Updated: 23.04.2023

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Fakes

Spotting Moncler Fakes - A

Guideline

When Moncler transformed in early 2000 from an outfitter to a designer brand, it got more and more on the radar of counterfeiters. An easy way to sell faked Moncler items is mainly via eBay, iOffer and other phony webshops, normally including the Moncler name in their web address, meant to fool unsuspecting buyers into thinking that it is a legitimate site. The market became flooded with cheap jackets at a fraction of the price it would normally cost at an official Moncler store, but when the awareness increased  that a $ 1000 jacket sold at $ 100 must be a fake, counterfeiters simply began to price them higher so to make it less obvious. Of course, counterfeits have also increased in quality over the years, and it has become quite difficult to distinguish the original from the fake. Many people seek for help because they are not sure whether the item they just bought or intend to buy is an original or not. Therefore, I have compiled some useful information that might help you to make a decision whether or not to buy an item.

Certilogo

As from the Autumn/Winter 2008 collection, a Certilogo tag with a 12 digit identification code was added to the material/care labels, as well as a label that showed the model name. The Certiglogo label is a white 2x2cm label with red and blue lettering with the Moncler logo up front, and a serial number and an internet address on the back. However, Moncler decided to change the easy to use and effective Certilogo system in late 2013 with a more basic and less powerful solution in terms of brand protection, developed in- house. The Certilogo number when checked on the Certilogo homepage will redirect you to the Code Moncler site instead. Go to http://code.moncler.com and follow the instructions. You will find a detailed guide how to proceed in the following video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xiqn2KOhdtk&feature=youtu.be

Labels

The Moncler label is normally located at the center top on the inside of the jacket (except for reversible jackets). Known exceptions are early Karakorum models that have the label on the inside of the left pocket (!), as well as some of the K2 models, which have them on the lower right side of the jacket. On some models, the label is located above the cartoon.  The latest jackets of the summer collection do have them on the lower left side. Below is a link of an Italian fellow who’s made a lot of detail shots of his collection which is all original which might help to identify fakes: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dinodino66/ The Moncler size label is normally in the same color/material like the Moncler label. There were seen Moncler's on eBay with a blue or brown brand label and a white size label, which is wrong. The size label was located directly under the brand label on the left hand side on most models with a few exceptions, however, as from 2007, it has been moved to the upper end of the left side seam, and the color has always been white since then. If you see the size label located where the material/care labels are, beware. The Moncler material/care labels are always located on the left side on the inside of the jacket (at the side). If you see them anywhere else, beware! There also was a request from a person regarding the "NORME AFNOR" label which is located at the inner left together with the material/care labels. I was asked whether a jacket was faked because the wording in German was "NUE DAUNE". Apparently, this is a typo, and a spot check on 5 of my jackets revealed that 4 of them said "NUE" instead of "NEU". Only one jacket showed "NEU DAUNE" which is grammatically incorrect too, but no typo. All jackets I checked came from Moncler boutiques, therefore no fakes for sure. Since approximately 2009, all womens jackets do have a little pouch for the tags, none of the men’s jackets do have this pouch. Not all Moncler jackets have the cartoon logo on the inside of the jacket, mainly those of the very early 2000s do not have a cartoon logo. But if there is one, it is always located on the lower left hand side on the inside of the jacket with one exception: the Bulgarie model. Apparently there was a series that had this label on the right hand side. This label has a slightly faded look. If you want to buy from an eBay seller, always ask for pictures that also show the location of these labels, not just close ups. Moncler labels just say “MONCLER”, nothing else. Models for the US market normally also do have a “Made in....” tag sewn to the collar seam, it’s mostly countries such as Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, but they are NOT made in France, and neither in Italy! Below is a comparison between a faked an an original label:  

Code Moncler

Since 2013, Moncler uses their own secure code system. First of all, there is a QR code label in the jacket where information can be read out with your cell phone or entered manually. Then, you can register your jacket at http://code.moncler.com, you will have to enter your personal data and the system will confirm the model name the code is associated with. The model/style name will be written on the tag that has the word “INDUSTRIES” at the top. If the jacket is a match, the system will thank you for registering, otherwise it will request you to contact their customer support via e-mail. Since it is quite a quite new system, I don’ t have no feedback currently how it works exactly, but will update it here continually as soon as more information is available. 

Buttons, Zippers, Pockets

The vast majority of zippers and buttons (except for hidden zippers), toggles - everything - on these jackets have either the word "MONCLER" engraved or the Moncler logo on them. If you see a silver snap button with no engraving on it, beware! Only very early models back in the late 90s or early 2000 did not have a logo on the zippers, so if you are buying a new model and the hardware doesn't have the logo - beware! Most buttons on authentic Moncler say FIOCCHI ITALY, however, all models as from 2011 on may also have buttons that just say “Moncler” on them, these are 100% authentic too. Older jackets may also have buttons that say ORIGINAL together with numbers or characters (all on the inside).    Moncler never uses nylon zip pulls or those silver circular zippers. The vast majority of late model Monclers have LAMPO zippers (referring to main zipper on the front of the jacket, excluding zippers on pockets),but since there have been found faked LAMPO zippers too, Moncler started to use Vislon (e.g. Alpes models) and Riri zippers also. The latter ones are used for womens jackets only.  There are Moncler fakes where the pocket is on the wrong side. Single pockets are always on the left sleeve or on the the upper left for men’s jackets, or upper right for women’s jackets. Only exception found sofar is the “Chene” model that has the pocket also on the left. If you are in doubt, go find the paticular model in the “Collection” section on this homepage and check out the pictures. The same goes for fur, there were seen fakes where the hood had a fur trim while the real thing did not!

