How To Spot A Fake Lacoste Polo Shirt and Other Pirated Clothing
I went to gradate school in the run down city of Baltimore, Maryland. I used to joke with my friends that more people in Baltimore City owned and carried around designer Louis Vuitton handbags than in any other city in the world. When I went to school there it seemed like every corner near the city courthouse had a vendor hawking fake designer brand products like Prada, Coach, and even Polo Ralph Lauren. Most of the merchandise were no doubt fakes – cheaply made knock offs made in countries like China, a country known for its lax efforts in stopping piracy in the marketplace.
I want to focus my analysis on the Lacoste designer clothing brand line. Companies like Lacoste spend a great deal of investment on brand building and quality control. However, with the prevalence of overseas sweatshops and people buying Lacoste clothing online, fake knockoffs have been spreading through the internet marketplace like wildfire and many buyers are unwittingly ending up with fakes. While a genuine Lacoste polo shirt can cost an average of $60-75 per shirt, buyers of fakes are frequently getting ripped off for shoddy products worth substantially less. Whether it makes any sense to pay so much for a mere polo shirt is another matter. The fact is, buyers have to be able to ensure they are getting the high end quality product they are paying top dollar for.
Unlike authentic Lacoste clothing, fakes and knock offs simply don’t wear and feel like the real thing. Sometimes it’s easy to spot the fake, but sometimes the differences are much more subtle. It’s easy to know it’s a fake when you are only paying $10 for a supposedly genuine Lacoste shirt off a street vendor, but what about when you are buying online? Many of the tips and telltale signs provided below can also be used for other designer clothing brands as well.
Here Are Some Of The Things To Look Out For To Determine Whether A Lacoste Shirt Is A Genuine Or Fake
1) The Lacoste Crocodile Patch – Lacoste’s famous trademark symbol is its Lacoste crocodile logo patch. This is one of the easiest way to spot a fake. A genuine Lacoste crocodile should be very distinct and should show scales, claws, and teeth. Any variation from this detailed standard should be deemed a fake, as high end designer brands like Lacoste spend a great deal of effort to ensure quality and uniformity. For the men’s polo shirts, the crocodile is embroidered on a patch then sewn onto the shirt, rather than printed directly on the shirt. In the women’s, it is printed onto the shirt. The Lacoste crocodile symbol should be attached seamlessly with no obvious white stitch marks attaching the patch to the shirt.
2) Crocodile Alignment – On men’s polos, the crocodile is on the left hand side, between the bottom stitching and the second button. In the image displayed, I want to draw your attention to the genuine blue Lacoste shirt on the right hand side labeled “Real” – notice how the crocodile logo is aligned directly between the lower button and the bottom stitching. This is an authentic shirt. Contrast that with the pirated yellow shirt on the left side labeled “Fake” where the logo is instead aligned with the bottom placket stitching. This is one of the easiest way to tell a fake from a real one.
3) Pearl Buttons – Genuine Lacoste polo shirts have real pearl buttons, known as mother of pearl. Since the pearls are naturally found, no two patterns should be the same. Fakes usually have mass produced plastic buttons. The real Lacoste buttons should not have anything printed on them either. If they have the word “Lacoste” on the button, the shirt is a fake.
4) Unusually Low Cost – Lacoste is a high end, fairly expensive designer brand. As such, prices are usually high and for good reason since the products are usually of very high quality design and material. Prices are usually around $60-72 for a single polo shirt. If you discover prices that are extraordinarily different, you are most likely dealing with a fake. If you are only paying $10 for the shirt, your alarm and antennae should be going off.
5) Cloth Material - Genuine Lacoste clothing should be made of 100% soft cotton and neatly threaded. There should be little to no loose threading as is frequently found on shoddy and inferior knockoffs. The cuffs on the sleeves should not appear shredded and the stitching should not come loose only after a few washes.
6) Sizes - Lacoste clothing are sized using numbers, rather than the usual letters or words, e.g. sizes 3, 4 , 5. They do not come in sizes utilizing the words “small”, “medium”, or “large”.
7) Method of Sale and Purchase – Many eBay sellers will insist and claim that their Lacoste products are real and authentic, but 90% of them are either wrong or lying. Unfortunately, even by checking their feedbacks isn’t necessarily sufficient to protect you from fakes since many buyers themselves cannot readily distinguish the fakes from the real thing until it is too late. Lacoste does not have factory discount outlets, but sells its products through select distributors at premium prices. Be careful if you decide to buy through an online auction or through an amateur supplier based in Asia as many are the works of scam artists. I highly advise against buying from such shady sources and recommend sticking with more reputable and established shops.
