How To Detect Fake Ralph Lauren Polo Sneakers And Shoes

Counterfeit products are an issue across various brands, and Ralph Lauren sneakers are no exception. Identifying fake Ralph Lauren sneakers involves a combination of visual inspections and comparisons to authentic products. Here are some key points to consider when trying to determine if a pair of Ralph Lauren sneakers is genuine:

  1. Examine the Logo: Authentic Ralph Lauren products often feature a polo player riding a horse logo. On counterfeit items, the mallet held by the rider tends to be more circular than rectangular, the horse’s tail may be difficult to see, and the horse’s right back leg might appear bent.【1
  2. Molded Branding: Authentic Polo Ralph Lauren shoes usually have “Polo” molded onto the lower heel, surrounded by a rectangular shaped outline. Additionally, the inside sole of the shoe, particularly in the heel area, should display the “Ralph Lauren” logo. Significant deviations from these specifics are red flags for counterfeit products.【2
  3. SKU Number Consistency: All authentic sneakers come with an SKU number, which can be found on labels inside the shoes. This number should match the one on the box of the shoes. If there is a discrepancy between these numbers, it’s a strong indication that the sneakers might be fake.【3
  4. Stitching Quality: The stitching on authentic sneakers is usually precise and even. Counterfeit sneakers, on the other hand, often have less accurate and uneven stitching. This is because counterfeit manufacturers may cut corners to save costs, impacting the quality of stitching.【4

By paying attention to these details, you can increase your chances of distinguishing authentic Ralph Lauren sneakers from counterfeit ones. It’s important to buy from reputable sources and to be cautious of deals that seem too good to be true, as they often are indicators of counterfeit products.

Deciphering The Information on a Genuine Lacoste Price Tag

If you buy a legitimate Lacoste original polo shirt, it’s price tag should have a model number or code that is made up of four different parts.

For men’s shirts, the model number should begin with a code representing the design. For the original, cotton polo shirt, that design code should be one of the following:

  • L1212 – short sleeve pique
  • L1312 – long sleeve pique

For women’s original, cotton pol shirts, the model number should begin with one of these design codes:

  • PF168 or PF168E – short sleeve stretch pique
  • PF368E – classic long sleeve pique

For Lacoste items other than the original polo shirts, there are multiple other design codes, but they are all generally being with one or two letter combined with a number.

The next part of the model number  is a two digit number representing where the shirt is manufactured. In the US, it is almost always 51, meaning the shirt was made in Peru.  There are different numbers for India and Europe.

The third part of the model number is a three digit or three letter code representing the color. Some examples of colors are:

001 – white
031 – black
166 – navy
107 – yellow
240 – red
132 – green
476 – bordeaux
TO3 – flamingo
NSX – lawn green
TO1 – till blue
8LX – pearl
NXU – coastal blue
CBK – aegean blue

It’s important to realize, though, that there are numerous color and color combination codes, so this list is far from complete. For example, the DWW color code shown in the label above stands for black/white, white and graphite pattern on a color-block polo.

Lastly, there is a two digit code representing the size, as follows:

T3 – XS
T4 – S
T5 – M
T6 – L
T7 – XL
T8 – XXL

Thus, for example, a Men’s short sleeve, pique yellow, made in Peru, size small polo shirt label should read: L1212 51 107 T4

Some examples of tags are shown below.

Lacoste Tag

Editors Note

I’ve updated this article for 2021, since it is so popular. For detailed information on how to detect counterfeit Lacoste, see my posts on detecting fake Lacoste polo shirts, detecting fake Lacoste bags, and detecting fake Lacoste sneakers. I also have a page with more general tips on detecting Lacoste knock-offs.

How To Identify Fake Lacoste Sneakers in 2024

Lacoste Carnaby Evo Shoe

Updated: March 15, 2024

I’ve been getting a lot of inquiries recently about how to tell whether the Lacoste sneakers you’ve bought are fake, so I’ve decided to put together this post on how to identify counterfeit Lacoste shoes. It’s important to be careful, because high-quality Chinese counterfeits are readily available, as you can see from this article. So, here’s how to ensure that you are getting genuine Lacoste sneakers.

