Fake Ed Hardy Cap Submissions

The response from my initial post about "How to spot a fake Ed Hardy cap" was carzy. I'm not perfect and most of the times the pictures aren't very detailed either but I hope to help however I can. So if want know if your hat is fake, then email me some pictures to fed@trudrama.com

Here are some of the email submissions:

This cap just from sewing quality is likely to be fake.

I do believe this one is real but I do have some suspicions on the seams. They're more worn than usual. This might be a returned item and has been discounted.

The colours and details are there but probably fake due to the "Hardy" part being sewn into the crease.

This Ed Hardy Cap is 99% for sure real. I can't really give a 100% unless I'm in physically holding it myself. These were the best pictures anyone has sent me. So a picture of the metal button on top, close up of the bill, inside and plastic strap are best!

How to spot a fake Ed Hardy cap

Which of these Ed Hard caps are fakes? It's easier than you think to pick them out. The real one is the one on the right in orange and brown while the fakes are in the black or white camouflage.

Ed Hardy products have been so hot in our store since we started carrying them over a year ago. The quality and attention to detail that goes into each products really shows. Their products are much sought after by fans and my staff alike. Unfortunately, the premium price this product pulls in makes it a favorite of counterfeiters too.

Lately I've been seeing some fake Ed Hardy caps floating around. A true fan would probably kill themselves before ever putting one on. However, I can see how the uninitiated may think they're getting a great deal. Unfortunately, they're only fooling themselves.

I've gotten my hands on a couple of fakes to really study how they're different from the genuine article. By no means is this a conclusive investigation but I hope to have starting point for others on how to spot a fake. The first 5 points are the most obvious while the remainder is harder to distinguish or easily fixed by the counterfeiters.

Hologram Sticker. Very obvious differences here.

• Not a Hologram. Real one has a serial number and countermeasure. Fake is just a shiny sticker
• Wrong Symbol. It's supposed to be a skull in a top hat with crossbones.
• Wrong Size. Real sticker is 1.5 inches while fake is 1 inch

Materials, Bill and Front.

• The material is quite a bit rougher, the fake is almost a canvas and comes in this camouflage pattern that doesn't exist.
• On the real cap there's also one extra line of stitching that runs right above the bill.

Materials, Mesh. This is where it's most obvious. The fake has this horrible poorly made material where the fakers didn't even try to replicate the original.

Adjustable Plastic Band. The fake one is flimsy and much thinner and doesn't have the website in raised letters.


Metal button on the top of cap. On the left, the real one definitely is more intricate and detailed. I can't even tell what the character the fake one is trying to be... an ape?

Embroidery. On fakes this is probably where the counterfeiters spent all their efforts. Even to me it's hard to tell it's a fake from it. There are some tell tale clues though:

• There is a noticeable shortage of density in the embroidery
• The lettering on the words "Ed Hardy" is a bit elongated, especially the loops in the beginning and end.

• Stones. The fake ones are all dull and placed in an odd way. Real hats would never have the stones placed on the eyes of the tiger.
  
• General Shape. The fake ones have no shape due to the cheap materials used. So even the front panels sag a bit.
  
• Country of origin and materials tag. There is none on the fake one.
• Ed Hardy Label. The tag is poorly sewed and much larger than the real one.
  
• The printing on the ribs on the inside. The "www.donedhardy.com" printing is quite a bit bigger.
  

When I was doing research for this post I found ads for fake hats all over the place. There really is a lot of fakes for sale out there. What pisses me off is the prices these cheaters are hoping to get. The prices are cheaper than the real thing but not by much. They're really ripping you off!

I could spot out the fake items right away, even from a tiny web for sale picture. The difference between the genuine article and the fake is very obvious. The 2 fake caps I have are quite cheap feeling and the mesh really won't hold out on repeated wearings.

If you think you have a fake hat, bring it by the store. We'll try to help you figure out it's authenticity.

Counterfeit Fashion in the Mall!

Well not in Oakridge Mall. Today's Vancouver Sun article covered a police raid in West Vancouver mall Park Royal (north or south side, who knows?). The store had some balls to sell Abercrombie and Fitch products out of a store called "Expressions Style Wear" for half the regular price! I wonder how many people bought A&F stuff from the store. You'd think most people would be able to pick up on the fairly obvious clues... or one would hope! The fellow merchants that shared the wing of the mall were pretty much screwed for the day. The police had shut down the entire mall section from 11AM to 3PM.

I'm not down with counterfeiting at all. I'm proud to say that at all of my stores that I've never considered doing a fake anything. Doing retail is tough, I understand that the pressures are immense for some retailers. Once you go down the path of fake things then you've hurt any credibility you had or ever will have. Mind you, there will always be people who believe something is fake. I was in Coach and this lady was demanding her money back because she believed her bag was fake. Yes lady, the Coach store will sell you a fake bag. Not impossible but not likely.

You're all probably expecting me to talk about a store in the Oakridge Mall that everyone believes sells fake things. Yes, we've had queries about "that" store from their customers and even vendors about their product mix. However, I won't talk much about them as it's really their decision to do these things. It'll come around soon enough.