Texas woman is master of identifying fake Chanel handbags, even as counterfeit purses grow more convincing, as she shares easiest ways of spotting a copy

A Texas woman who is a master of identifying fake Chanel handbags has revealed the easiest ways to spot a copy.

Zekrayat Husein, 43, has been dubbed the 'Coco Chanel of authentication' and evaluates hundreds of bags every week through her business, Zeko Authentication.

She estimates around a fifth of the products she appraises each day are fakes, but warned that counterfeits are becoming increasingly tricky to spot.

In recent years, Chanel has put the price of its classic medium flap bag up to $10,200, from about $5,800 in 2019 - so for many secondhand buyers, a consultation with Husein is a worthwhile investment.

'These women save for years for this bag,' she told the Wall Street Journal. 'It's not just a Chanel bag for her, it's the dream.'  

Zekrayat Husein, 43, has been dubbed the 'Coco Chanel of authentication' and has built a business analyzing hundreds of handbags every week

Deceptive: This is a knock-off Chanel caviar leather bag. One of the key signs for Husein is too much symmetry in the pebble pattern

Genuine: A Chanel 19 Small Goatskin bag listed for $4,700 on Husein's Instagram

Each authentic Chanel bag has a unique serial number sticker on the inside of the bag, usually on the interior lining, in a small pocket or on a small leather tab 

Husein's clients pay $50 for a photo authentication or $100 for an in person appraisal.

Here the mom-of-three shares her tips for spotting fakes, which have helped her authenticate more than 25,000 bags since she started her business in 2019.

Serial numbers

Each authentic Chanel bag has a unique serial number sticker on the inside of the bag, usually on the interior lining, in a small pocket or on a small leather tab. 

This matches with a corresponding authenticity card and can also be used to decipher a bag's age.

Husein warned that convincing fakes will often replicate a serial number, but she told revealed the number 10218184 is one to look out for as it is the most commonly used in knockoffs.

Another factor is a Chanel bag's hallmark or maker's mark which Husein compares to genuine bags for verification. Real Chanel hallmarks are three groves imprinted into the hardware.

Color

There are certain consistencies to look out for on a real Chanel bag's hardware and colorway, according to Husein,

The brand's MPY hardware, which stands for metal pale yellow, actually has a darker tone of yellow. 

Meanwhile, its metal shiny light gold (MSHLG) hardware is closer to champagne. 

Another way to spot a fake is on a Chanel bag's hallmark, which is three grooves as shown in the top image

Husein advised the brand's trademark metal hardware is often an indicator of whether a purse is genuine. Pictured: Two genuine Chanel 18S bags in emerald green

Husein uses her  knowledge of Chanel's design history to weed out the real  (pictured)  from the fake by matching the combination of colors on bags to the time period they were produced

Husein often looks for bags which have been refurbished with non-Chanel hardware or re-dyed or if genuine hardware has been repurposed onto a dupe.

She added that all Chanel classic medium flap bags in colors besides black are exclusively made in France and never in Italy.

Another dead giveaway can be the combination of colorways, Husein said with only certain combinations being used. 

She often uses her encyclopedic knowledge of Chanel's design history to weed out the real from the fake.

Material

Husein warned that sometimes fakers will use similarly high quality material such as lambskin in their fakes.

'They use the exact same leather as Chanel,' she said.

But by identifying the piece under a microscope, she is able to identify some slight differences.

She advises buyers to look out for leather that is 'too symmetrical', cautioning that the hatched pattern on one of Chanel's classic flap bags should not be identical.

'Each pebble is not supposed to be the same size,' Husein added.

Return Fraud 

Authenticators such as Husein are also on the lookout for return fraud with telltale signs including sellers listing multiple of the same product, or items with tags.

Real: A 22C Chanel bag which retails for between $5,000 and $6,000

Fake: This is a dupe as is evidenced by the difference in the size of the bag's tongue flap compared to the original above

Consignment giant Fashionphile recently suspected a Gucci reseller was engaging in return fraud and blocked her sales.

The seller had produced receipts from a store which she shared as proof of authenticity, but was building a case against her because she was  bait-and-switching the bags. 

 Other authenticators

The secondhand luxury market is booming and hit $49.3 billion last year, according to Bain & Co. 

'You need a certain eye,' said Michelle Peeters, a Brooklyn based authenticator.

'It's never one isolated thing that you are looking for, but a puzzle of pieces and how they all connect,' said Peeters. 'The depth of the engravings, the silhouette, the interiors, the heat stamp, the foiling technique.'

Peeters began authenticating bags after becoming a reseller in 2009. She charges $35 for certificates. 

What Chanel says

Chanel declined to comment on Husein or her business.

A spokesman told the WSJ the best way for customer's be to assured they have purchased a genuine piece is by going through the brand.

'Training and knowledge regarding authentication of genuine Chanel-branded goods could only reside within Chanel and only Chanel skilled staff can know what genuine Chanel is,' the spokesman said.

Husein advises buyers to look out for leather that is 'too symmetrical', cautioning that the hatched pattern on one of Chanel's classic flap bags should not be identical

Chanel said only its trained staff are qualified to assess the real from the fake as it encouraged shoppers to go direct to the brand

In recent years the brand has been winning litigation against consignment sites who have resold fraudulent bags

The luxury brand has recently begun filing lawsuits against secondhand resale sites.

In February, Chanel won a lawsuit against  New York boutique What Goes Around Comes Around and was awarded $4 million in damages related to counterfeiting.

 'Such infringements hurt consumers and harm the Chanel goodwill and brand,' said the Chanel spokeswoman in a statement. 

Meanwhile, a lawsuit against luxury-consignment reseller The RealReal in 2018 is still pending. 

'We take inauthenticity allegations seriously and are constantly refining our systems to ensure we are addressing customer feedback and continually improving,' a spokesperson for the RealReal told the WSJ,

The company also recently filed new lawsuits against resellers in Atlanta, and has also gone after sellers in New York and on the China-based site DHGate.