Where To Buy Genuine Lacoste Polo, and Other Luxury Brand Clothing Products:
The best and most reliable source for genuine Lacoste products is from an actual Lacoste branded store or from a major department store retailer like Macy’s, Nordstrom’s, Bloomingdale’s, or Neiman Marcus. From any other place like eBay, Craigslist, or some street side China Town type vendor – you’re just asking for trouble so please be careful! Those type of deals will appear to be substantially cheaper, but remember, you get what you pay for.
December 18th, 2007 at 12:47 am
I had one of their shirts as a hand-me-down when I was a little girl. I remember being fascinated by the croc. No idea if it was fake or not–knowing the people I got it from it was probably real.
January 1st, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Is this a personal finance blog or a fashion blog? I recommend you just wear a $10 shirt from Target.
January 1st, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Norak,
Um… both?
Well as I mentioned in a prior post, I’m mostly a Marshalls, bargain hunting type of shopper, but sometimes I do like to wear nicer brands. But when I do, I want to make sure I’m getting the real deal. So many fakes nowadays..
January 19th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Raymond,
Tip #6 is not always correct. In the UK, most of the Lacoste retail stores and outlets sell their long sleeve cotton polos with letter sizes rather than number sizes.
January 28th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
very impressive, i’m intrigued with all your tricks, thanks for the tipz
Charlez
May 6th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Thanks for this tips, amazing!
May 10th, 2008 at 11:14 am
i cant belive da difference….and u kno watz funny lol i have a fake locoste shirt…i just checked da logo ….it made me fell stupid for shopping at da swapmeet…never doing it again..★
May 15th, 2008 at 3:06 am
Great guide on how to spot a Fake lacoste! It is so sad that so many people unknowingly purchase Fake Lacoste everyday on eBay, craigslist, flee markets, or even from kids from school….The sad thing is, its not just Lacoste, its everything and its everywhere!
The article sparked me to create a guide myself, check it out! Thanks
May 18th, 2008 at 1:01 am
Thanks for the article. I will certainly make use of it to a certain extent.
The reason why I say that is, If you mix in a couple fake ones with all ur reals none of ur friends would ever be able to tell.
June 1st, 2008 at 12:32 am
lacoste DOES have factory outlets – I know because I have shopped in 1 at the Tanger Outlet Mall in Riverhead, Long Island
http://www.tangeroutlet.com/brands/2151
the prices are maybe about 30% less – most items are past season & some irregulars
June 6th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
I want to sales the LaCoste t-shirts. I have about thirty of them in difference color and condition (good – like new) in size 7.
They are used and of cause real. I was thinking about selling it for $20.00 – $25.00 per shirt, but then I looked on eBay and ioffer, and their price are insanely low ($10.00 – $15.99) for the new one.
Any idea what should I do? What is a good price I should selling it for?
June 9th, 2008 at 5:31 am
Just a couple of quick notes to add.
I buy my lacoste polos from france from authentic outlets.
the buttons can have lacoste written on them
you can get three buttons
you can get just a single tag on inside collar
you can get lacoste written on the arm
the best way to tell a fake lacoste is by the feel of the polo
lacoste is very very light and if you hold to the light you can see
a lot of light through square stiching
fakes feel like normal polos and do not have the obvious square pattern.
June 11th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
Honestly, the best way is to shop online on their webstore, or to buy from macys. Actually, sometimes the stuff you buy from the street vendors are real, but rather “hot” or stolen merchandise, hence the dramatically lowered prices. But you only give information on how to spot the polos. Alot of other articles of clothing and accesories are often “knock-offs” and shouldn’t be trusted. As always, the best way to ensure getting a real Lacoste product, is to buy from an authorised dispenser. Thats why i’ve got my new Lacoste sunglasses from my mom, and i’m positive they’re the real deal, her optical is an authorised dealer. =D
June 17th, 2008 at 11:23 am
Just a quick question about #6,
If its got the number 36 or 38 for example, written on the tag, does it mean its fake?
Cheers.
June 17th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Lacoste polo shirts can have three buttons and may have Lacoste written on them. It is believed by many that lacoste polo shirts can only have two buttons, as I have said this is incorrect and they may have three. Also my lacoste polo shirt which was bought from a Lacoste shop in London only has a single tag at the top of the shirt, with the size, in numbers, printed in red at the top left of the corner. This shirt is obviously genuine becuase of the place of purchase, if this is the case with my shirt, it will also have shirts a like mine out there.
June 27th, 2008 at 11:45 am
@Mario:
Are you sure it’s buying the fake Lacoste polo that made you “fell” stupid?
Based on your post, it seems like your stupidity was a problem before buying the polo.
July 20th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Point 1 is only apply to Polo shirt but not other clothings like sweater, jackets. etc. I bought a genuine sweater from Lacoste shop in big shopping centre in Edinburgh. The logo is like the fake style that you mentioned before. It doesn’t mean my sweater is fake because of the place of purchase. The cost was £135. However, i agree with you that the polo shirts crocodile logo should be the first logo.
