Stone Island - How to spot and avoid fakes.Art no check

I have been buying Stone Island clothing for nearly 20 years now so know exactly what to look for when there are dodgy items knocking about. Here is my easy to use guide on spotting the cheap fake Stone Island clothing that has become such a nuisance on eBay. I've seen fakes change hands for more than 200 before, and only because the buyer doesn't have a clue that it's not real.

Top7 Things to avoid like the plague

Anything from China/Hong Kong with the ART No. 4615M440 as fakes go they are pretty convincing but are easily spotted because no matter what is for sale they all use the same art number!
Yellow stripe raso gomato jackets (Yellow stripe along the zip)
Anything where there is a photo of the wash label and the Art Number/Country of origin is missing or scrubbed out (unless it is a very old piece that predates art numbers - see last article below)
T-Shirts made from 100% Polyester or Nylon
Power Sellers with 50 BNWTJackets all on at 60 Buy it now
Stone Island Denims items with the button on arm patch
Stone Island Denims items with a Stone Island swing tag or vice versa

RULE 1 If it looks too good to be true IT IS!First thing you have to do is use your brain, it doesn't take a genius to realise that someonelisting a brand new with tagsStone Island jacketfor a buy it now price of 49.99 isn't selling a genuine item, especially when they have 20 of every size imaginable. As a guide genuine jackets bought from high street retails start from about 250 upwards, Jumpers 100 upwards, T-shirts 60 upwards - these are just guides of what you would expect to pay for brand new genuine items.Also there has been an influx of items bought from the stores such as TK Maxx that have been listed andsold for far cheaper than the guides I have suggested,condition and age vary but these can be bargains if you pick the right ones.Obviously second hand clothes tend to fluctuate in price, the rarer the piece the higher the price again condition and age have a bearing on how much the item is worth.

RULE 2 Always Ask QuestionsA typical listing of a fakes would go somethings like this. Genuine stone island jacket, unwanted gift.Followed by a fuzzy far away picture of a jacket. Now they may be telling the truth but 95% of the time they are hiding that fact that it is dodgy. Ask for clear photos of the garment itself, close ups of any swing Tags, the washing label (will explain why later), any buttons, the arm badge (if it has one) and the neck label(s). Ask for the ART (article) number, country of origin. If they shy away or say that they can't provide any informationthen walk away, spend your money elsewhere.

RULE 3 Stone Island/Stone Island DenimsI've lost count with the number of fakes I have seen that are branded as Stone Island Denims and have Stone Island patches on the arm - just doesn't happen never has and never will. Stone Island and Stone Island Denims are two different labels owned by the same company - think of Volkswagon and Audi same parent company not the same brand! Therefore any characteristics of Stone Island clothes will not be found on Stone Island Denims clothes and vice versa. The denims range never has come with the button on arm patch, it never has had the white STONE ISLAND neck label (these change from season to season) it is always a long thin blacklabel with the logo in the centre. You see this more often on fake T-shirts that have "Stone Island Denims" emblazoned across them then the white "STONE ISLAND"neck label shouting out "I'm a fake, don't buy me!". One last thing on this subject, Denims range swing tags are long and thin, Stone Island swing tags are an elongated square shape.

Fake Stone Island Denims"Jumper" With Stone IslandArm Patch and Stone Island Neck label!!!!!

Examples of a Stone Island Neck Tag (White Stone Island Tag - Never appears on a Denims Piece)Example of a Stone Island Denims neck tag, notice it's long and thin and BLACK!! Always has the current season's logo on it too (label pictured is from Winter 2003).

RULE 4 Art numbers, country of origin and the washing instructions label.To the average bloke on the street and to the peddlers/makers of fake rubbish the art number is just a jumble of letters and numbers. To people in the know, the Art number tells them, what year