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How To Spot A Fake Stone Island

8 ways to spot a fake Stone Island

How to spot a fake Stone Island, 8 quick and simple tips to make sure you know your genuine pieces from the snides.

We’ll show you what to look for in the following areas – 

  • Price 
  • Packaging
  • Stone Island badges
  • Zips
  • Buttons
  • Certilogo authentication
  • ART number 
  • Country of origin

 Lets get started…

Price

Why is Stone Island so expensive? 

You pay for quality. The materials and techniques used in the Stone Island products carry a premium price.

If you’re being offered a Stone Island piece at a price that seems too good to be true, then it probably is. 

Packaging

A big giveaway if buying new, genuine Stone Island will come in branded and tagged packaging. Fakes will often be in nondescript packaging, a genuine Stone Island would never be in a non branded package. 

Tags on fakes might be plain whereas genuine Stone Island will be barcoded and the tag itself will have a high quality cut and feel.

How to spot a fake Stone Island badge

'Get the badge in Stone Island'...but is it fake?

Over the years there have been a number of different varieties of Stone Island badge based on the compass logo. 

The most familiar and commonly used badge is the green and yellow compass on a black background with a black edging. While colour and design has varied on different products, the design and principles for spotting fake Stone Island badges remain the same

For the standard yellow/green compass Stone Island badge, the yellow of the compass is a deep golden yellow.

How to spot a fake Stone Island

Stone Island lettering is a deep blue/green.

The two button holes on the badge will have an elliptical shape with the two longer sides being slightly curved. Fake Stone Island badges often have straight edged oblong button holes which will be the sign of a forgery. 

Genuine Stone Island badges will have a drop stitch in the centre of the outer edge of the two button holes, with the stitch dropping down and appearing as a small yellow dot on the badge border. Fakes may have this drop stitch missing.

On the reverse of the badge a real Stone Island badge will have white stitching between the yellow and green on the compass, fakes could have a different colour, real badges will always be white.

Stone Island don’t sell badges separately. If you see individual badges for sale, that’s a sign of a fake, unless, of course it’s been removed from an original garment (why would you?) Ask the seller.

If after inspection, the badge looks genuine it’s still worth being cautious as counterfeiters can use original Stone Island badges on fake products to try and fool purchasers. It’s always worth a thorough check of the whole garment. 

What side is the Stone Island badge on?

On tops, the Stone Island badge will be found on the upper left sleeve of the garment.

What size is a Stone Island badge?

Standard green and yellow compass badges measure 4.5 by 9 cm.

FDR Clothing

Stone Island Zips

As you’d expect with Stone Island they use premium zips on their products, firstly look for quality.

Zips on Stone Island products will either be Lampo or YKK. On older products look for a Lampo zip, these will be embossed with Lampo name or logo. On newer products look for branded YKK zips.

How to spot a fake Stone Island Lampo or YKK zips

While there has been the odd occasion where a different zipper has been used, if the piece doesn’t have a Lampo or YKK zip then it should be a cause for concern and further authentication should be explored.

Stone Island Buttons

Focus on the buttons which attach the Stone Island badge to the product.

Genuine Stone Island buttons will be engraved with the words ‘Stone’ & ‘Island’ around the circumference of the face of the button with the words separated by two crosses (miniature compasses). Sleeve buttons that fasten the badge to the sleeve will normally be black in colour and consistent in diameter.

How to spot a fake Stone Island

Since 1986, all buttons have a cross in the middle which form the stitching holes, rather than four circular holes which are often found on fakes.

Further evidence of a genuine piece can be found on the rear of the buttons. Look for a small indent, directly behind the engraved word ‘Island’ on the front of the button and positioned central of the word. 

If missing, it means you’re looking at fake Stone Island buttons and unless there’s a reason that the buttons have been replaced, then a fake product .

Stone Island ART Number

Stone Island first started using ART numbers in 1986 to help verify genuine pieces.

The ART number identifies the year, season, brand, product type, material, colour and treatment process and will be found on the product label.

The first two digits indicate the year and season the product was made. Odd numbers represent autumn/winter collections, even numbers, spring/summer.

The next two digits show which brand the product belongs too. 15 is Stone Island, 16 Stone Island Junior, 14 Stone Island Denim, 18 CP Company and 25 Stone Island Limited Editions.

The fifth digit indicates the product type, for example 1 means shirts.

The final digits in the ART code refer to the material, the colour and the treatment process.

Certilogo Stone Island Authentication

Since the Spring/Summer collection of 2014 Stone Island have been using Certilogo to verify the identity of original garments. 

A unique 12-digit Certilogo code (preceded by the letters CLG) and a QR code will be found on the security label of each garment. Enter this 12-digit code into the Certilogo portal, or scan the QR code and it will confirm the authenticity of the individual product.

Check the back of the Certilogo label on the product. On an authentic label the stitching will be visible on the reverse, on replicas it may not.

How to spot a fake Stone Island

Country Of Origin

All recent Stone Island pieces come with a label, on which will be listed the country of origin. Predominantly this will show as Italy, Romania or Tunisia. Occasionally, other countries may be listed, but if there is no origin on the label, then it’s a fake.

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