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:15 pm
I just came back from China and in one of the cities I visited(GUILIN) i got the best deal. 4 lacoste shirts for 150 yuan(Chinese dollar). I just needed to try every one of them as the size are a little funny. I wear a XL and I had to take the XXXL so they could fix me. other than that, i am very happy. I paid less than half of what I pay for a shirt at WALMART
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:04 pm
JustIntime,
I have several Lacoste and Ralph Lauren Polo shirts purchased overseas well. They were all obvious fakes and the threading started to unravel after a few cycles through the washing machine. If you don’t mind wearing fakes (I personally don’t mind) and don’t mind passing off knock offs as the real thing, then pirated shirts are the way to go. They are substantially cheaper than the real thing. However, the shoddy quality of fake shirts are obvious.
July 26th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
(Editor Warning: Extremely Strong Suspicions The Scam Looking Site Referenced In This Comment Is Selling Fake Products)
I have just purchased a white polo from (link), it is genuine, however, on the buttons as ‘del’ pointed out, they have 4 holes and lacoste written on them. I think this may be there new design? Reason being that it came from France, there headquaters, and not all shops are stocking them? maybe?
My shirt matches up with everything else, the badge sewn on and detailed, as I held it up to the light i saw the square threading thing (lol) and it is incredibaly light and soft.
Not a fake but lacoste is written on the buttons!!!
July 26th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Sam,
I looked at the site. I absolutely DO NOT recommend buying from the site whatsoever. I always advise people NEVER to buy premium designer clothing brands like Lacoste or Polo from random website links such as the one you provided. The site may appear to be otherwise legitimate, but if I had to guess, I would bet (with 99% confidence) that the products sold on the site are fake and not genuine articles. This is based on my own purchasing experience with other sites as well. As always, NEVER purchase Lacoste products from eBay or from any non-mainstream department store website. They are likely all fakes!
Based on your flowery, extremely praise-filled comments about the site, I am sorry to say that I suspect other ulterior motives on your part. If I’m wrong, please forgive me – however I have a very strong B.S. detector and it’s telling me you are trying to get people to fall for a site that is selling fake Lacoste Polo products.
July 29th, 2008 at 12:08 am
ebay has been advised the 1,000’s of lacostes sold thereon are counterfeit. they could care less.
curiously, lacoste will not answer the question if the lascostes sold on ebay are counterfeit. i get the feeling they’re playing both sides of the street.
there are several lacoste outlet stores across the u s.
real lacostes are cheaper in the us than in europe because the ones sold in the u s are made in peru; those in europe are made in france. and are heavier and softer.
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:15 am
Item #2 is not completely correct. I own two LaCoste polo purchased from Nordstrom and both have different alignment because they are different models. I would only buy at authorized store to be sure its originality.
August 22nd, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Like Del said, the only way to know if you have a real Lacoste shirt is the feeling.
Because in the Sport lining, polos can have three buttons with “L A C O S T E •” engraved on it, etc.
So if you bought your shirt in a Lacote Shop, no doubt, it’s a real one.
If you bought it in a Lacoste reseller, it is usually a real one.
But if you bought it somewhere else or from someone, watch out !!
The only way to know if it’s a genuine one, is the feeling.
A Lacoste shirt is very light, very soft. When you put perfume, you should feel it pass throught the fabrics…
… and on one of my own Lacoste shirts, the croc is at the same position as the crocodile on the “fake” yellow shirt…
maybe because I bought this one in a outlet store…
September 11th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
I bought a lacoste shirt at the Lacoste store in the mall. The buttons say Lacoste on them. Is it a fake?
September 12th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
If you bought it the Lacoste store, i doubt it’s a fake !!!
maybe it’s the Sport Collection or another type of polo… not the original one…
September 16th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
I bought two Lacoste shirts from the Lacoste store itself that go against some of these guidelines of fake lacoste shirts posted here. One guidline I must say is wrong is that the buttons don’t say “Lacoste” on real ones, I purchased a Long Sleeve button up dress shirt with buttons that did just that. Also, a striped rugby polo purchased the same day had 3 buttons & all have 4 holes not 2 on the buttons and were not the same mother of pearl type as the others.
October 30th, 2008 at 4:50 am
I got a polo from the lacoste store it was about 100 something dollars but the logo is bellow all buttons like the one on top of this page is is this a fake polo???
October 30th, 2008 at 4:54 am
oh yeah the Crocadile is the real logoits the same one above this page it is just were the logo is located on the polo.
October 30th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
it’s a real one if you bought it in the Lacoste Store !!
maybe it’s a sport collection polo…
November 23rd, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Not all lacoste has mother of pearl buttons. Those are vintage. Now they are plastic, even with Lacoste printed buttons
November 26th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Hey guys i bought a known fake lacoste polo shirt however i googled this to check exactly how fake it was to my surprise my shirt meets all the same descriptions of the real 1. The positioning of the logo, the quality of the logo even down to the mother of pearl buttons not being the same as each other could it be ive had a bargain or just a good copy?
