• The labels. Neck label and season label: typeface, weave, format and placement all have to match the stated year. Supreme has changed its tags several times and the timeline is documented.
• Care labels. The detail counterfeits care about least. We look at print quality, alignment, wording and language.
• The print. Ink thickness, edge definition, how the white reads on a box logo, ageing consistent with the age of the piece.
• The stitching. Stitch density, regularity of the topstitching, how clean the reverse is.
• Fabric quality. Cotton weight and hand vary from season to season and are not cheap to copy.

Same logic as Supreme, with signatures of its own. BAPE is also where we published our first video authentication guide, on tees.

• ABC Camo. The ape faces hidden in the pattern have precise features, and a fake simplifies or distorts them.
• The labels. The "A BATHING APE" typeface, the Japanese care label, the tag structure by production period.
• The print. Sharpness, density and placement of the graphic on tees.
• Embroidery and stitching. Thread density, a clean reverse, symmetry. On a shark hoodie we also check the alignment of the teeth and that the zip runs all the way up the hood.
• The fabric. BAPE cotton and fleece weight is recognisable by hand.

• The handwritten signature. The proportions of the "S" and the way the letters connect are consistent, and a fake usually gives itself away on the slant.
• The neck label. Stüssy has a well documented tag timeline, we work back through it to date the piece.
• Screen printing. Natural cracking on a vintage piece does not look like a recent digital print.
• Hem and sleeve seams, which have to match the production period.

Japanese streetwear is faked less than Supreme or BAPE, apart from models that went viral like the Needles track pant. Here the traceability of the source counts as much as examining the piece, and our Japanese sources are our first guarantee.

• Needles. Density and shape of the butterfly embroidery, the Nepenthes label, the hand of the velour, the inner finishing.
• Comme des Garçons. Label structure by line (Play, Homme, Shirt), build quality, a country of manufacture that adds up.
• Auralee. The material tells you. The grades of wool and cotton used are not cheap to copy.
• 9090, Younger Song, Hotter Than Hell. Bought direct from Japanese shops we know, through identified distribution channels.

On luxury the photo file we ask for is heavier, and we call a brand specialist at the slightest doubt.

• Louis Vuitton. Date code on older pieces or RFID chip on recent production, typeface and depth of the heat stamp, monogram alignment either side of the seams, patina and grain of the vachetta leather, weight and finish of the hardware.
• Gucci. Inner serial tag, the "GUCCI made in Italy" stamp with the ® symbol, hardware engraving, regularity of the stitching.
• Prada. The triangular plaque and how it is mounted, the stitching behind it being very telling, the zip brand, the structure of the inner logo.
• Coach. Inner style code and serial number, the quality of the glove-tanned leather, regularity of the stamp.
• On every brand. Consistency between the model, the line, the year and the internal codes. An accessory whose codes do not match the model is turned down.

• Stone Island. The compass badge, its typeface, finish and button fixing system, plus the wash label and the consistency of the garment dyeing.
• C.P. Company. The goggle lens, how the hood is built, inner labels by period.
• Chrome Hearts. The .925 silver hallmarks, the real weight of the piece, how crisp the engraving and the relief are, the finish of the solder joints.

Yes, without exception. No piece is published on the site or put out in the shop before going through our full process, meaning photo authentication before purchase and then a check in hand on arrival. That applies to a 60 € Stüssy tee just as much as to a Louis Vuitton bag.

We ask the seller for a complete photo file, from every angle: inner labels, care labels, serial numbers, seams, embroidery, hardware and measurements. We then compare those elements to documented legitimate references. No complete photo file means no purchase, and if a doubt remains we call in a brand specialist before deciding.

Yes. We have built up an expert contact for every brand we sell. As soon as a point stays unexplained after our own examination, we send them the piece and their call is final. On luxury, that second opinion is automatic at the slightest doubt.

Start with the labels: the neck label and the season label have to match the stated year, and care labels are often where counterfeits fall down. Then look at print quality, stitch density and the hand of the fabric. An unusually low price remains the best warning sign. We also publish authentication guides on social media, and you can come by the shop on rue du Lombard: seeing the differences on real pieces is still the fastest way to learn.

It never goes on sale, not in the shop, not online, not anywhere. Because we filter on photos upstream, counterfeits hardly ever reach us. What can happen is a piece that does not match the original photo file, and in that case it is given to people in need or reused for personal projects.

From specialist vintage shops in Tokyo (Harajuku, Shimokitazawa, Koenji) and Osaka that we go back to every year in May. These are relationships built over time, and that is what lets us offer Needles, 9090, Younger Song or Hysteric Glamour in Brussels, which are hard to find anywhere else in Belgium.

As long as it needs. The photo review can take a few minutes or several days, when angles have to be requested again or a specialist opinion is pending. The check in the shop is quick on a tee and much longer on luxury leather goods or a rare archive piece. We never cut that step short to publish faster.

Exactly the same one, and that works in your favour: a piece we have validated resells better. Send us detailed photos, or come straight to the shop with your pieces.

