The Fabric

The fabric used to manufacture top-of-the-line brand name handbags is noticeably different than the material used for fakes. If there is wrong stitching or if the material is flawed in even the slightest manner, chances are it is not a name brand purse. High-fashion handbags will always have real materials, they will not use fake leather or fake animal skin and you will get the real deal 100 percent of the time.

Small Detailing

The great thing about authentic handbags is that they are unique and hours upon hours go into making each one exactly right. Designer handbags will often have extra stitching and detailing such as little diamonds, buckles or zippers which make them truly unique to any other designer. As noted above, the diamonds on name brand handbags will also be real 100 percent of the time.

Study the Celebrities

The best way to determine whether or not a handbag is a fake is by studying the real ones and the best way to do that is through celebrities. Celebrities will always have real name brand designer handbags. Most people recognize the design of Burberry purses because of Kate Moss and the hype she has created for the company. When you constantly see celebrities sporting specific types of handbags you will be more inclined in noticing the difference between real and fake ones.

Brand Name Labels

Many brand name handbag designers will put a custom label or logo on their items which indicate that they are authentic. The names sometimes appear on zippers or pockets and some companies like to put it in the same spot on every handbag to ensure their customers know it’s real.

It is important to know that you are getting what you pay for when it comes to designer handbags. If you’re instincts are telling you that the purse is a fake, chances are you’re probably right and its best to leave the bag where it lies. With the amount of money you are spending on these items, you want to make sure the bag you’re buying is authentic and worth every penny you are spending.

UK study says fake brands popular with wealthy; Burberry fakes have top appeal for rich and low-income consumers
Counterfeit goods are popular with wealthy British consumers, according to research that debunks the popular belief that fakes are purchased by low-income shoppers.

Research published on Wednesday by Davenport Lyons, a law firm that represents many household name brands, has found that people who buy counterfeit clothes, watches, shoes or jewellery are often well-off spenders who are also more likely to purchase genuine brand-name luxury items.

Simon Tracey, head of intellectual property at Davenport Lyons, in remarks on the findings, said the research proved fakes were doing even more damage to luxury brands than most in the industry had realised. "The extent of the problem is far worse than anyone thought it was here."

The results are based on a project involving over 1,000 consumers by specialist luxury brand research firm Ledbury Research. It highlights purchasing drivers and attitudes of consumers to counterfeit and look-alike goods and assesses the real impact on brands such as Burberry.

Who is Buying Fakes?

Contrary to popular preconceptions, those who have bought fakes are actually more likely to be genuine luxury goods buyers, as well as higher spenders in some key categories.
The perception of a 'typical fake-buyer' is usually based around lower income consumers, perhaps younger, and single. The presumption is also that these individuals spend little
in all categories and, as a result, are of proportionately limited interest to luxury brand owners. However, these preconceptions, like many concerning counterfeiting, are inaccurate according to the report: in fact, there is very little to distinguish demographically between those that have bought a fake and those that have not.

The most popular fakes

The report found that Burberry - whose famous check was adopted for the baseball caps of so-called chavs - was the brand most often bought in counterfeit form. The next most popular fakes were rip-offs of Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Yves Saint Lauren products. Walpole, the trade body for the British luxury industry, whose members were presented with the research findings, welcomed the report and said it offered valuable insight for the industry.