I just heard the latest style of the Issey Miyake Totes and I’m super excited! You can imagine my surprise when I found out that the tote bags actually didn’t exist -Turns out they were fake! I felt both silly and duped to realise that Issey Miyake don’t even have a new style of totes. But marveling at my naivety I decided to further my investigation into the matter to figure out how these replicas came to be.
As soon as I hit the internet I found myself deep-diving through rabbit holes. I first heard about it from my friend last week, and from the comfort of my bedroom I quickly uncovered the truth behind the counterfeit bags. My investigations uncovered some shady individuals creating posers of genuine Issey Miyake totes, to make some quick bucks. It’s nothing new though, rip-offs are sadly increasingly common these days when it comes to popular products. It is very easy for scammers to dupe innocent buyers when they look so similar to the real thing, and it’s heartbreaking to learn of these instances.
Although there has been a new style of the Issey Miyake tote bags developed, these have very rarely been sold directly to retailers – which could be another reason why the counterfeits have proliferated. You’d be hard pressed to find a legit one, unless you were to purchase it directly from Issey Miyake themselves. Scammers love to take advantage of this situation, trying to reap all the benefits without actually being affiliated with the designer.
After researching the topic further, I came across a few helpful tips on how to spot the fakes. The materials used in a genuine bag will be of really high quality and in pristine condition. The stitching should be neat and overall any details must be exact. It is advised to ask the retailer for a good quality picture of the product before purchase, and if it is from a reputable retailer, then the chances of buying a fake are very slim.
Moreover, because of the zealous precautions from the company in manufacturing these bags – you would expect them to come with tags and authentication cards. The tag will have all the details of the product which you need to verify the authenticity. Also, you should check if the style has officially been released or not.
Most reputable online stores now have authentication checkers for certain items. My personal recommendation is that you should spend that extra amount of effort and look for reviews from users before purchasing. It is important to be aware of these scams as they can be really costly, so you should always double check your sources before investing in a certain product.
I have learned from my mistake and would never jump to conclusions without doing proper research. It is very important to be careful when looking out for counterfeit products and I’m glad I am informed now about how to spot fake Issey Miyake tote bags.