First off, okay, first off, let’s just say this: Ralph Lauren *hates* fakes. They are *obsessed* with stopping counterfeiters. Good for them, right? But that means the fakers are getting sneaky. It’s like a constant battle.
The most obvious thing, and I mean, *duh*, is the logo. The polo player. This is where they usually mess up, honestly. Check it *closely*. Is the stitching clean? Does the player look like he’s actually, you know, *playing* polo? Are the proportions all weird? Sometimes the horse looks like a donkey gone wrong, I swear. Look at the real deal on the Ralph Lauren website (you know, the *official* one, not some dodgy looking site). Compare ’em. See the difference? It’s often staring you RIGHT in the face.
Now, the material. This is a biggie, and harder to spot online, but if you’re holding the shoe, *feel* it. Ralph Lauren uses decent quality materials. A fake will often feel cheap, like plastic-y or thin. It might even smell kinda funny, you know, like that weird chemical smell some cheap stuff has? Yuck. A genuine Ralph Lauren shoe *shouldn’t* smell like it was born in a toxic waste dump. Just sayin’.
And speaking of the website (like I was, just a little bit ago), familiarize yourself with the styles. Counterfeiters are lazy. They might try to sell you a “Ralph Lauren Mega-Ultra-Super Shoe” that doesn’t even exist. If it ain’t on the Ralph Lauren site, it’s probably a fake. Or, like, a really, *really* old style they don’t make anymore.
Oh, and check the stitching *everywhere*. Real Ralph Lauren stuff has pretty good quality control. A fake will often have loose threads, uneven stitching, or just generally look like it was put together by a robot with a hangover. Seriously, look close.
Another thing – the price. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. I mean, yeah, you can find deals, but if some dude on eBay is selling you “brand new” Ralph Lauren shoes for ten bucks, that’s a HUGE red flag. Common sense, people!
And, uh, I don’t know… check the insoles? Sometimes the fakes have really flimsy insoles, or the logo is printed all wonky on them.
