. The current label is black, which the name Armani Black label comes from. The label has been changed a few times in the last few years. Currently, it is black label with white letters that says, "Giorgio Armani, Made in Italy (in very small letters)." Prior labels are black with white letters that says, "Giorgio Armani A Milano Borgonuovo 21" and one that is black with white letters that says, "Giorgio Armani Couture, Made in Italy.

"Giorgio Armani Classico is the absolute finest and made with the best fabrics. It is found in the same locations as Giorgio Armani. The clues listed for Giorgio Armani still apply. The difference is the label. The label is blue in color with a white lettering. The label says, "Giorgio Armani Classico, Made in Italy (in very small letters). The prior label was blue that says, "Giorgio Armani Classico, A Milano Borgonuovo 21.

Armani Privé is the newest line. It is Armani's haute couture line, meaning custom made. Only a select few designers use the term "haute couture" and there are certain standards set in the French fashion world to use it. Giorgio Armani is one of a hand full of Italian designers that was authorized to use it. The label is strictly made to wear and not available for purchase in stores and has to be ordered. You probably will not see this line online, if you do, watch out it could be a fake.

We hope this guide helps you to make informed buying decisions of men’s designer products and look out for the part 2 of this article.