Zipper pulls
Zipper pulls are always engraved with the Marc Jacobs logo. Marc Jacobs zippers are very distinctive. The MJ logo will always start with Marc on the thickest part of the zipper pull.
Marc Jacobs uses RIRI zippers on their classic bags. The i’s on the zipper do not have a curved bottom edge, if you see a regular i, avoid it. Real RIRI zippers should have a rounded head, and should not come to a “point” at all. Some fakers have even realized the fakes that they need RIRI or Lampo zippers, but there are usually distinguishable qualities between the real ones, and fake ones.

On the bottom of a real RIRI zipper, there is always a number, signifying the “size” of the zipper. These RIRI zipper heads are the most common in the Marc Jacobs bags. The larger zipper is RIRI M8 and the zippers for the small inner pockets are M4.

If you look at the top of the zipper head, you can see how it is entirely curved or rounded shape, and doesn’t come to a “point” above the word RIRI.

Just a note, there are several Marc Jacobs handbags that have Lampo zippers. Some of the older bags have LAMPO on them and there is another Lampo zipper that has the lightning bolt underneath the word “Lampo.” A Lampo zipper is used on the East/West bags.

All Marc Jacobs bags have either RIRI or Lampo.

Serial Numbers:
Serial numbers are found in some of the inner zipped pocket in the corner seam. They are black or white with black letters with the seasons that the bag came from. For example: F06 plus the three or four other numbers. This means that the bag was made in fall of 2006.

Not all bags have serial numbers. The older ones typically do not nor do many of the signature MJ bags like the MP, Stella, Sophia.

Made in Italy
The vast majority of MJ bags have this stamp or tag on the metal plate, under the Marc Jacobs or it could be in the inner zippered pocket sewn in side. There are also bags that have the made in Italy stamped on the leather of the bag, near the lip.

Tags and Serial Numbers
Marc Jacobs items never have metal or leather tag hanging off it…most faked tags are metal ones that say “Marc Jacobs” on it and some are a leather tag that says “Genuine leather.” Only tags that are paper from a store or Marc Jacobs’s tags are appropriate.

Marc Jacobs bags and shoes do not have embossed serial numbers.

The inner labels on the bags are NEVER leather. They are metal.
Marc Jacobs inner nameplate
The older signature style bags have the metal nameplates, either gold or silver. The newer bags have MJ embossed onto the leather.
Marc Jacobs tags
The tag that is attached to the bag which describes the style, price, name and color should always be attached by a black string. The string is held together by a white plastic Marc Jacobs rectangular piece. Fake bags have the tags handing on a WHITE string.
Marc Jacobs Multipockets
If the bag has a suede interior, all the outer pockets will have suede interiors. There will be four metal feet, one at each corner of a Large MP but no feet on the small MP. MPs all have rolled leather handles. There is only one zippered interior pocket. The zipper pull will have Marc Jacobs engraved on it. Zipper heads will be RIRI M4.
Marc Jacobs Stella
Fake Stella bags have a square appearance (the edges should be slightly curved so that when it’s flat the bottom has a round appearance), missing or incorrect colored top stitching, and larger thick shoulder straps. Authentic Marc Jacobs Stella bags have shoulder straps that should be approx. 1.5″ wide.
On the real Stellas, the zipper in the front should have space between the ends of the front pocket and the ends of the bag (not all the way from side to side).
The RIRI on the zipper is found on the backside (the part that faces the inside of the bag) of all zippers (the top zipper, front pocket & inner pocket). “RIRI” should also be stamped on both sides of the silver end piece which stays attached to the bag and hooks into the zipper pull (a total of 5 RIRI markings). Fakes use YKK zippers and RIRI markings that do not have the \ edge for the i.