A vintage Cartier watch, a pair of Levis jeans, from the 1970′s. A Gucci handbag from the 1980′s. Any of these pieces purchased at auction, estate or a high-end vintage store are indeed “vintage” with the same semblance of high quality workmanship.

“Vintage” referring to the period when theses items were manufactured; where counterfeited heavily during these same times. Many vintage knock-offs could still be circulating today with buyers paying real prices for fakes.

In the 1970′s the counterfeit fashion trade was already estimated in the tens of millions of dollars. ”From 1960 to 1970, we all sold too many licenses,” Marc Vincent, of Saint Laurent, admits. Most designers during this time did not control manufacturing, which was done by licensees.

Several counterfeit Cartier boutiques sprung up during this era selling thousands of watches.

An early opportunist in the Mexico knockoff trade was a man named Fernando Pelletier. Cartier had held Mexican trademark rights, but in 1968 failed to renew them, thus allowing Mr. Pelletier’s company to start its own line of products labeled ”Cartier,” including jewelry and watches. It took over ten years for Cartier to win its legal battle with Pelletier.  Cartier estimated that 40,000 fake high-quality ”Tank” watches had been sold during 1976. Christian Dior, with annual sales of $365 million in 1980, spent $406,000 protecting its 813 registered trademarks.

Rare Vintage Levi jeans can sell today for $3,000. But is the classic vintage pair that you purchased a rip-off from the very same Vintage era the jeans came from?  In the late 70′s two Southern California men offered a private investigator posing as a clothing buyer 50,000 pairs of the counterfeit jeans a month for nine months. During this period in Italy the number one selling jean was Levi. The number two brand was counterfeit Levis.

Jordache jeans estimated their loss from counterfeiters in 1981 was in excess of over $1 million dollars alone. Levi Strauss seized $2.5 million worth of jeans in 1977 from a ring that extended from Britain to Switzerland, Italy, Belgium and Taiwan.

Many fakes of the late 70′s and early 80′s were produced to the same standards as the real deal. Quality fabrics used in counterfeiting were often sourced from the same suppliers. Louis Vuitton bag counterfeiters often used the same French zipper. Early fake Cartier watches were made of solid gold and were indistinguishable unless you dissembled the timepiece. Christian Dior fashion knockoffs were so good that even Dior’s people had difficulty telling the difference.

How can you tell if your Levi’s are vintage knockoffs?  Stitching, labeling and fabric are clues to look for. Often the denim in counterfeits is 10-ounce instead of 12-or 14-ounce; thread may be thinner, stitching sloppy, seams not straight, zippers of cheaper quality.

Jordache says a shopper can be sure about Jordache jeans in two ways: the horse head on the zipper and the initials ”JD” on the back of the button at the waist.

A Cartier watch is better taken to Cartier so that the internal time piece is inspected; counterfeiters used cheap internal mechanisms in their watches.

Link to Vintage Fashion Media- “Louis Vuitton- Telling Real From Fakes”

http://vintagefashionnews.com/vintage-fashion-media/