If you have an eye for fashion and want to purchase some designer sunglasses, you want to make sure you’re getting the real thing. Unfortunately, there are many counterfeits of designer brands out there. It’s essential to know the various tips and tricks of identifying a fake when shopping for authentic designer sunglasses online or in-store.
Tips for Shopping Designer Frames
Below are the four main tips that will help you shop for authentic designer sunglasses:
- If you want to thrift or shop secondhand, make sure you can physically inspect the product before buying or have the ability to return them for a refund. This will ensure that you won’t be accidentally purchasing a knock-off, and on the occasion that you do, you can get your money back.
- The easiest way to make sure you don’t buy knock-off designer sunglasses online is to simply purchase them directly from the designer website or reputable resellers.
- If the price sounds too good to be true, it’s likely because it is. Designer sunglasses are expensive for a reason, so it’s best to steer clear of cheaper versions unless they are for sale on the designer website.
- Lastly, it’s important to always double-check the manufacturer on the product you buy. If you can’t do this, there’s a high chance that it’s a knock-off. However, if the product offers a manufacturer, a simple way to check if it’s real is to visit the real designer website and look up the manufacturer information.
Five Signs of a Fake
If you’re wondering how to identify a knock-off pair of designer sunglasses, here are five signs of a fake:
- Packaging– Real designer sunglasses will always come in well constructed, high-quality, and well-marked packaging that will most likely include an authenticity label or bar code of some kind.
- Logo– The logo is the largest part of the brand, and real designer products will have the logo printed on the packaging and the product itself. Actual designer products have a stamp of the logo that’s always in the center.
- Model numbers– Model numbers will be consistent worldwide, whether you shop online or in-store. Fake products will most likely use dodgy numbers that you can’t verify. The easiest way to check this is to find the manufacturer, visit their website, and double-check.
- Lenses– Most designer sunglasses will have glass lenses that are of high quality. An easy way to check this is to gently tap on the front of the product to see if it sounds how it’s supposed to. A lot of real designer brands will also have the logo etched into the top left lens. Fakes will usually have a low-quality logo that’s missing or etched on with paint.
- Frame– Most designer sunglasses frames will carry a bit of weight because of the good quality material they make them from.
Authentic Designer Details
Each designer brand will have a specific detail that makes them a unique and easily identifiable product. Here are some signature details for the most common designer branded sunglasses:
- Gucci– All Gucci sunglasses are instantly recognizable with their double G emblem embossed somewhere on the frames. This emblem will always be gold and of the highest quality.
- Prada– Prada sunglasses are known for their elegant and unique style. However, the newer versions will always have the serial number etched into the right lens.
- Versace– Similar to Prada, Versace sunglasses will have the model number, color, lens, and frame size measurements etched onto the left temple arm.
- Armani Exchange– Most Armani sunglasses have a very distinctive style, where the glass is often tinted in colors like blue, brown, and plum. This is a good sign that you’ve purchased real ones.
- Tom Ford– With Tom Ford, you will often see the logo printed in the top left corner of the lens. However, it should also come with an authenticity card.
- Tory Burch– Authentic Tory Burch sunglasses will have the brand name printed in white on the right frame.
- Ray-Ban– Designer ray-bans will always come in a black or brown faux leather case of impeccable quality.
- Oakley– Some fakes will come with stickers on the front of the lens. No genuine Oakley sunglasses will have stickers.
Beware of Fakes
Unfortunately, there will be knock-off designer brands out there. It’s essential to do your research to be able to identify genuine products. Some knock-offs can be similar, so sometimes it’s just easier to shop from the designer store itself.
