Archive for February, 2005

February 4, 2005

Furla
Designer label Furla manucatures bags, small leather goods, watches, key-rings and beautiful accessories. Furla is also the name for a way of being and a life-style.

Furla has become internationally famous for its leather accessories, as they stock a classy selection of modern handbags and purses. No casual type of bag here; everything is sleek, beautifully made and immaculate. The merchandise gleams with perfection where the quality of the leather is the main feature of each item.

Feminine and functional is how women have been describing Furla designs for over 70 years. No wonder the third-generation Italian company is busily expanding its presence worldwide as it benefits from the current trend dictating a softer, feminine way of dressing.

Furla, the landmark Italian accessories company has been part of Bologna’s fashion history since the18th century. Already a strong presence with boutiques in Italy, Paris, Japan and NYC’s Madison Avenue, the family-owned company recently opened a second boutique down in trendy SoHo where it hopes to attract a new younger generation of customers.

Every Furla collection is the result of research and interpretation,which takes account of the past and observes the present, with the future in mind, because Furla believe that the true virtue of elegance lies not in its power to amaze, but to interpret what is new and translate it into a style.
source: www.indelibles.com

February 2, 2005

Gucci
Like many other high-fashion companies, Gucci began as a small, family-owned saddlery and leather goods store. Guccio Gucci was the son of an Italian merchant from the country’s northern manufacturing region. As a young man, he quickly built a reputation for quality, hiring the best craftsmen he could find to work in his atelier. In 1938, Gucci expanded and a boutique was opened in Rome. Guccio was responsible for designing many of the company’s most notable products. In 1947, Gucci introduced the bamboo handle handbag, which is still a company mainstay. During the 1950s, Gucci also developed the trademark striped webbing, which was derived from the saddle girth, and the suede moccasin with a metal bit.

Guccio and his wife Aida Calvelli had a large family, six children in all, though only his sons-Vasco, Aldo, Ugo, and Rodolfo-would play a role in leading the company. After Guccio’s death in 1953, Aldo helped lead the company to a position of international prominence, opening the company’s first boutiques in London, Paris and New York. Even in Gucci’s fledgling years, the family was notorious for its ferocious infighting. Disputes regarding inheritances, stock holdings, and day-to-day operations of the stores often divided the family and led to alliances. As Gucci expanded overseas, board meetings about the company’s future often ended with tempers flaring and luggage and purses flying. Gucci targeted the Far East for further expansion in the late 1960s, opening stores in Hong Kong and Tokyo. At that time, the company also developed its famous GG logo (Guccio Gucci’s initials), the Flora silk scarf (worn prominently by Hollywood actress Grace Kelly), and the Jackie O shoulder bag, made famous by Jackie Kennedy, the wife of U.S. President John F. Kennedy.

Gucci remained one of the premier luxury goods establishments in the world until the late 1970s, when a series of disastrous business decisions and family quarrels brought the company to the verge of bankruptcy. At the time, brothers Aldo and Rodolfo controlled equal 50% shares of the company, though Aldo felt that his brother contributed less to the company than he and his sons did. In 1979, Aldo developed the Gucci Accessories Collection, or GAC, intended to bolster the sales for the Gucci Parfums sector, which his sons controlled. GAC consisted of small accessories, such as cosmetic bags, lighters, and pens, which were priced at considerably lower points than the other items in the company’s accessories catalogue. Aldo relegated control of Parfums to his son Roberto in an effort to weaken Rodolfo’s control of the overall operations of the company.

Though the Gucci Accessories Collection was well received, it proved to be the destabilizing force that brought the Gucci dynasty crashing down. Within a few years, the Parfums division began outselling the Accessories division. The newly-founded wholesaling business had brought the once-exclusive brand to over a thousand stores in the United States alone with the GAC line, deteriorating the brand’s standing with fashionable customers. “In the 1960s and 1970s,” writes Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, “Gucci had been at the pinnacle of chic, thanks to icons such as Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and Jacqueline Onassis. But by the 1980s, Gucci had lost its appeal, becoming a tacky airport brand.”

It didn’t take long before counterfeiters ravaged the company’s pomp by flooding the market with cheap knockoffs, further tarnishing the Gucci name. Meanwhile, infighting was taking its toll on the operations of the company back in Italy: Rodolfo and Aldo squabbled over the Parfums division, of which Rodolfo controlled a meager 20% stake. By the mid-1980s, when Aldo was convicted of tax evasion in the United States by the testimony of his own son, the outrageous headlines of gossip magazines generated as much publicity for Gucci as its designs.