Where Did You Buy The Shoes?

Start with where you are buying the sneakers. If you bought the shoes from a street seller or on Alibaba, you can be almost certain that they are fake. Lacoste shoes are only sold at Lacoste’s own stores or at certified retailers. You can determine if a store is an approved seller by checking it out on Lacoste’s website. Buying from an authorized retailer, is the number one way to ensure you have Genuine Lacoste footwear.

Check The Logos

Most fakes have cheaply made crocodile logos with badly defined body parts. The crocodile should be a deep, dark green with obvious individual teeth and claws. The top jaw is smaller than bottom and is angled slightly upwards. The tail will be rounded and be pointing in the same direction as the jaw rather than at the crocodile. You can see an example of a genuine logo below.

Genuine Lacoste Sneaker Logo

Unfortunately, Lacoste has been confusing the issue recently by using multiple versions of the logo in different materials on shoes. This is particularly true of collaborations like the recent one with Concept.  So, if your item’s logo doesn’t look like the classic one pictured above, you should check it against some of the newer versions shown on my Lacoste Crocodile Logo page. While the colors differ, the quality of the logo and its coloring are still good indicators of the sneaker being genuine.

There are other logos and Lacoste branding that you should check also. Look at the Lacoste Logo from the back of a genuine sneaker shown below.

Lacoste Sneaker Logo

Notice the quality of the stitching on the logo. That’s brings me to the next thing you need to check.

Is The Quality Of The Construction And Materials High?

Lacoste shoes can be made of canvas, PVC or leather, but they all share one thing in common: their construction and materials are of high quality. A common fault of fake sneakers is inferior stitching. Genuine Lacoste sneakers have small, even, solid stitching as shown in the example below.

Genuine Lacoste Sneaker Stitching

Uneven stitching or loose threads is an indication of a counterfeit shoe. A good place to check the stitching is inside the shoe, since the manufacturers of fakes often skimp on the non-visible stitching. If you see uneven stitching around the inside of the shoe, or bunching of the lining, you can be pretty sure you have counterfeit sneakers.

What Does The Label Look Like?

A Genuine Lacoste shoe will have a label on the tongue like the one shown below:

Lacoste Shoe Label

The label should have both European and US sizes. It will also have a high quality, printed logo with sharp defined edges.

Packaging

Genuine Lacoste sneakers generally come in a heavy cardboard, green box stamped on top and side with a high-quality Lacoste Logo in white. See the image below for an example, and note the quality of the printing of both the Lacoste name and the crocodile.

Lacoste Shoe Box - Green

Every Lacoste shoe I have bought came in a green box. However, I’ve also seen boxes on the internet that are white, so you may get a box like the one below:

Lacoste Shoe Box - White

Inside the box, the shoes will be wrapped in high-quality, tissue paper with the Lacoste Crocodile Logo imprinted as shown below.

Lacoste Tissue Paper From Shoe Box

If you don’t get the Lacoste box, then the shoes are almost certainly fake. Be aware, though, that empty Lacoste boxes are readily available on Ebay, Alibaba and other sites, so this is not a definitive sign of quality. However, the vast majority of the boxes sold don’t include the tissue paper.

Other Resources

If you are interested in authenticating other Lacoste fashion items, check out my article on detecting fake Lacoste bags or my article on detecting fake Lacoste polo shirts. I’ve also written a detailed article on detecting counterfeit Lacoste items if these instructions are not good enough.

How To Identify A Fake Lacoste Polo Shirt

There are a lot of fake Lacoste items for sale on the internet, so how do you ensure you are not buying a counterfeit Lacoste polo shirt? Your best method to ensure that you are really buying an original Lacoste polo shirt is to buy it from the Lacoste Store. However, if you are buying a  Lacoste polo shirt from someone else, you should look for a few obvious signs of fake merchandise. Here’s some quick methods to detect whether the Lacoste shirt you are about to buy is real or counterfeit:

1) Check the logo – Most fakes have cheaply made crocodile logos with badly defined body parts. The crocodile should be a deep, dark green with obvious individual teeth and claws. The top jaw is smaller than bottom and is angled slightly upwards. The tail will be rounded and be pointing in the same direction as the jaw rather than at the crocodile. The logo should be on a white background, and stitched on from inside the shirt. You should see no stitches on the front of the shirt.Lacoste Patch Comparison 

You should also see neat stitching inside the shirt outlining the crocodile. Messy stitching inside is a clear sign of a fake. On the original Lacoste polo shirts, the logo is held on with 1,400 stitches.

