Prada bags, known for their classic aesthetics that never go out of style, are unsurprisingly some of the most popular designer bags in the world.

• Prada Authenticity Checker
• Prada Authenticity Check
• Gucci Authenticity Check
• Prada Bag Authenticity Check
• Prada Authenticity Code Check

The Authenticity Card is a white, plastic card that looks like a credit card with the Prada logo and 'Authenticity certificate card' printed in English and Italian on the front. On the back, there are two blank spaces for the sales associate to fill in the date and store location where the item was purchased. Prada is capable of checking valid serial numbers. You can contact their team directly from their online contact page requesting verification. Be sure to include the serial number validation request in the subject line and all relevant information from the authenticity card in the body of the message. The second system, PRADO, provides information on authentic documents to the public, taking into account that also employers, postal services, banks, credit institutions, security companies, vehicle hire agencies and notaries, etc. Have a need to check identity documents. Both systems are operational since end 2007.

While they come with hefty price tags, these purses are well worth the investment. Prada clutches usually start at around $300 while regular handbags usually cost more than $1,000.

Cahier Leather Shoulder Bag, $2,950 at Farfetch

Unfortunately, counterfeiters make a lot of money by creating fake Prada bags. In November 2019, Prada handbags and other luxury purses worth over $2.2 million were seized at Washington Dulles International Airport.

If you’re thinking of ordering a bag from a third-party site, make sure you know you’re getting the real thing.

Where to buy Prada bags

If you have been wanting to get your hands on an authentic bag from the Italian luxury fashion house, the websites below are the most popular stores to buy them online.

1. Farfetch

2. Amazon

3. Nordstrom

4. Saks Fifth Avenue

5. Bergdorf Goodman

1. Check the dust bag and authenticity card

Prada Authenticity Checker

Most Prada bags come in a soft flannel or silky dust bag with the Prada logo printed on the front, though there are very few exceptions.

The font used on the dustbag print should be consistent with the Prada fonts used all throughout the bag.

Lily Allen exiting a Prada store in London on December 19, 2008

Your bag should also come with care booklets and a sealed authenticity card showing the bag’s serial number and style information.

Some counterfeiters can also replicate the dust bag and authenticity card, but fake replicas will typically have low-quality prints with uneven spacing and discoloration.

2. Logo kerning and spacing should be even

Prada’s logo, which includes the inverted triangle, is one of the most distinguishable designer logos. Genuine Prada bags should have logo plaques that are clearly readable, evenly placed, and secured on the leather.

Prada’s logo includes an inverted triangle

The color of the plaque should match the color of the bag’s leather. Some styles do not have the inverted triangle logo but instead have the words Prada Milano displayed.

The logo plaque should be easy to read

Check that the kerning or spacing is consistent and the font used is the same in all the other brand markings all over the bag.

3. The inside should have an interior plaque

Aside from the exterior logo plaque, Prada bags also have an interior plaque, which design may differ depending on the bag’s style.

Newer bags display Prada Made In Italy

Older styles display “Prada Milano Made in Italy” done in three lines. Newer styles, however, will have only two lines that read “Prada Made in Italy.”

Some non-leather styles feature the leather patch on the interior instead of the ceramic plaque.

4. Hardware and zippers are of high quality

The hardware is critical in determining the authenticity of a Prada bag. Some counterfeited purses use cheap zippers and hardware that are prone to discoloration.

The hardware is critical in determining the authenticity of a Prada bag

Genuine bags will display high-quality hardware that can be gold-plated or stainless steel. These should have brand name engravings that are properly spaced and readable.

The engraved brand name, always in bold and capitalized letters, is placed on hardware like buckles, zippers, metal feet, locks, and buttons. Authentic Prada bags use zippers from Lampo, Ykk, Riri, Opti, and Ipi. These brands should be engraved somewhere on the back of the hardware.

5. The lining is embossed fabric or genuine leather

The interior of a genuine Prada bag typically has as much detail as its exterior. Also, the bag’s lining showcases a pattern that displays the Prada name horizontally.

Check the interior details and lining

The color of the printed lining should match or complement the bag’s exterior color. However, not all styles have this printed lining.

