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Welcome to the next installment in the AUTHENTICFORUM series! This time we're talking about how to find authentic Citizens Of Humanity and avoid nasty fakes, because face it, whether it's Seven, True Religion, Rock & Republic, Diesel, etc, no one looks cool in counterfeits!
There are a few guides and argument-guides up regarding COH, and it is really time to dispel a lot of myths and misinformation that are confusing way too many eBayers. Confusing them into missing good deals and maybe into buying fakes too :(
Start here and you will learn some of the basic characteristics used by the experts to identify fakes so you don't become the next victim, and see my ME PAGE for more info!
PLEASE REMEMBER: THESE GUIDES ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR AN EXPERT'S EYE. You are not going to be a master authenticator just from reading through some material. Please ASK myself and the experts at Authenticforum before making decisions/judgements
When you get to the end, please vote "yes" if you learned something!
There are quick red flags to look for that will alert you to a fake without even studying the finer points.
And now... away we go!
First - Citizens of Humanity is, first and foremost, a premium brand.... meaning expensive and manufactured to reflect it! That means good quality denim, beautiful pleasing looking washes, and not streaky rough garbage denim! Let's look at our 1st two pictures:
There are a few guides and argument-guides up regarding COH, and it is really time to dispel a lot of myths and misinformation that are confusing way too many eBayers. Confusing them into missing good deals and maybe into buying fakes too :(
Start here and you will learn some of the basic characteristics used by the experts to identify fakes so you don't become the next victim, and see my ME PAGE for more info!
PLEASE REMEMBER: THESE GUIDES ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR AN EXPERT'S EYE. You are not going to be a master authenticator just from reading through some material. Please ASK myself and the experts at Authenticforum before making decisions/judgements
When you get to the end, please vote "yes" if you learned something!
FIRST, my standard admonitions:
There are quick red flags to look for that will alert you to a fake without even studying the finer points.
Seller is selling many pairs of brand new with tags pairs at dirt-cheap buy-it-nows. Remember, if it seems too good to be true, IT IS. An eBay seller can't possibly sell large amounts of real NWT product for less than wholesale (which is the retail price divided by 2.2!).
Seller has any feedback indicating non-authentic goods were received or has private feedback or private auctions
Avoid items from sellers located in Turkey, China, Phillipines, Hong Kong, Bulgaria, or any other obscure country. These are all counterfeiting hubs where there are no repercussions to this type of activity (and no real way to go after them if you get ripped off).
There are only stock photos (professional looking photos stolen from an online store/website) and no photos of the actual pair in the seller’s possession. If they won’t show you exactly what you’re getting, there’s likely something to hide! Similarly, multiple backgrounds on home-taken photos may indicate that the seller “borrowed” their photos from another eBay seller!
- Seller does not have a safe payment method. ALWAYS pay with a credit card on the internet. Not a money order, not a Paypal balance, not a bank account, not a debit card, a CREDIT card (through Paypal or direct). This is the only way you will get your money back if something goes wrong and the seller empties out their Paypal account.
And now... away we go!
AUTHENTICATING COH
There are a few features that can be very useful to you in your quest for real Citizens. In trying to determine authenticity though, try to look at a pair as a WHOLE, not by just 1 feature (because for instance, a fake may have a great looking tag, but not be real once other factors are taken into account). It is also helpful to look at a pair you know is REAL so your eye can be trained in what to look for. You will see some examples here, but you should also go to a retail store in your area, or visit Authenticforum to look at the photos in our extensive style guides!WASHES
First - Citizens of Humanity is, first and foremost, a premium brand.... meaning expensive and manufactured to reflect it! That means good quality denim, beautiful pleasing looking washes, and not streaky rough garbage denim! Let's look at our 1st two pictures:
Ex. A - real Ex. B - FAKE
In exhibit A, notice the wash is smooth, even, and the whiskering is subtle and nice looking. In exhibit B the denim is, well, there's no other way to put it... crap! The wash is streaky, the whiskering is way too bold (like someone streaked chalk over it) and is not even (there is way too much on the left lap in the photo compared to the right), and the distressing area on the knee looks like a child with a cheese grater did it.
Pocket Design
Next lets take a look at the COH signature pocket. The 'H' design should fill the pocket EVENLY and FULLY. The right pocket will feature a small cloth logo label on the right side, varying from a little less than 1/3 to about a full 1/3 of the way down the pocket edge. The tail of the H should end BELOW or actually be BENEATH the red label. NEVER ABOVE.