November 27th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
The latest Lacoste knock-offs are difficult to ID as counterfeiters have become more sophisticated and “experts” in their craft. I would say that if you really wanna get an original then buy it in a Lacoste Store, anywhere else would be 99% fake!
November 28th, 2008 at 11:19 am
Another interesting feature of genuine Lacoste polos is the orientation of the button holes. The genuine ones have all button holes cut horizontally while the bogus ones usually only have the topmost hole in this manner; the other holes would be cut vertically.
December 9th, 2008 at 4:35 am
Im some how preplexed i bought at their lacoste online store and all the polos, lacoste sports were made in china and they had three buttons with lacoste lettering on it and their sizes seems so diffrent, cotton feels good though. Shoes were made in]thailand but they have good quality. iT WAS kind of dissapointing it should have at least made in france peru, so beware of online shopping
December 18th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
I bought a lacoste yesterday everythings seems ok except for the size of the croc its slightly bigger than the ones I bough in the UK(from a outlet). Is the croc size different in US and UK
January 2nd, 2009 at 2:20 am
Guys, it just depends on which specific style of Lacoste polo shirt you bought and where it was actually made. Also, I was in South America in one of the countries where they make the polos hirts and you can actualy buy them at the factory for 3 to 4 dollars because Lacoste outsources the making of the shirts in factories thorughout the world. Sometimes those $20 shirts you buy are actually made for Lacoste just sold with a much smaller markup price than a Macys, Nordstrom or Lacoste store would sell.
January 2nd, 2009 at 5:29 am
Dan exactly which south American country are you talking about? Cause it sounds like your talking rubbish to me
January 2nd, 2009 at 7:01 pm
There are factories that produce Lacoste shirts in Peru and El Salvador that I know off. Heck, you can look at the tag on your shirt and it will tell you which country was the shirt made, J of course that is in the case you actually own one
January 4th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
I was in South America in one of the countries where they make the polos hirts and you can actualy buy them at the factory for 3 to 4 dollars because Lacoste outsources the making of the shirts in factories thorughout the world.
Thats what you said Dan. Which country was it then that you were in? Oh and I own 7 polos, and 2 knits smart ass. Bought from official Lacoste dealers. Go back and read number 7 Dan. Your talking rubbish
February 17th, 2009 at 8:07 am
hmmm very interesting && useful information
the croc is a given because you can tell right away
as for the placing on an original polo is new to me
i always just go by the tag, since i live in the us, i always look for designed in france made in peru
if i see “made in honduras” or something i immediately assume it’s a fake
but seeing as how i either go directly to the Lacoste store
or shop on their actual website, i don’t really worry about it being fake
although i did buy this one polo and the buttons were black which kind of got me thinking
but it feels just like the shirts i have bought at their store personally
so i guess i agree that they don’t always come in mother of pearl buttons
funny how i just went through all my lacoste items right now to spot all these defects hahha
now i think my favorite cardigan may be a fake lmao!
but it’s a winter item so i don’t think it’s fake at all
i just hope my lacoste watch aint fake though
March 11th, 2009 at 11:23 am
I am glad that I ran across this website. I recently purchased a Lacoste Polo from Ebay and the lady that sold it to me promised me that it was authentic and swore that she was from Peru where the shirts are made and swore that she had a connection with the manufacturer there and would get Lacoste Polos sent from Peru to the U.S. Well Lo and behold I have just tested that very shirt against the criteria in this posting and it is definitely a fake!! Thank you Raymond, you saved me several hundreds of dollars for I was prepared to fill my summer wardrobe with these replicas. Thanks for the community service that informs & empowers!!
March 12th, 2009 at 6:21 am
I purchased a lacoste short sleeve button front shirt from La Corte Ingles, a very reputable department store in Madrid in 2003, and the buttons on the shirt had “lacoste” etched on them, and were real mother of pearl.
It’s very possible that this style of button is only used on non-polo shirts or only in Europe, but such buttons do exist.
April 19th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
yeah! right. well all you guys are too rich for me. if you want to buy real lacoste then fine pay a fortune and waste a fortune, but fakes do good for me. 99% of people can’t tell the diffrence anyway, hence these help pages. thing is i’m not rich and if i can get away with wearing a fake and being the same as the rest of you i will buy fake. why should all you rich guys get good stuff when us normal guys who are struggling, get the rubbish. i like lacoste just as much as anyone else and will wear fake rather than none. besides the differences between real and fake are marginal. truth is most fakes are made buy the same guys who make the originals.
