Coach bags are very famous classic bags. And are very expensive due to their high-quality craftsmanship. But the problem comes when you go to buy these bags. There are many fake coach bags that are being sold in the market. And it has become very difficult to identify the real coach bags.
Therefore, manufacturers have developed several solutions for distinguishing between real and fake bags. There are specific serial numbers and credo patches on the bags to identify the real bags.
In this blog post, you will find not only the places where coach bags are manufactured but also the ways to identify the real coach bags.
History of The Coach Bags
Everyone knows this expensive brand due to its amazing leather handbags and wallets. But they don’t know the origin. It was originated in 1941 by Lilian and Miles Cahn.
Later, in 1962, Bonnie Cashin made these bags lightweight, simple, and inexpensive. But he focused on making them classic. He added the brass toggle hardware and striped madras cotton in the interiors which became the trademark of this brand.
In 1979, Lew Frankfort became the CEO of the company. Then, this company became famous as an affordable luxury brand worldwide1.
Where Are The Coach Bags Made?
Coach is an American luxury fashion house. It is located in New York. It specializes in making leather handbags, luggage, and other ready-made accessories.
Now due to huge demand, the products of the coach are manufactured in different countries. These include Vietnam, Cambodia, Mainland China, and the Philippines.
Materials For Making the Coach Bags
Coach bags are originally famous for their leather products. But later, they increased their sustainability by making them waterproof. They developed bags of woven canvas material. Then coated the canvas with wax or resin to make the coach’s signature canvas. In this way, different materials are used for making the coach bags.
- Leather
- Canvas
- Fabric
- Hardware
- Lining
Coach products include:
- The coach tote bags.
- Coach shoulder bags.
- Vintage coach bags.
- Coach crossbody bags.
- Coach tabby.
- Coach accessories.
- Wallets.2
Formation Of Serial Numbers
Coach is considered the leading global brand of purses and wallets. Moreover, coach bags are the most expensive purses in the world. Many people developed fake coach purses and counterfeits. That was defaming this booming brand.
Also, these bags were made by third-party manufacturers, and there was also the problem of real and fake bags. So, they developed a creed system.
Creed system
The Creed system has a serial number system for coach products. There are serial numbers for each bag, which reveals the identity of the coach bags. This identity includes the information of the place and time of formation of the bag.
You can learn many other things such as the style of the coach bag using the serial number.
Serial Number
When you look inside the purse, you will find a creed. It is a small rectangular leather patch. Along this, you will find the word “ No” ( the abbreviation for “number” ). There will be an embossed and inked number in front of it. That will be the serial number. Coach bags have different changes in their serial numbers over time.
- Firstly coach bags did not have any serial numbers. They were developed in the 1970s. There were seven digits: three before the dash and four after the dash.
- In the 1980s, the pattern of the serial number changed. It has four digits before the dash and three digits after the dash.
- Later in the 2000s, the serial numbers added letters and more digits, just like B1182-16808.
Serial numbers tell us three things.
- The month and the year the bag was manufactured
- Where it was made (country or city)
- The style number (style of the bag)
The numbers before the dash represent the production code, and the numbers after the dash tell the style number.
SUMMARY
Serial numbers are present on the leather patch stitched inside the zipper compartment of coach bags. Coach started writing serial numbers after the 1970s. They represent style along with the place and time of origin. The number and digits before the dash represent the origin, while after the dash, they represent the style of coach bags.
Coach Bags With No Serial Numbers
There are many coach bags that don’t have serial numbers. These include the following.
- Smaller bags, including chess cosmetic bags, wallets, etc., don’t always have serial numbers
- Many vintage coach bags before the 1980s did not have serial numbers.
- Even some products, such as pebbled leather bags from the 1990s, didn’t have serial numbers.
Therefore, serial numbers are not the only symbol of original bags. There are many other bags that are real coach bags but don’t have serial numbers.
Real Vs. Fake Coach Bags
In the market, there are many fake coach bags. The quality of the material of the bag can tell about the realness or fakeness of the bag. But you should know other distinguishing features of real and fake coach bags.
Stitching
Fake bags will have crooked or sloppy stitching, while original bags will have uniformly sized stitching.
Zipper
Real coach bags have a YKK zipper. Moreover, zip and unzip the bag several times to check the smoothness of the zippers. Real ones will have smooth zippers that can open or close easily.
Font
The logo’s font can tell us about the authenticity of the coach bags. The font size and shape of the letters, such as the “ A” and “ C, “ must be precise and have a uniform and same shape.
Lining
The real coach bags are well crafted and have a “ CC pattern “ on the exterior or the lining.
Labels
Most of the real coach bags will have labels. These labels will have serial numbers which reveal the production information about the product.
SUMMARY
Check out the zippers for authentication of coach bags. Coach bags have “YKK” engraved on the zipper or rings. The cut of the inner leather patch matches the style of the bags. The raised and precise shape of the logo are also major differential factors.
Conclusion
You can easily judge where a coach is manufactured when you know what a serial number signifies. These numbers show the real place and manufacturers. China is the main manufacturer of coach bags because it has the cheapest production than anywhere else.
Moreover, it is an expensive investment. Therefore, always check the authenticity of the coach bags by analyzing the characteristics mentioned above.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Article Sources
Bagsbucks provides reliable information with good-quality references to support the facts.
- The Full History of Coach Handbags – Love to Know ↩︎
- A Case Study of a Stalled Luxury Brand—Coach, Inc.: Whether Coach Bags Fit Your Budget or Style – SpringerLink ↩︎