last updated: 6/17/06

Spending half a year in Hong Kong, I was able to witness the grand "Luo Hu" Mall in Shenzhen. Luo Hu, only 30 minutes away from bustling Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon (Hong Kong)- is easily accessible by the speedy KCR. It's an entrance into Shenzhen, Guangzhou- where all your marc jacobs are manufactured, juicy jump suits, nike "shoe towns", and everything that gets made in good old China. There are factories elsewhere in China, but a lot of them are right there in Guangzhou. Upon entering Shenzhen through this port, you will encounter a HUGE mall that sells anything and everything counterfeit. Just name it. Tiffany jewelry, watches, handbags, clothes, diesel pants (oh yes), anything. A joke my mother likes to tell is, "The only thing real in that building are people". However, there is also a small litter of tailors- which I love to frequent and a fabric market. It's cheap to make your clothing there, so I frequent the place often.

I was appalled one day when I saw botkier trigger bags in a storefront at Luo Hu. I had to go in to take a look, and discovered that they looked EXACTLY like the real thing. I'm talking about the authenticity card, the little tag that goes with it, the metal plate that says "Botkier", the lining saying "botkier botkier botkier"- exactly the same as the real thing. The only thing that made it fake was the leather. I was carrying my real one at the time, and the store people were gawking at it and asked me whether it was real. The fake ones came in brown, cognac, and several other colors I do not remember. All I remember is this- the leather smelled plasticky and the texture was stiff and regularly pebbled.

The botkier trigger doesn't have a LOT of details to make it hard to replicate (compare it to Balenciaga motorcycle bags), so you really have to trust your instincts about the bag's leather and the seller.

Do research.

Alot of imitation botkiers are being sold on ioffer.com Someone offering authentic goods can turn their back and sell a fake without you noticing. Do research on the buyer's old negative feedback using toolhaus or goofbay (do a google search for "toolhaus.org" or "goofbay.co.uk"). You never know what surprises you find! Be very suspicious about private auctions with short listing dates. They are often evil people trying to you a fake, because a) good samaritans can't report the listing in time for it to be retracted. and b) they can't warn people either, due to the nature of private auctions.

Ask for pictures.

If a seller has 5 botkier triggers in the cognac color, don't you think that's a little fishy? Ask for close up shots of leather and details. Triggers have less resale value compared to Balenciagas, Chloes, and other brands- but you shouldn't be stuck with a fake. Think of this way, you want to do Monica Botkier a favor. :-)

Check the bag's lining.

Older bags purchased in spring 2005 have a white lining with the word "botkier" all over it. The bags after that have a black lining with the word "botkier" all over as well. I am not sure whether the very first triggers that made their debut had "botkier" lining. If you own one of the first triggers, let me know so I can update this information.

Turbo, Luxe, Plain Ol' Trigger... which one?

    trigger with tab pulls 2004

Older triggers are very nice. Like every bag that makes it first appearance, they were limited in quantity and nicely made. There's no trick to spotting an authentic older trigger. The "botkier" metal tag was not located near the main zipper, but near the opening of one of the secret compartments. The bags had tab pulls (which I like so much better) instead of tassle pulls, and the leather was buttery soft... to die for.

     luxe trigger spring 2005

 luxe trigger with brass hardware fall 2005

The luxe trigger was introduced with tassle pulls in spring 2005. I honestly don't know what made it "luxe", but the metal botkier tag was moved out of the secret compartment, and relocated next to the main zipper. One of the two side compartments housed a cellphone pouch, and a gold chain for keys (I threw mine out :-). From what I remember, the spring colors were-- almond (not the same as cognac), white, moss (like kelly green, see above), perwinkle (metallic blue, see above), acid (I love this color), nude (pearly pink), and lilac (pearly faint lilac). There may have been more, but these were the only ones I recall. Botkier also sold triggers in a linen/leather mix. The leather was squishy and irregularly pebbled/distressed, but colors such as acid, nude, and lilac were smooth leather. The periwinkle was a little stiffer than the rest of the bags, and had a reguarly pebbled texture.

The fall 2005 were made in a darker palette, some accompanied with tarnished/brass hardware. The leather was smoother, but there were still hints of faint texture, and it was very soft to the touch. It just made you want to hug it! A lot of the fakes come in these colors, so the leather should be the first thing to give it away (they use cheap regularly pebbed leather). The fall colors I remember were - mahogany (like chocolate), black, espresso (lighter brown), cognac (not almond), concord (dark purple), metallic fatigue (kahki green), metallic twilight (midnight blue), metallic blush, metallic mustard, and cardinal (lipstick red). I believe there were other colors too, but I'm not sure. Once again, the metallics had leather that was stiffer compared to the non metallics.

  turbo trigger 2006

The turbo is the new trigger produced by Botkier. Botkier made a few changes to the bag, the cassini oval shaped botkier metal tag was moved to the exterior side of the bag instead of near the main zipper compartment. The metal tag is also framed in leather, as well as the interior zipper compartment. The zippers are a little thicker than the older triggers (thus the name turbo). People say the leather is smoother, but still very supple and delicate. It may scratch easier than the pebbled ones. I'm not sure which colors are out right now- definitely black, white, metallic army, hazelnut, and many other colors.

 almond medium spring 2005... super squishy!

I personally only own one trigger, the almond medium. The information I have presented above is from personal experience and research from the botkier website. Please use my guide, but do not dismiss a bag as a fake if I do not mention it's color or make here. I am not 100% certain about the color palettes for each season. If you own an authentic trigger and you'd like to contribute- hit me up! Please keep this information free and available to everyone. Please do not sell my guide.