A wave of counterfeit, but sophisticated Lady Dior handbags flooded the luxury second-hand market between 2023 and 2025, fooling even major authentication platforms. This phenomenon, uncovered by a group of collectors and chronicled in an investigation by Glitz.Paris, involves more than 150 exotic leather bags sold in France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and the Philippines. The detail that triggered the alert? The interior embossed leather tags were not made of genuine exotic leather, as expected for high-end models. But that’s not the only anomaly. The bags are the product of a new form of counterfeiting: the so-called fake hybrids, which combines authentic elements and precisely reproduced components. A mechanism capable of passing even artificial intelligence software checks: so refined, in fact, that it has put several luxury brands on alert.
The new fake hybrid
The bags that ended up in the experts’ crosshairs looked perfect: leather mimicking the imperfections of exotic ones, consistent metallic finishes, in such good conditions they looked new, while claiming to be vintage. Some models had subtle inconsistencies, such as silver lettering on bags with gold metallics or new components next to worn parts. Minute details that only a trained eye could pick up on, but enough to expose an ingenious system. They were assembled with authentic materials salvaged from used specimens, often purchased on the Japanese market, and fake parts created ad hoc. The handbags were made so well that they managed to pass unscathed through the analysis of AI-based software, which focuses on micro-details such as leather grain or stitching types.
Another challenge
The consequence? A slew of erroneously issued certificates of authenticity, sales concluded on international platforms, and prices approaching that of new items in some cases. According to documents obtained by Glitz, however, most of the bags were allegedly put into circulation by Japan Luxury by Christian Carlos, a Southeast Asian retailer. Although JLCC mainly operates in the region, its bags reach Europe and the United States through reliable channels, attracting buyers convinced by the impeccable reputation of the Japanese secondhand market.
In fact, Japan is where many of the authentic items (later reassembled by counterfeiters) may have come from. Some bags from the same lot, are allegedly still for sale, with prices sometimes exceeding 11,000 euro. In short, a new challenge looms for luxury leather goods: distinguishing authentic goods from fake ones is no longer enough. Fake hybrids raise the bar, combining deception and technology. A wake-up call for the entire authentication system.
Photo from Dior
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