April 20th, 2009 at 9:58 am
This is a fantastic guide that is very conclusive. I am amazed though; I had one red Lacoste polo that I bought from eBay. I just bought another (light green one) from eBay from a different seller, and after comparing the two (before reading your guide) I swore that the light green one was a fake and the red one was real.
Material – Red: denser weave, has a smooth feel. Green: lighter weave, diamond-pattern and appears coarse.
Tags – Red: 2x, first tag reads “LACOSTE” but the font is small and not the typical font used by the brand. Says Designed in France. Made in France. Green: 2x, first tage reads “LACOSTE” in the proper font and in large print. Says Designed in France. Made in Peru. This threw me off as I thought it should be made in France but apparently this is not necessarily the case…
Buttons – Red: Buttons are red plastic. Four holes for stitching per button. Read “LACOSTE”. Green: MOP, two holes for stitching per button.
Button holes – Red: Lower hole is vertically stitched, upper on is on diagonal. Both holes are tightly stitched and don’t ‘distort’ easily. Green: Both holes horizontally stitched, the holes are easily opened and distorted out of shape.
Croc – Red: Less detail on feet (no claws), slightly rounder appearance. Croc appears to be embroidered into the shirt. It is placed in line with the lower stitching of the polo opening. Green: More detail on feet (claws), more jagged appearance. Croc is on a patch that is sewn onto the shirt but whose extremeties (particularly the tail) are lifting slightly away from the shirt. Placement is halfway between the bottom stitching and the lower button.
So after all that incredibly detailed examination? I couldn’t believe it that the red shirt is supposedly the fake. The red shirt feels better on me; the green shirt’s croc stitching can actually be felt on the skin of my bare chest and feels rough to be honest. The fact the croc also appeared to be ‘peeling away’ from the shirt didn’t give me the impression of quality, and the fact the red shirt’s buttons are more securely fastened with four stitch holes instead of the real one’s two, and the button holes themselves feel loose on the green shirt compared to tight button holes on the red is really confusing.
I totally agree with the authors rhetoric about questioning the value of a $50++ polo shirt in the first place, whilst you are entitled to the real thing when paying that kind of money. But when a supposed fake feels better than the real thing?? That is REALLY strange, and tends to convince me that I should stick to polos from Target or Country Road.
April 20th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
hi, i would like to know if there is a lacosto polo shirt Gold edition ? the alligator logo in gold instead of the green or silver one ! is it fake or what ? coz ive searched the internet nd i couldnt find it ! please help .
April 22nd, 2009 at 2:40 pm
I guess the article is trying to say ” BUY IN MACY”S ONLY ”
I travel a lot , shop and I love Lacoste . I have more than 100 . I bought them In Paris , Madrid , Los Angeles , Miami , (authorized Lacoste outlets) and 2 years ago I was in Peru , and I bought some in the same factory. I have Vintage , Sport Collection , Striped ..you name it
99 % of them have LACOSTE printed on the buttons , come on …
I have 2or 3 from Macy’s ,(gift from my mother ) and they have the Pearl buttons .
Pearl buttons are exclusive of Macy’s?? …don’t know , it seems like it .
Marketing trick ? I guess …
Of course , you have to look at the basic things ; the Knit, the tag , and the logo.
PS : Baltimore is the one of the most beautiful cities in the US, with the nicest people in the world , and I have never seen people selling fake Lacoste shirts there.
April 22nd, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Michael,
Are we talking about the same Baltimore City? The #2 or #3 murder capital in the United States? If you hang out near the harbor, you won’t find the sidewalk vendors…wander inland and you’ll see them. Not the prettiest of places…and pretty scary at night
April 22nd, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Hi Raymond :
Yes, as a matter of fact I spent a wonderful day around the Inner Harbor and I went to a ball game (Orioles) . I liked the stadium , it looks like historic , pretty cool. I liked the city
I am from South Florida , (Miami ) , according to the statistics is the “poorest city of the US” but in the other hand is the magic city , South Beach , Ocean Drive , hundred of outlets and beautiful malls , Ferraris and Lamborghinis racing … but I do not reccomend you to walk in Overtown or stop your car in the downtown area close to the I-95 . You will be lucky if you survive that experience.
Every city has its very “particular” issues like the LACOSTE shirts . Don’t you agree?
April 23rd, 2009 at 8:24 am
Michael,
Yes, every major city has its nice parts and its shadier sides. The school I attended was great, but the city left a lot to be desired. My car was broken into, my roommates’ cars got broken into, my friend across the street…her house was burglarized and robbed, my friends who were walking to class were robbed in broad day light, and the list goes on and on.