Some bags feature Nappa leather lining, which exhibits a more modern finish.

The printed lining should match or complement the bag’s exterior color

6. The leather should feel luxurious

Authentic Pradas are made from the highest quality calf leather, which should feel soft to the touch. Fake leather may look real from afar but it feels rigid and stiff to the touch.

Prada purses are made from the highest quality calf leather

Regardless of the style — classic, ruched, printed, or studded — the leather used on these purses is distinctly rich and supple.

Prada clutches will not display excessively bright and shiny hues

Pay close attention to the colors in printed styles. Fake Prada bags will display excessively bright and shiny hues while original ones would have smooth and even coloration.

Because of the cheap materials used, counterfeit designer bags also tend to feel heavier than originals. Be mindful of the texture and weight of the bags you purchase.

7. The stitching should be neat and even

One of the telltale signs of a counterfeit Prada bag is messy, uneven stitching. Original Prada purses showcase perfect, even stitches done with a sturdy thread which should be the same color as the bag’s leather.

The topstitching on most Prada bags is slightly angled

Notice that the topstitching on most of Prada’s bag styles is slightly angled. This is hard to replicate, and most counterfeiters just use a normal straight stitch.

Prada’s topstitching is hard to replicate

Be on the lookout for uneven stitching that looks like it’s about to come off – a clear sign of poorly made counterfeit Pradas.

Prada Questions and Answers

Where are authentic Prada handbags made?

According to The Wall Street Journal, “about 20% of Prada’s collections—which range from bags and shoes to clothes for men and women—are made in China.”

“Sooner or later, it will happen to everyone because [Chinese manufacturing] is so good,” Italian billionaire fashion designer Miuccia Prada said in an interview.

Prada also manufactures products outside Italy in other cheaper countries such as Vietnam, Turkey, and Romania.

A prime example of traditional Milanese craftsmanship is this black Saffiano leather logo suitcase from Prada featuring top handles, a two-way zip fastening, a front logo plaque, gold-tone hardware, multiple interior compartments, a hanging leather tag, and a sleep mask with pouch

Prada’s Arezzo factory in Tuscany, which is responsible for producing much of the leather goods, apparel, and footwear, also employs a lot of Chinese workers.

The New Yorker writes that Italian luxury labels are “using inexpensive immigrant labor to manufacture handbags that bear the coveted “Made in Italy” label.”

What does Prada mean?

The Italian luxury fashion house was founded in 1913 by Mario Prada and his brother Martino as Fratelli Prada (English: Prada Brothers). Prada is a habitational name, meaning that the name derives from the inhabited location associated with the person given that name.

Most likely the surname originally derives from Prada de Conflent, the Catalan name for Prades, a commune and a sub-prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. Its inhabitants are called Pradéens/Pradéennes in French, and Pradencs/Pradenques in Catalan.

Do Prada bags ever go on sale?

Classic handbags like the Saffiano tote hardly ever go on sale. However, some seasonal bags and discontinued purses can be purchased at Nordstrom Rack and Saks OFF 5TH.

Is Prada an expensive luxury brand?

Yes, Prada bags are expensive. However, bags from Gucci and Chanel usually cost even more.

Celebrity Fans of Prada Handbags

The Milan-based brand is well-loved by many fashionistas and celebrities including the Kardashians, Taylor Swift, and Lily Collins. It’s a normal sight to see A-listers using Prada totes to complete their outfits.

Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and Selena Gomez are only some of Hollywood A-listers who love their Prada bags

Sisters Kourtney Kardashian and Kendall Jenner are fans of vintage Prada

Emily Ratajkowski enjoys her an afternoon out with her Prada “Cahier” bag

Fashion icon Alexa Chung and model Miranda Kerr go for the top handle Prada totes

Even Hollywood youngins Lily Collins and Emma Roberts love Prada

For more tips on spotting a fake from an original Prada bag, you can watch the video below:

Prada Authenticity Check

PRADO is an exemplary case that demonstrates how the initiative of public servants and collaboration on a European level results in effective means to combat fraud and ultimately increases the security and prosperity of European citizens and businesses.In 2006, it became a priority to make information on travel and identity documents available to those who need to check such documents. Several initiatives were emerging under the sponsorship of different parties, including the European Commission and some Member States.The FADO project team in the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union (GSC) became aware of these initiatives and recognised this as an opportunity to take advantage of the information contained in the FADO system. The FADO system contains high-quality information on authentic and false travel and identity documents. However, only a small group of document experts in the Member States have access to the classified, restricted system FADO. The FADO project team met with representatives of the European Commission and Member States in the Working Party on Frontiers/False Documents - Mixed Committee as well as in informal meetings of volunteering participants from Member States and took leadership of the process. It emerged from discussions that the needs of different target groups can be covered by two systems with a different extent of information, taken from FADO. The first system, called iFADO, targets national authorities such as border guards and police authorities and provides detailed information on all important security features of authentic documents as well on their typical falsifications, similar to FADO. The second system, PRADO, provides information on authentic documents to the public, taking into account that also employers, postal services, banks, credit institutions, security companies, vehicle hire agencies and notaries, etc. have a need to check identity documents. Both systems are operational since end 2007.

Gucci Authenticity Check

Policy Context

FADO (False and Authentic Documents Online) and iFADO were established pursuant to the Joint Action of 3 December 1998 (98/700/JHA) adopted by the Council on the basis of Article K.3 (Article 31) of the Treaty of the European Union. The Council Joint Action states that immigration policy and policy regarding nationals of third countries are matters of common interest and that the fight against false documents is an area covered by immigration policy and police cooperation. The Council Joint Action stipulates also that the system shall have more than one level, thus providing experts more detailed information. iFADO and PRADO also support the objectives of the EU (article 2 of the Treaty of the European Union), as it contributes to the development of the European Union as an area of freedom, security and justice.

Description of target users and groups

PRADO, established as an information source on sub-pages of the Council homepage, provides information on security features of authentic documents to the general public, including governmental and non-governmental organisations. It takes into account all parties that need to check identity documents such as employers, postal services, banks, credit institutions, security companies, vehicle hire agencies, notaries, etc.iFADO provides information on authentic and false documents to competent national authorities involved in checking travel and identity documents, like border guards and police authorities from EU Member States, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, as well as for example the European Commission and Europol.

Description of the way to implement the initiative

Having identified the need to provide part of the information gathered in FADO to other interested parties, the FADO project team in the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union asked its FADO contractor, European Dynamics, to study the feasibility of extending the FADO system. This resulted in a conceptual analysis, which concluded that FADO can be extended to feed two new websites with a quite modest effort, and that the effort for creating one or two new websites is practically the same. Following the adoption of the FADO User Group and the False Frontiers Working Party of the Conceptual Analysis, iFADO and PRADO were implemented and became operational towards the end of 2007.

Technology solution

In order to assure easy distribution (e.g. mirroring) and wide accessibility, the iFADO and PRADO system consist of static pages, which are generated by and daily updated from the FADO system. The two websites are available in 22 official languages of the European Union. They also provide optimized navigation and display for PDAs with XHMTL and CSS support. An applet provides zooming functionality.While PRADO is accessible through HTTP, access to iFADO is only possible via HTTPS for authenticated users.Technology choice: Mainly (or only) open standards

Return on investment

Return on investment: Not applicable / Not available

Track record of sharing

A key success factor for PRADO is the awareness of the target users of this system. In this context, several measures were taken:1) Marketing leaflets have been produced and distributed.2) The authorities handling FADO in the Member States have been invited to disseminate information about iFADO and PRADO.3) iFADO and PRADO will be presented to expert committees and promotional events.4) Press releases have been envisaged.

Prada Bag Authenticity Check

Lessons learnt

Prada Authenticity Code Check

This case study is an impressive example how communication, coordination and collaboration between European entities can result in a much better and more cost-effective solution than one party on its own could have achieved. iFADO and PRADO make evident how valuable expert information can be leveraged, so that a much wider user groups gets access to this part of the information which they need. Vision, initiative and ownership can make mountains move also in the public domain.Scope: International