Ex. C - real Ex. D - FAKE
In C, note the fullness of the logo, and the under-the-label position of the right tail (below the label is also a correct position). In D, we see a rather anorexic looking H... it does not fill the pocket properly horizontally OR vertically, and whooops! The faker's hand slipped! LOL. The end of the tail is way above the label on the right. Big no-no.
TAGS AND RIVETS
Now let's look at the fine details, and the ones that are most often misunderstood around these parts. THIS IS THE DEFINITIVE truth about COH rivets. Do not follow any other eBay guides.
COH uses multiple types of rivets. There are "H" logo rivets, and there are COBRAX ORIGINAL marked rivets (we are talking about what is printed on the inside-the-jeans side of the rivets, not the outside). What Citizens does NOT use is rivets with NOTHING on the back, such as just a blank rivet with a hole in the center. Here are 2 sets of REAL rivets:
COH uses multiple types of rivets. There are "H" logo rivets, and there are COBRAX ORIGINAL marked rivets (we are talking about what is printed on the inside-the-jeans side of the rivets, not the outside). What Citizens does NOT use is rivets with NOTHING on the back, such as just a blank rivet with a hole in the center. Here are 2 sets of REAL rivets:
Ex. E - Real Ex. F - ALSO REAL!
In addition, note that the back of the front button also may have either the H or Cobrax original, and the rivets and buttons can be in ANY combination as well, meaning that the button can have an H while the rivets have Cobrax Original!
TAGS: Citizens of Humanity has 2 inner tags. A top tag with the size and a silver security strip with microprinting (it says Citizens of Humanity if you look under magnification, a few old styles do NOT yet have a security strip or have one that is slightly different. Again VERY old pairs, never more current styles), and a bottom tag with the fabric content, style info, etc. There are also 2 types of bottom tags! One is the satiny tag, and the other is a waffle texture/woven tag. Either way, the font on the tags is always the SAME. Even and CLEAR.
Fakes often have:
COH is NOT smarter than a 5th Grader! LOL - COH has been notorious for misspellings on the tag. Polyurethane may be misspelled as PolyurAthane (a mistake also seen on real Seven For All Mankind for a bit), and the underside of the tag may also have Instruction misspelled as Intruction. Way to go Jerome! tsk tsk. So yes, believe it or not, this does not indicate a fake!
Wanting more?? - eBay only allows 10 photos per guide, but we have tons more at AUTHENTICFORUM , and larger than eBay allows too! You can also get personalized help from the experts on any pair : ) Please visit my ME PAGE, and.... happy and fake free eBaying everyone!!
Fakes often have:
- Smeary/nearly illegible print
- Incorrect fonts
- "Security" strips that don't have a darn thing on them, and are just strings of metallic lameness!
Ex. G - 3 Reals - Waffle (left) & satin (center and right)
Ex. H - FAKE!
Looking at exhibit G we can see both types of tags, waffle and satin. On both, the font is CLEAR and legible, and evenly spaced and smooth. The security strip is a thick rectangle that is well secured and has microprinting that can even be seen with the naked eye. They may say Made in USA or Made in USA of imported fabric.
Now turn your eye to the 2 fakes in Ex. H and lets see what we notice. Right off, the left photo shows a sloppy smeary font on the fabric names, barely readable. We also see that the Made in U.S.A. is not properly centered, and the letters are way too far apart compared to the real ones above. On the right photo you can make out the same sloppy font problem on the bottom tag, and on the top tag.... that security strip looks like freakin Christmas tinsel! There is NOT anything written in there, and it's way too thin. Boooo!
Now turn your eye to the 2 fakes in Ex. H and lets see what we notice. Right off, the left photo shows a sloppy smeary font on the fabric names, barely readable. We also see that the Made in U.S.A. is not properly centered, and the letters are way too far apart compared to the real ones above. On the right photo you can make out the same sloppy font problem on the bottom tag, and on the top tag.... that security strip looks like freakin Christmas tinsel! There is NOT anything written in there, and it's way too thin. Boooo!
Some final notes
COH is NOT smarter than a 5th Grader! LOL - COH has been notorious for misspellings on the tag. Polyurethane may be misspelled as PolyurAthane (a mistake also seen on real Seven For All Mankind for a bit), and the underside of the tag may also have Instruction misspelled as Intruction. Way to go Jerome! tsk tsk. So yes, believe it or not, this does not indicate a fake!
Wanting more?? - eBay only allows 10 photos per guide, but we have tons more at AUTHENTICFORUM , and larger than eBay allows too! You can also get personalized help from the experts on any pair : ) Please visit my ME PAGE, and.... happy and fake free eBaying everyone!!
PLEASE VOTE YES IF YOU LEARNED SOMETHING!
Guide created: 07/02/07 (updated 10/11/08)
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