Unfortunately, Lacoste has been confusing the issue recently by using multiple versions of the logo in different materials, so if your item’s logo doesn’t look like the classic cloth one pictured above, you should check it against some of the newer versions shown on my Lacoste Crocodile Logo page. While the colors differ, the quality of the logo and its stitching are still good indicators.

2) Check the sizing – Lacoste uses numbers for sizing, not small, medium and large

Genuine Lacoste Label

3) Check the Logo Alignment –  The Lacoste Logo lines up with the second button of their polo shirts. It never lines up with the bottom of the placket.

Men's Pink Polo Shirt

4) Check the Fabric – Most fakes are made with much thinner cloth than genuine Lacoste shirts. If you put your hand inside the shirt, and you can see it through the cloth, then it’s almost certainly a fake. You can also check the weave to see if it matches Lacoste’s exclusive “petit pique” pattern

Petite Pique

5) Check the Buttons – Real Lacoste buttons are usually mother-of-pearl. The shape is flat and slightly saddle-like in the middle. There are 2 holes for needles (on the upper and lower parts). There is usually no writing on the button. A genuine button will have a clearly defined rim around it.

Lacoste Button

6) Check for Elevations – Men’s T-shirts have small side elevations.

7) Check the Label – On a new Lacoste shirt with an ironed on label, the Lacoste label  will look like the example shown below. Most fake Lacoste makers don’t do a thorough job on the label. In particular, the lettering and logo are usually have blurred edges.

8) Check the Tag – An authentic Lacoste shirt will come with tags like the ones below. Again, this an area in which most forgers don’t put in a lot of effort. If your item doesn’t come with tags like the ones below, then it’s not authentic.

Other Resources

If you are interested in authenticating a Lacoste bag, check out my article on detecting fake Lacoste bags. I’ve also written a detailed article on detecting counterfeit Lacoste items if these instructions are not good enough.

How To Detect A Fake Women’s Lacoste Bag in 2024

Updated March 15, 2024

There are a lot of fake Lacoste bags out there, so before you buy, here’s a simple step-by-step process for detecting whether the women’s Lacoste tote bag or purse you are buying is a genuine Lacoste or a cheap fake. For other tips on avoiding fake Lacoste products, see my page on detecting counterfeit Lacoste. For information on reporting fake Lacoste items, go to Lacoste’s brand protection page.

It’s important not to be fooled by superficial packaging features. Packaging is cheap, so the makers of fake Lacoste bags go to a lot of trouble to replicate Lacoste packaging while skimping on the more expensive manufacturing processes. For example, here’s a picture of a “replica” Lacoste bag currently for sale on the internet:

fake Lacoste tote bag

That packing and the labels look pretty authentic, don’t they? Therefore, you need to focus on other elements.

Where Did You Buy The Bag?

Start with where you are buying the bag. If you bought the bag from a street seller or from eBay, you can be almost certain that it’s a fake. Lacoste bags are only sold at Lacoste’s own stores or at certified retailers. You can determine if a store is an approved seller by checking it out on Lacoste’s website.

Street Vendor Bags

Is The Quality Of The Construction And Materials High?

Lacoste bags can be made of canvas, PVC or leather, but they all share one thing in common: their construction and materials are of high quality. A common fault of fake bags is inferior stitching. Genuine Lacoste bags have small, even, solid stitching. Uneven stitching or loose threads is an indication of a counterfeit bag. A good place to check the stitching is inside the bag, since the manufacturers of fakes often skimp on the non-visible stitching. If you see uneven stitching around the inside of the bag, or bunching of the lining around the rim, you can be pretty sure you have a counterfeit bag.

