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As quite a few of you know, Citizens of Humanity isn't the easiest to decipher when it comes to telling the real thing amidst the fakes. So, where do you start?
First things first: when it comes to Ebay, there are a few things you should avoid...
1) Sellers with stock photos from Revolve Clothing or any other reputable site with no photos of their actual item.
2) Sellers with very poor feedback, especially feedback that accuses the seller of selling fake goods or having poor customer service.
3) Sellers that don't respond to your requests for more photos of the item or any question at all.
Now that that's out of the way, please realize that GOOD feedback doesn't mean much either. A seller may have 100% feedback, yet still be selling fake items.
With COH, things like wash quality, overall stitching and shape of the "H" are extremely important. If these are anything but immaculate, chances are good that you've got a fake.
Wash
When determining authenticity, first look at the wash. Is it pretty? Does it look even-- not streaky and grainy? Is the whiskering even and does it blend well? Some authentic washes do contain mild to extreme streaking, but never to the heinous extent of a fake. Also, it's not the poor photo quality that makes a pair look fake, so do not make that excuse when shopping for a pair of COH online. Now, for the examples!
This pair is one of the most faked pair of COH out there... Kelly in North Pacific. There are even several versions of this fake, ranging from horrible to just plain laughable.
The AUTHENTIC pair...
And now for the fake...
This wash is a fairly saturated one aside from the fading, but the difference between the two pairs is visible. The whiskering on the fake just isn't quite right, and the wash doesn't look nearly as nice.
Here's another example... AUTHENTIC Ingrids in Porto Velho.
And now for the fake. Are ya ready?
The fake looks NOTHING like the original! The only proof we have that those are supposed to be Porto Velho is the style number.
Last examples...
Kate in Dark Cordoba and Ingrid in Bolinas.
AUTHENTIC
Fake
The wash doesn't even compare... the whiskering looks like someone smeared it on with their fingers.
Ingrid in Bolinas
AUTHENTIC
FAKE
Ingrids in Bolinas are very highly faked. The fake has a somewhat decent "H," but everything else is completely wrong. The fake has a nasty, grainy wash and the typical Bolinas distressing is not even close.
The "H"
The shape and placement of the H on the back pocket of authentic COH is just as important as the wash. You can even tell what cut a particular pair is based on the H!
An authentic H is always nice and full and is in good proportion with the rest of the pocket.
Older pairs have a fuller H.
Newer pairs have a slightly narrower H.
If there is a little label on the RIGHT pocket, the tail of the H will always be below said label. Some newer Kellys and Ingrids do not have this tag. Fayes never have this label.
FAKE H’s are never correct. The fakers may have caught on to placing the tail below the H label, but you can see that there are other things that make them fake.
Stitching
Authentic COH almost always has meticulous stitching. Everywhere from the labels to the stitching surrounding the zipper are perfectly stitched.
Here’s what the stitching will look like on an authentic pair:
They will NEVER look like these fakes:
I repeat, an authentic pair will NEVER look like that. Ever.
Like I mentioned above, the stitching around the zipper plays an important part in authenticity. The bottom ALWAYS comes to a point.
AUTHENTIC
It will NEVER be curved like this fake pair:
Outside and inside labels
COH can be found with different colors on the outer and inner labels.
Red
Navy/Black
Faded blue
Orange
COLOR is not an authenticity indicator.
Common Authenticity Confusion
The classic "H" and COBRAX ORIGINAL
**This is important. Authentic COH will have either an "H":
or COBRAX ORIGINAL on the backs of buttons and rivets.
A pair may have BOTH an "H" on the back of the main button, but have COBRAX on the back of the other rivets as well. This can be seen on the Boho Bootcuts and Ingrids in Pacific below.
There has been a lot of confusion over which is authentic thanks to an incorrect guide on Ebay. They both are. The incorrect guide states that all pairs of COH must have COBRAX ORIGINAL on the back of the rivets. It also says that if “H’s” are on the rivets the jeans are automatically fake. NOT TRUE! The “H” is on all older pairs of COH. It is not an indicator of authenticity. A newer, more recent pair will have COBRAX ORIGINAL written on the rivets, while older pairs will simply have the "H."
As far as authenticity goes, never ever go by what’s on the back of the rivets. Both the “H” and COBRAX ORIGINAL can be found on fakes.
Tags
Unlike 7 for All Mankind, the inside tags are not always the best to go on for authenticity. Why? Older pairs of COH have a different kind of security strip, as seen below on these Porto Velho Fayes. I tried as hard as I could to read the strip, but no words could be found. That does not make them fake!
Some pairs will have this tag, seen below on these rigid Pacific Fayes.
That particular tag is the very first tag that COH ever did. The oldest pairs of COH will have that tag.
Sometimes you can read the security strip. On the pair above, you cannot. That does not mean that they are fake. I have deduced that certain security strips become warped and even begin to fray at the edges over time and wear. You cannot read these warped tags. COH has long since moved on to bigger and better things.
All of the security strips on the newer pairs above are legible. These are the only kinds of tags that I will look at for authenticity. There are an assortment of strips:
-It may be silver and flat
-Silver and slightly raised
-White and flat
-White and raised.
COH uses all of these strips intermittently. You might also notice that the sizes appear to be different. That’s okay. Don’t freak out if the size number is different from another pair. The bottom tags can be different too. On the older pairs (the Pacific and Porto Velho tags), the bottom tags will be rough and slightly waffled. Like with the older security strips, COH moved on to something else: the silky bottom tags. Both are authentic and are not indicators of authenticity.
You will not be an expert after reading this guide. Spotting real from fake is an acquired skill. If you are unsure about a pair, please feel free to post a thread in this section or shoot me (indypup) a private message.