Embroidery

First of all, see where the Moncler embroidery is located. As a rule of thumb, the Moncler embroidery is normally on the left sleeve of the jacket, when there is a sleeve pocket, it is on the pocket. Vests or jackets with removable sleeves have the embroidery on the front left, with the exception of some “Karakorum” models which do not have an embroidery at all. The “K2” model, although not with removable sleeves, has the embroidery on the pocket at the front left. Models that are pre 2002 do not have an embroidery. Between 2005 and 2010, the embroidery was in larger size than before, hoever, small embroideries can still be found also during this period. As from 2011, it went back to the small size again. The Moncer embroidery has a lot of texture on it. If an embroidery looks "flat" or like it's printed on - beware! All of the embroidered logo patches are identical from one Moncler to the next. Fakes all look different. In 2018, Moncler has launched a new line called Moncler Genius, which was made in cooperation with other famous designers. In particualar the lines 1952, Fragment and Craig Green show a variation of the embroidery patch. Please also refer to the labels  page.

Tags

There are fake Monclers with the plastic triangular tag, booklet and small bag for extra buttons. So just because the jacket comes with all these things doesn't automatically mean that it is an original. There is also always a heavy cardboard tag, along with a thin  plastic tag. That plastic tag mentions either certilogo or QR code depending on which one the jacket has. The tag that comes with a certilogo jacket is a clear plastic one with dark blue writing, while the one that comes with a QR code jacket is white plastic with black print.

Cartoon

The cartoon should look like the one on the right side. The colors are usually not bright and always look a bit "faded" rather than as bright as shown in the left cartoon.

Fabric

Below you can find an example how to distinguish the fake from the real one. The fabric of the fake on the right looks kind of "grainy", where the real one on the left looks much smoother. However, the nylon used does vary from year to year or even model to model, the fabric of the latest jackets from 2018 are a lot softer than those made the years before. It is really hard to distinguish the fake from a genuine jacket as there have been made so many variations. .

eBay

Some general buying hints... Ask sellers for close-ups of labels, zippers and the Moncler embroidery. Ensure that you can also see a part of the jacket in the picture so that you can see the location of labels and also the the color matches the jacket that is for sale. Do not buy based on ONE photo of the product. Check sellers feedback and try to find out what has been sold in the past. If many such jackets have been sold at ridiculessly low prices, there is a risk that these are counterfeits. If it is the first jacket from that particular seller, chances are much higher that it is an original. Research before you buy an item (in particular when it comes from China, Hong Kong or Thailand). Watch out for stolen pictures - pictures that look familiar, taken from other auctions and meshed together. Authenticity cards, receipts and “100% authentic” remarks do not guarantee authenticity, and neither does the existence of a Certilogo tag. Counterfeits are known to come with all of the above. Do your research on sellers - “fake” sellers have been known to use pictures of genuine products in their listings.  Here is a good link with tips for buying a Moncler on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/gds/Tips-for-buying-a-Moncler- /10000000205682163/g.html   If you are not sure, ask for more pictures. Consider that Moncler is a high end fashion product, and average prices for a jacket are in the EUR 750/$1000 range. These jackets are only sold at the best stores, and their distribution is very exclusive. Ask yourself why any seller would sell a $ 1000 jacket (new or recent model, brand new) for less than $ 500? A seller might want to list an item at a lower start price to generate interest, and of course there are always great deals to be found on eBay. But if it’s too good to be true, then it probably is. Do your research and make sure you have a good understanding of the product.

Webshops

Beware of websites whose name might make them appear to be legitimate retailers (those that have the brandname in their web address but are selling Monclers for under $300. Moncler’s official website (www.moncler.com) is the ONLY legitimate website containing the brand name, no exceptions. These sites are easy to spot because their prices are far below retail and they sell the winter collection year round. Moncler had published a list on their website of Internet retailers whose items have been identified as fakes, unfortunately, that list ain’t available anymore. Below is an interesting link to a a Photobucket album containing many photos and references to Moncler jackets being sold on eBay: http://s1327.photobucket.com/user/Moncler_Jacket/library/Fake%2 0And%20Authentic%20Moncler%20Photos?sort=2&evt=email_sha re&page=1 Please also watch the following videos on Youtube from a contributor:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7CJrtZyMCA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYEtkwvSWrk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CY6Y9IZhNw&feature=youtu.b e Many of the information contained in the above videos are available for download in a PDF for easy reference. Additional information can be found on the following link on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Moncler-Expert- 958005284229423/ If you are in doubt whether your Moncler is genuine or not, please contact Moncler directly. You will find their contact form under http://store.moncler.com/system/selfservice.controller?CONFIGUR ATION=1538&PARTITION_ID=1&CMD=ESCALATION_REQUEST &USERTYPE=1  or mail to customer.service@moncler.com  They will ask you to provide the following, so ensure to have this ready when sending your request:  - Proof of purchase (invoice, bank statement,…) - Entire model (front) - Moncler logo (on the sleeve) - Buttons (front / back) - Zip pullers - Internal labels (label of the collar, comic label if present, anti- counterfeiting label located inside) Furthermore, the following statement has been added by Moncler themselves on their homepage regarding the battle of counterfeit products: http://www.monclergroup.com/en/media/press- releases/MONCLER-AND-THE-BATTLE-AGAINST- COUNTERFEITING-ENG/ Disclaimer The above mentioned comments reflect only Moncler styles beginning in 1999, and are only to be understood as a guidance. As far as I have seen in the past, Moncler sometimes changes styles or details, or even brought out models that weren't even published on their website at all (such as the Bosco model). I cannot claim that I have seen every single Moncler model that has been manufactured since 1999, however, all of the above information can be broadly applied to most Moncler jackets. The comments are meant to be a guideline rather than the absolute.