Fendi’s most popular bag model, The Baguette, was created by Silvia Venturini Fendi in the late 90’s and was named with a nod to the notion of toting a baguette under your arm like a chic Parisian lady. Initially when the bag was first designed by Sylvia in 1997, it was criticised by the brand for being too small and also too vibrant when Fendi were aiming for a look that was more toned down and chic. Thankfully, this did not stop Sylvia and over 100,000 Baguettes were sold in their first year of production. The Baguette was famously seen under the arm of Carrie Bradshaw in Sex & The City and gained even further traction when the likes of Julia Roberts and Naomi Campbell were seen sporting them. The bag has since been made in a wide variety of colours and sizes and is still an iconic It bag all these years later. We frequently find ourselves in possession of many iconic vintage Fendi Baguettes so we thought it only appropriate to give you our insight into verifying their authenticity.
Hardware
Most Fendi hardware will have FENDI or FF engraved with even and symmetrical letters.
Make sure that your Fendi logo isn’t embossed too deeply, giving it a clumsy, thick and uneven appearance.
If your bag has a zipper and is a newer model, it will like have the double F logo featured on the back of the zip.
The hardware surface should be smooth and shiny but not excessively so that it looks cheap.
The snap closure on older Fendi bags should be square shaped
Serial Number
Fendi’s serial numbers are usually 12-17 characters long and featured somewhere on the interior of the bag, normally on the inside of the pocket
If there is an RFID tag on the inside (this was introduced from 2010 onward), there should be 8 digits sewn (not printed) on this tag and it should have a chip stashed inside of it that can be read by a special machine to receive the bag’s information like it’s serial number and manufacturing details.
Interior
There is a common misconception that Fendi bags MUST have a hologram on it’s interior to confirm it’s authenticity, however, this was only the case between 2004-2010. Fendi has since made changes and now use a RFID chip (as mentioned earlier) to help combat counterfeits.
If the bag features both a hologram AND a RFID chip, it is most likely fake as only a handful of Fendi bags around 2015 were produced with both.
Stitching
More often than not, Fendi bags will match their stitching to the colour of the fabric the stitching is featured on.
Similarly, much like Louis Vuitton’s, the stitches should be equal in size, consistent and neat.
If the Baguette features a Zucca print exterior (the iconic Fendi double F monogram), it should not have a Zucca print interior. This is an easy way to expose bad fakes.
The canvas should be sturdy and of high quality with a tight weave
The F’s should never touch.