As quite a few of you know, Citizens of Humanity isn't the easiest to decipher when it comes to telling the real thing amidst the fakes. So, where do you start?
First things first: when it comes to Ebay, there are a few things you should avoid...
1) Sellers with stock photos from Revolve Clothing or any other reputable site with no photos of their actual item.
2) Sellers with very poor feedback, especially feedback that accuses the seller of selling fake goods or having poor customer service.
3) Sellers that don't respond to your requests for more photos of the item or any question at all.
Now that that's out of the way, please realize that GOOD feedback doesn't mean much either. A seller may have 100% feedback, yet still be selling fake items.
With COH, things like wash quality, overall stitching and shape of the "H" are extremely important. If these are anything but immaculate, chances are good that you've got a fake.
Wash
When determining authenticity, first look at the wash. Is it pretty? Does it look even-- not streaky and grainy? Is the whiskering even and does it blend well? Some authentic washes do contain mild to extreme streaking, but never to the heinous extent of a fake. Also, it's not the poor photo quality that makes a pair look fake, so do not make that excuse when shopping for a pair of COH online. Now, for the examples!
This pair is one of the most faked pair of COH out there... Kelly in North Pacific. There are even several versions of this fake, ranging from horrible to just plain laughable.
The AUTHENTIC pair...
And now for the fake...
This wash is a fairly saturated one aside from the fading, but the difference between the two pairs is visible. The whiskering on the fake just isn't quite right, and the wash doesn't look nearly as nice.
Here's another example... AUTHENTIC Ingrids in Porto Velho.
And now for the fake. Are ya ready?
The fake looks NOTHING like the original! The only proof we have that those are supposed to be Porto Velho is the style number.
Last examples...
Kate in Dark Cordoba and Ingrid in Bolinas.
AUTHENTIC
Fake
The wash doesn't even compare... the whiskering looks like someone smeared it on with their fingers.
Ingrid in Bolinas
AUTHENTIC
FAKE
Ingrids in Bolinas are very highly faked. The fake has a somewhat decent "H," but everything else is completely wrong. The fake has a nasty, grainy wash and the typical Bolinas distressing is not even close.
The "H"
The shape and placement of the H on the back pocket of authentic COH is just as important as the wash. You can even tell what cut a particular pair is based on the H!
An authentic H is always nice and full and is in good proportion with the rest of the pocket.
Older pairs have a fuller H.
Newer pairs have a slightly narrower H.
If there is a little label on the RIGHT pocket, the tail of the H will always be below said label. Some newer Kellys and Ingrids do not have this tag. Fayes never have this label.
FAKE H’s are never correct. The fakers may have caught on to placing the tail below the H label, but you can see that there are other things that make them fake.
Stitching
Authentic COH almost always has meticulous stitching. Everywhere from the labels to the stitching surrounding the zipper are perfectly stitched.
Here’s what the stitching will look like on an authentic pair:
They will NEVER look like these fakes:
I repeat, an authentic pair will NEVER look like that. Ever.
Like I mentioned above, the stitching around the zipper plays an important part in authenticity. The bottom ALWAYS comes to a point.
AUTHENTIC
It will NEVER be curved like this fake pair:
Outside and inside labels
COH can be found with different colors on the outer and inner labels.
Red
Navy/Black
Faded blue
Orange
COLOR is not an authenticity indicator.
Common Authenticity Confusion
The classic "H" and COBRAX ORIGINAL
**This is important. Authentic COH will have either an "H":
or COBRAX ORIGINAL on the backs of buttons and rivets.
A pair may have BOTH an "H" on the back of the main button, but have COBRAX on the back of the other rivets as well. This can be seen on the Boho Bootcuts and Ingrids in Pacific below.
There has been a lot of confusion over which is authentic thanks to an incorrect guide on Ebay. They both are. The incorrect guide states that all pairs of COH must have COBRAX ORIGINAL on the back of the rivets. It also says that if “H’s” are on the rivets the jeans are automatically fake. NOT TRUE! The “H” is on all older pairs of COH. It is not an indicator of authenticity. A newer, more recent pair will have COBRAX ORIGINAL written on the rivets, while older pairs will simply have the "H."
As far as authenticity goes, never ever go by what’s on the back of the rivets. Both the “H” and COBRAX ORIGINAL can be found on fakes.
Tags
Unlike 7 for All Mankind, the inside tags are not always the best to go on for authenticity. Why? Older pairs of COH have a different kind of security strip, as seen below on these Porto Velho Fayes. I tried as hard as I could to read the strip, but no words could be found. That does not make them fake!
Some pairs will have this tag, seen below on these rigid Pacific Fayes.
That particular tag is the very first tag that COH ever did. The oldest pairs of COH will have that tag.
Sometimes you can read the security strip. On the pair above, you cannot. That does not mean that they are fake. I have deduced that certain security strips become warped and even begin to fray at the edges over time and wear. You cannot read these warped tags. COH has long since moved on to bigger and better things.
All of the security strips on the newer pairs above are legible. These are the only kinds of tags that I will look at for authenticity. There are an assortment of strips:
-It may be silver and flat
-Silver and slightly raised
-White and flat
-White and raised.
COH uses all of these strips intermittently. You might also notice that the sizes appear to be different. That’s okay. Don’t freak out if the size number is different from another pair. The bottom tags can be different too. On the older pairs (the Pacific and Porto Velho tags), the bottom tags will be rough and slightly waffled. Like with the older security strips, COH moved on to something else: the silky bottom tags. Both are authentic and are not indicators of authenticity.
You will not be an expert after reading this guide. Spotting real from fake is an acquired skill. If you are unsure about a pair, please feel free to post a thread in this section or shoot me (indypup) a private message.