When I went to school in Baltimore, there were knock off vendors selling pirated goods at every corner to all of the government workers who came into the city to work but escaped back into the suburbs where they lived in the evening. Perhaps Baltimore City has cleaned up a bit over the years….but still rather ironic that the city’s official self proclaimed motto today is “Greatest City in America”….then again, it’s previous motto was…get this… “The City That Reads”
April 28th, 2009 at 11:38 am
Silvia:
De acuerdo yo tengo tambièn tengo camisas compradas en lacoste de Ecuador con el croc en plateado de muy buena
May 3rd, 2009 at 3:03 pm
I would highly advise against buying any type of premium designer brand clothings online or through the Internets. I would never buy Ralph Lauren Polo or Lacoste on eBay as I believe they are all fake! If it’s too good to be true it almost always is. The prices of expensive clothing that I like are always too low to be the real thing I have discovered. Same thing with other things like Coach handbags etc
May 10th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
The beautiful thing about all this is the incredible stupidity that we all display buy even caring if these items are real or fake. The reason I say this is that, it is all marketing at the end of the day.
I brought some Lacoste shirts off of ebay just recently for about $40 US. The seller swore they were authentic but for the fun of it I decided to check them up to see if they were real or fake just out of curiosity. The joke is everything you have listed here matches up with them and I have some other shirts i brought in New York at Macy’s and the shirts I got off ebay matched them up perfectly too.
But I know the ones I got off ebay are more than likely copies because the seller sent them to me from China lol. But they are exact copies so why do I care?
ALL of these brands make their stuff in third world countries for a fraction of the cost they charge us. Some will claim their stuff is made in Europe etc but that is all a lie. My wife works for a major brand that practices this (part of the reason why I spotted caring about this kind of thing). They make almost all of the item in China, bring it over to north America or where ever. Stick a tag on it plus some fancy packaging so that they can say it was made elsewhere.
We are all being scammed if not buy the ebay sellers buy the very brands we live and die by. Why not just support the little guys out there struggling to make a living? lol
I think it is time we all wake up. Nothing is real or fake anymore it is just a matter of a false status we all feel by buying and wearing this crap.
Before my wife got her job she swore by the brand she works for. Now that she is privy to all the inside info of all the crap they do ie child labor in south America etc she could careless.
Cool blog though!
Cheers
May 13th, 2009 at 11:42 am
just a little note to say bought a lcoste from a well known retailer and hey the buttons have lacoste written on them
May 15th, 2009 at 5:20 am
hi there,can anyone tell me if lacoste do long sleeved shirts without pockets?thank you
May 15th, 2009 at 5:22 am
follow up to my previous message,it has a blue crocodile on the shirt and no pocket i bought it from lacoste from sheffield uk
May 15th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
10 years from now will it really matter if you wore a real or fake? I could care less. I will wear a fake and put the change in my pocket. Who really gives a ____? It’s not the shirt, it’s the person in the shirt.
May 26th, 2009 at 4:10 am
does anyone know were i can find 100% aunthetic lacoste t-shirts in bulk lot wholesale
June 3rd, 2009 at 12:16 am
Well, anybody have the right to decide what to wear and not wear, if it is a fake one or a real one!!! Is that really make a different? Some people can afford to buy a lacoste polo shirt at 80$ other ones can’t, some people can pay 15,20 or 30 bucks for a fake one and they happy, so what!!!!!
June 10th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
I am from Baltimore, dont talk about my city, I own a clothing store in Florida, home of the flea markets with all the bootleg stuff. On every tag the is a RA number, if you dont see RA and some digits after that on the tag it”s not real
June 19th, 2009 at 11:55 pm
not actually accurate i bet you this guy is working for lacoste just hating on knock-offs. Who cares if its $10.00 lacoste or not as long as theyre close enough people will not look at you and investigate your shirt.
Everything is made in asia anyways and they all cost cheap from the factory same place wer lacoste gets them.
June 20th, 2009 at 12:05 am
Marcus,
I do not work for Lacoste or any other clothing apparel related company. I’m just a regular online consumer advocate who writes for his own blog.
I don’t have anything against knock offs or pirated shirts. In fact, I own several cheap imitations. However, what I don’t appreciate is those out there who attempt to sell fake polos or fake Lacoste clothing on eBay auctions or Craigslist while making them out to be real. Oftentimes, these sellers will sell the fakes at high price premiums, prices one would normally pay if they were the real deal. That’s the part that really grinds my gears.
June 30th, 2009 at 5:55 am
after reading all of these comments i am shocked as it is my birthday on friday and i have just got a lacoste top that i orderd of a website which tbh looked abit dodgy (www.bvbargain.co.uk) my polo has the pearl bottons logo in the correct place the tag says the size in a ”5” in red and also it says desighned in france and made in peru , but the logo is abit shorter than the real , could this be a real polo ?
July 13th, 2009 at 1:25 am
I hate to say it,
but does anyone realise that we are being frauded when we pay $100 for a POLO!?
I mean come on! There is no way that that polo cost more than $10 to produce and its being turned around and sold for 100+ thats rediculous!?