Rodolfo’s death in 1983 caused a major shakeup in the company when he left his 50% stake in Gucci to his son, Maurizio Gucci. Maurizio allied with Aldo’s son Paolo to gain control of the Board of Directors and established the Gucci Licensing division in the Netherlands for tax purposes. “This action would later have a drastic impact on the outcome of the company’s dispute with the world’s largest luxury goods company, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton.) Following the decision, the rest of the family left the company and, for the first time in years, one man was at the helm of Gucci. Maurizio sought to bury the fighting that had torn the company and his family apart and turned to talent outside of the company for Gucci’s future.
source: www.wikipedia.com

February 5th, 2005

Tips to determining authenticity for a Signature Coach Bag
If you are considering on purchasing a handbag from a questionable source, then go to the coach website or even go into a reputable store that carries Coach products.

The simplest way in determining authenticity would be examining the layout of the signature C’s. The C’s should be lined up perfectly to the center. However, it is not uncommon for the mini-signature C collections to be off by tiny bit only on the sides. So don’t panic.




The signature style for Coach will always be the two C’s next to each other in doubles, not as the picture shows below, in a single row of C’s


If the overall figure of the bag appears to not resemble one that coach would produce, then chances are it’s a replica.

You can tell by not only the style of the bag, but also the pattern. If the pattern is not the famous Coach signature C, but rather a different letter, such as an O or a G then it’s an obvious fake.

Dust bags should be dark chocolate brown with a red drawstring. In the bottom right the words in all caps “COACH EST.1941″ written in white. Coach does not use cheap material to make these. There are many replica dust bags floating around on the Internet. So if you see one stay away, chances are that bag is fake.



Up until 2002 about 75% of coach handbags were manufactured in the US. Now, most are assembled in China.

The interior serial number should start with “No”, the abbreviation for number, and have 4 numbers after the dash, not 3.

The writing should be neat on the authenticity tag, not crookedly stamped on. Also the paragraph above the serial number should be in all caps, and in English.





Make sure that the authenticity number matches up with the style of the bag that you are interested in purchasing. If you are about to purchase from an unauthorized dealer, call Coach, their representatives will be more then willing to verify if the authenticity number matches the style.

There also needs to be a serial number.

Coach commonly uses logo tags that are attached by a beaded chain. Usually, the tag should match the trim of the bag. The words “COACH” should be raised, not imprinted.

Some styles to have metal tags. Do your research to make sure that the tag goes with the bag you are getting. It is not uncommon for counterfeiters to mass-produce these metal tags; it’s the cheaper more profitable way. Tags are never made out of hard plastic.

Other minor flaws
Coach uses ykk zippers. Be sure to check if the markings are on the zippers.

The seams of the bag and interior authenticity tag should not be glued on but rather neatly stitched on. Coach takes pride in experienced craftsmanship on each and every piece. If the stitching is of poor quality, by being raised in some areas, or if you see the string knot then it is a replica.

The bag should look neat and sturdy, not slouching to one side or lopsided. This is caused by either uneven lousy stitching or not quality material that’s to thin. Coach uses leather or suede trim, not pleather or shiny plastic.

It’s easier to tell the difference between leather and plastic in person. You can usually tell by the smell, however, there are handbags out there that are made of plastic and sprayed with leather perfume, which smells more like a new car than a purse. If you are looking at a picture, you can generally tell if it looks too shiny or cheap looking.

Main point
Coach in my opinion degrades their image by having discount stores. However, this could be a reason why there are less fakes online. More people are going to the outlet stores or purchasing them on sale, only to turn around and resell.

I also must applaud the US government for a attempting to end the importation of counterfeit items coming into the US. It is a big goal to accomplish, considering the fact that the law making it illegal to sell counterfeit items was recently passed in the mid 1990′s. The government at this time does what it can to catch these criminals. However, lets just say I won’t be too impressed until it’s illegal for vendors to sell them on the streets! It’s not only the governments lack to enforce which keeps this multi-million dollar industry in business, but you as a consumer must not purchase these items. Most people do not know the trail of money when purchasing a counterfeit item.

You ask your self how they could get away with this? They import them without the fake designer labels. Then upon purchase by an unsuspecting person, the vendor will glue on a cheap label.

There is such thing as a good deal. However, if someone claims to have a handbag for sale that isn’t even in stores yet, you should pass. If purchasing from an unauthorized dealer or from an auction site, the only understandable good deal would be if it were a bag from a past season.

If you’re unsure if you are purchasing from an authorized Coach dealer, then contact Coach. Just call their 800 number and they should tell you if you are dealing with a certified seller. Read into the website by checking the “about us” or “customer service” section. If anywhere on there sounds suspicious then stay away. Con artists try to hide the fact that they are selling fakes. Commonly when describing their products, they would state they are “designer inspired”, or “grade A replica’s”. They put these words in there to protect themselves from any lawsuits.

How do I report counterfeit Coach merchandise?
Combating counterfeiting of Coach product is an important objective for Coach. Please e-mail your information to lawdepartment@coach.com or use the Coach anti-counterfeiting hotline to report counterfeiters and unauthorized distributors of Coach merchandise at 1-800-396-1807.

Get the real deal! Places that sell authentic Coach handbags: Nordstrom and for a steal on eBay.