Genuine Lacoste bags will also have quality zippers, fastenings, and handle attachments that are neatly and securely sewn in. An example from a genuine Lacoste bag is shown below

Lacoste Bag Zipper

The zipper of a Genuine Lacoste bag will run right up to the edge of the bag opening. The zips of most replicas will stop short of the opening. The loop handle on a Lacoste tote bag is made with a garter material under the leather. This makes the strap less stiff and easy to bend. Most replicas will omit the garter center, so their handles are much stiffer and harder to bend.

Is The Lacoste Logo Correct?

All Lacoste bags have a genuine Lacoste logo that is either printed on the bag (canvas) or attached (leather and PVC). Genuine Lacoste logos are of high quality, with defined lines. Fakes also tend to have shapes that are not correct. An example of a genuine traditional logo on a leather bag is shown below

traditional Lacoste logo

Lacoste bags can also have monochrome logos. An example of a monochrome logo on a canvas bag is shown below

Gold Lacoste logo

Sometimes, as shown below, the monochrome logo matches the bag’s material.

Red Lacoste Logo

For other examples of legitimate Lacoste logos, see my page on the Lacoste Crocodile Logo.

Some bags have embossed logos. In general, a genuine embossed Lacoste log will be distinct, but shallowly embossed. See below for an example:

Genuine Lacoste embossed logo

Replica embossed logos tend to be deeper, as you can see below:

Fake embossed Lacoste logo

Check The Tag

An authentic Lacoste bag will come with a tag listing details about the bag including the materials, model and size.

Does The Bag Reflect Lacoste’s Design Sensibility?

If you browse through the Lacoste website, you will soon become familiar with Lacoste’s design sensibility. Lacoste tote bags are all narrower at the bottom than the top, and have large U shaped straps. The logo on the bags is usually at the top and centered. The leather bags don’t come in outrageous colors, and the purses also have very traditional designs. After you have looked at a few examples, you will have a good idea of whether Laooste would have designed the bag you are looking at buying. Here’s an example of a Genuine Lacoste bag:

Genuine Lacoste Tote Bag

I hope these tips are helpful, and that they will prevent you spending your hard-earned dollars on phony merchandise. Remember, the counterfeiters work hard to fool you, so don’t be taken in by superficial packaging touches, such as the ones shown on the fake bag pictured below:

Replica Lacoste Tote Bag

General Tips on Identifying Counterfeit Designer Bags

In addition to these specific indicators relevant to Lacoste, here are some more general tips on identifying counterfeit designer bags:

  1. Authenticity Cards or Certificates: Some designer bags come with authenticity cards or certificates, which contain unique codes or holograms to authenticate the bag’s origin​​.
  2. Branding Details: It’s important to check the logos, fonts, and engravings for consistency and accuracy. Misalignments or misspellings can indicate a counterfeit​​.
  3. Hardware Quality: Genuine designer bags use high-quality hardware that should be branded, function smoothly, and be durable. Check for flaking, cracking, or peeling of the hardware​​.
  4. Stitching Quality: The stitching on authentic designer bags should be impeccable, with evenly spaced and aligned stitches. Any discrepancy in stitch count or color can be a red flag​​​​.
  5. Bag Size and Proportions: Verify the bag’s measurements against the official brand specifications to ensure it matches the correct size, shape, and proportions​​.
  6. Interior Layout: The interior of a genuine designer bag should be well-organized and consistent with the brand’s design. Any discrepancies in the interior layout or quality can indicate a fake​​.
  7. Serial Numbers: Designer bags often have unique serial numbers or codes. Research the brand’s serial number format and verify if the number on the bag aligns with the brand’s standards​​​​.
  8. Purchase Source: To avoid buying a fake, it’s recommended to buy directly from authorized retailers or brand boutiques. Be cautious of significantly lower prices and ensure secure payment methods are used​​.
  9. Hardware Consistency: Ensure that the hardware color matches the logo color on the inside of the handbag. For specific brands like Chanel, certain measurements and placements of logos and hardware are standard and can be verified for authenticity​

Other Resources