July 14th, 2009 at 9:58 am
there’s a store in UK, scotts, in which the logo aligns with bottom stitch!!
July 20th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Now they can copy it even better:) thanks.
August 2nd, 2009 at 6:15 am
Hey not all lacoste shirts have a pearl button many shirts displayed on their website have different colors. I just bought a few shirts from a street vendor but they were fake
I found that out through the LOGO thanks this article was really informative
August 5th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Hi! First of all, thanks for a great article! But I still have a few questions, and would be very glad if someone could help me out.
Today, I went to a store and bought a Lacoste Polo Shirt just like this one: http://www.hipleeds.com/?i=5963
I read somewhere that the lacoste logo on the tag was supposed to have two eyes, but on mine you can’t se the eyes. Does this make my shirt fake?
I also noticed that it’s not 100% cotton, but I see they sell the same shirt from a lacoste website (http://shopapparel.lacoste.com/p/Red-Collection-Short-Sleeve-Stretch-Polo-with-Contrast-Color-Trim/B001NDHI58) with 94% cotton and 6% elastane. So, does anyone know if it’s real or fake?
Thanks for reading!
August 7th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
Hi,
I dont think that the shirts selling at shopapparel.com(lacoste)is fake..
August 19th, 2009 at 7:28 am
There are several things to be noted, when buying Lacoste polo.
They have started to add new collections thus they do now produce 3-button, 2-button, with green logo, with silver logo, with 100% cotton or some elastine…
But what they do not change is what is written above (No 2) – Crocodile Logo is one of the most well-known logos in the world and Lacoste takes care of. Disregarding is it green, silver, bigger or smaller (like f/e on some new collections or oxford etc. shirts), attached higher or lower – it is very carefully done. You can easily see eye, teeth – all details. And color is vivid.
Also as it is mentioned by Del below – shirt is always very light and well-done. It “breathes” and you can see light thru if you look.
In fact there is no real reason buying fake product, when you can always find less expensive but genuine alternative.
Lacoste is a grate brand but not the only one. There are plenty of almost the same quality Italian or even Turkish textile fabrics, for a half or even less price.
August 19th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Thanks for answering Max! I took a closer look at the shirt after I red your response, and it seems real from what you told. The crocodile one the chest is very detailed, but the one on the tag (on the little note where you read the size of the shirt) didn’t have eyes. I could clairly see light trough the shirt when I held it up though, so I’m guessing it’s real
Do you have any examples of good Italian brands? I’m always open for suggestions!
Thanks again!
August 20th, 2009 at 5:17 am
to Bjorn
If It looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, than it’s probably a duck
I mean logo which is on the front. It is the easiest way to check if Lacoste is genuine. And Lacoste was in fact first who put logo on chest – that’s how they’ve changed standards in fact.
Label croco is different – one on chest has black eyes etc… and one on label is green and white.
As for about Italy – in department stores I was astonished to find enormous number of almost non-known local brands, with nice quality and medium prices.
I should say that I’m rather brand-sticker. 90% of all clothes I do have are from the same brands (4 in fact) including Lacoste… thus have not “tested” many other brands wearing, but have seen lots of other shirts in Italy looking nice “by-eye” and “by-touch” and “by-feeling”.
F/e internationally better known – Fabio di Nicola, maybe not the cheapest one but medium-priced. OVS (Oviesse), Bernardi…
Turkish group ABBATE also holds some medium-sized Italian manufactures.
German Rene Lezard, Mexx (Dutch) are good alternatives. Or cheaper Chinese Giordano, Turkish Collin’s still better I think than buying something fake.
Not to mention Groups like ZARA as everybody knows…
Also good idea to go for second and third branded lines – like Armani Exchange.
Going back to the topic – as general, there is no such thing like cheap Lacoste. Lacoste has done alot to be pointed as high-end fashion brand (in their segment of course). Like any other high-fashion brand it is member of French Fashion Federation, has well-known chief designer and takes part in Fashion weeks. They want to look “preppy”. They don’t want to be a mass-market product. They are sold only in boutiques or special corners with design, logo, trained personnel etc… etc…
And one more thing – Lacoste has a world-wide agreement with Devanlay Group – Lacoste clothing items producer. If Lacoste is not produced by Devanly – be sure, it’s not genuine (of course, I do not mean boots, belts, towels, various accessories etc. or old ones – 10 or more years old).
August 20th, 2009 at 6:16 am
Wow, I was about to buy 3 shirts from a dealer and thanks I found this blog. Based on the example of crocodile alignment you posted, there is no doubt that the shirts I am about to buy are 100% fake… Thanks for this post..
August 23rd, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Go to any department store and you will find variations in the patch placement depending on the color and size. (In fact, I just came back from Macey’s.) The buttons and material change too depending on the market/country. European outlets are much different than a US dept store.