• The labels. Neck label and season label: typeface, weave, format and placement all have to match the stated year. Supreme has changed its tags several times and the timeline is documented.
• Care labels. The detail counterfeits care about least. We look at print quality, alignment, wording and language.
• The print. Ink thickness, edge definition, how the white reads on a box logo, ageing consistent with the age of the piece.
• The stitching. Stitch density, regularity of the topstitching, how clean the reverse is.
• Fabric quality. Cotton weight and hand vary from season to season and are not cheap to copy.

Same logic as Supreme, with signatures of its own. BAPE is also where we published our first video authentication guide, on tees.

• ABC Camo. The ape faces hidden in the pattern have precise features, and a fake simplifies or distorts them.
• The labels. The "A BATHING APE" typeface, the Japanese care label, the tag structure by production period.
• The print. Sharpness, density and placement of the graphic on tees.
• Embroidery and stitching. Thread density, a clean reverse, symmetry. On a shark hoodie we also check the alignment of the teeth and that the zip runs all the way up the hood.
• The fabric. BAPE cotton and fleece weight is recognisable by hand.

• The handwritten signature. The proportions of the "S" and the way the letters connect are consistent, and a fake usually gives itself away on the slant.
• The neck label. Stüssy has a well documented tag timeline, we work back through it to date the piece.
• Screen printing. Natural cracking on a vintage piece does not look like a recent digital print.
• Hem and sleeve seams, which have to match the production period.

Japanese streetwear is faked less than Supreme or BAPE, apart from models that went viral like the Needles track pant. Here the traceability of the source counts as much as examining the piece, and our Japanese sources are our first guarantee.

• Needles. Density and shape of the butterfly embroidery, the Nepenthes label, the hand of the velour, the inner finishing.
• Comme des Garçons. Label structure by line (Play, Homme, Shirt), build quality, a country of manufacture that adds up.
• Auralee. The material tells you. The grades of wool and cotton used are not cheap to copy.
• 9090, Younger Song, Hotter Than Hell. Bought direct from Japanese shops we know, through identified distribution channels.

On luxury the photo file we ask for is heavier, and we call a brand specialist at the slightest doubt.

• Louis Vuitton. Date code on older pieces or RFID chip on recent production, typeface and depth of the heat stamp, monogram alignment either side of the seams, patina and grain of the vachetta leather, weight and finish of the hardware.
• Gucci. Inner serial tag, the "GUCCI made in Italy" stamp with the ® symbol, hardware engraving, regularity of the stitching.
• Prada. The triangular plaque and how it is mounted, the stitching behind it being very telling, the zip brand, the structure of the inner logo.
• Coach. Inner style code and serial number, the quality of the glove-tanned leather, regularity of the stamp.
• On every brand. Consistency between the model, the line, the year and the internal codes. An accessory whose codes do not match the model is turned down.

• Stone Island. The compass badge, its typeface, finish and button fixing system, plus the wash label and the consistency of the garment dyeing.
• C.P. Company. The goggle lens, how the hood is built, inner labels by period.
• Chrome Hearts. The .925 silver hallmarks, the real weight of the piece, how crisp the engraving and the relief are, the finish of the solder joints.

Yes, without exception. No piece is published on the site or put out in the shop before going through our full process, meaning photo authentication before purchase and then a check in hand on arrival. That applies to a 60 € Stüssy tee just as much as to a Louis Vuitton bag.

We ask the seller for a complete photo file, from every angle: inner labels, care labels, serial numbers, seams, embroidery, hardware and measurements. We then compare those elements to documented legitimate references. No complete photo file means no purchase, and if a doubt remains we call in a brand specialist before deciding.

Yes. We have built up an expert contact for every brand we sell. As soon as a point stays unexplained after our own examination, we send them the piece and their call is final. On luxury, that second opinion is automatic at the slightest doubt.

Start with the labels: the neck label and the season label have to match the stated year, and care labels are often where counterfeits fall down. Then look at print quality, stitch density and the hand of the fabric. An unusually low price remains the best warning sign. We also publish authentication guides on social media, and you can come by the shop on rue du Lombard: seeing the differences on real pieces is still the fastest way to learn.

It never goes on sale, not in the shop, not online, not anywhere. Because we filter on photos upstream, counterfeits hardly ever reach us. What can happen is a piece that does not match the original photo file, and in that case it is given to people in need or reused for personal projects.

From specialist vintage shops in Tokyo (Harajuku, Shimokitazawa, Koenji) and Osaka that we go back to every year in May. These are relationships built over time, and that is what lets us offer Needles, 9090, Younger Song or Hysteric Glamour in Brussels, which are hard to find anywhere else in Belgium.

As long as it needs. The photo review can take a few minutes or several days, when angles have to be requested again or a specialist opinion is pending. The check in the shop is quick on a tee and much longer on luxury leather goods or a rare archive piece. We never cut that step short to publish faster.

Exactly the same one, and that works in your favour: a piece we have validated resells better. Send us detailed photos, or come straight to the shop with your pieces.