It’s sad, but there is no sure way to buy an authentic product unless you buy it in a dept. store or brand store.
August 24th, 2009 at 8:06 am
You are pessimist, Ceschr
But those manufactures, who produce fake garments simply are not organized to pay attention to all details and to produce product which is really identical. And they do not aim to. They are focused on different market segments. F/e Lacoste Polo is “absorbing” it’s color thru the unique process which lasts at leas 13 hours (!). Who has time and patience to imitate that?
I have seen lots of faked polos, some really good, but none of them was done carefully enough. Thus it is STILL possible to find difference. But whilst buying you should concentrate on very small details and not generals.
As for original Lacoste outlets – they do not differ much. They do not differ at all. If we speak about the same model of course.
Sure, there are various models which differ – that’s why they are different models, right?
And collections are designed at Lacoste different way from if you compare with mass-market companies like Gap or Zarra. Lacoste has globals strategy today and tough control over design process. They quit with various partners (like Izod…) and today each type of product is produced only by sole company with global license. That was done to avoid varieties you speak about. F/e clothing is produced solely by Devanlay. For Paris, London or NYC. The same about belts, watches, fragrance, frames etc… etc… Sole global partner per division.
Simple and very efficient strategy.
September 3rd, 2009 at 1:40 am
My friend just bought polo shirts from shopapparel.lacoste.com I am surprised that he got them real cheap. when the items arrived, I was surprized to see that some are made in hongkong and others were made in tunisia. I cannot comment on the material as they seem ok..and the the packing also looks genuine. I know that all lacoste products would have made in france in their tags, except for the shoes…which i know are sometimes made in china…
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:10 am
Even many LV or Valentino is made in Turkey etc… Forget about France-made garments except really top-expensive things.
The same for Lacoste.
Devenlay has several fabrics outside Europe where they made Lacoste.
Lacoste shoes is produced by Pentland (UK company, famous also for dooing Speedo etc. other brands) but of course produced outside UK – Viet Nam f/e.
Parfume is done by P&G etc.. etc…
Forget about French-made garments for a price below something 500 EUR.
September 4th, 2009 at 6:44 am
“2) Crocodile Alignment – On men’s polos, the crocodile is on the left hand side, between the bottom stitching and the second button. In the image displayed, I want to draw your attention to the genuine blue Lacoste shirt on the right hand side labeled “Real” – notice how the crocodile logo is aligned directly between the lower button and the bottom stitching.”
This is not strictly true, I have a genuine sky blue lacoste polo (I know it’s real as I bought it from a lacoste shop in Florida for about $65) and the croc is aligned with the bottom stitching and not in between the lower button and the bottom stitching.
September 8th, 2009 at 10:19 am
hi, i’ve been buying lacoste clothing off ebay for the last 5 years. with the exception of 3 polo’s i’ve been very happy with the purchases. Brand new tops have to be treated as fakes until you’re happy with comparisons from the lascoste website. follow this and you won’t go far wrong. If buying seconhand on ebay, check the sellers other items and history. Your average seller won’t be able to get they’re hands on bnwt multiple polos.
November 24th, 2009 at 9:02 am
Hey guys
Try looking at Yo Yo silver .com the prices are very cheap (maybe to good to be true,i just bought 3 long sleeved t shirts from them,not sure if fake or not,if they are they damn good,MOP buttons,croc alignment spot on,very light,tags all correct with codes as expected,like i say maybe fake not sure ??
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Very informative.
However, if it say the number’s 1,3,5, etc i would be cautious. Lacoste label’s their sizes in numbers like 30, 32, 34, 36, etc. ( European sizes)
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:04 pm
OH! unless they’re guys.
Sorry, I’m a woman…
January 1st, 2010 at 8:51 pm
I just want you to know that in Massachusetts Lacoste does have an outlet store at the Wrentham Outlets. Normally to distinguish a black lacoste from fake or real the buttons are black but in some cases they can be white, but most the time they are or should be black.
January 4th, 2010 at 8:13 am
Good article. I live in the country that sells imitated polo shirts. I can tell that there’s a lot of grade for fake polo shirts. You can find $10-$30 fake lacoste. With higher dollars, the quality is closer to the authentic one. I have a fake lacoste made in Hong Kong and the croc logo is almost identical just a bit of difference. The fake lacoste photo in this article is just the low grade copy. I’d like to see the comparison between authentic and high grade imitated which I believe many Ebay sellers sell them. Should be more helpful.
January 12th, 2010 at 4:34 am
The Lacoste dress shirts, long sleeve, do not have two tags on the coller. The polo’s should, however, after checking the Lacoste website, there is only one tag on the Men’s Long sleeve dress shirts.
February 2nd, 2010 at 4:40 am
how about the lacoste made in france printed in peru? is that real or fake?