How to spot fake Canada Goose?

Whether you own a collection of rare and limited Canada Goose pieces from various eras, or you're considering your first purchase, a common question likely crossed your mind... is this genuine? Continue reading to find out the most accurate methods of authenticating Canada Goose jackets.

Requests in our DMs for item authentication have surged like never before. It's the critical factor that can determine if you made the right purchase or not. As Canada Goose’s popularity has soared all over the world, it has also, regrettably, attracted counterfeiters, flooding the market with low-quality imitations. Initially, spotting fake Canada Goose jackets was simple since the fakers were slapping a Canada Goose patch on any jacket design, normally not one of which was actually a model in production. Unfortunately, over the last few years, the fakes' quality has enhanced, making it increasingly challenging to identify a counterfeit.

If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. That's the simple rule of thumb. However, we aim to help you in verifying items to ensure your own peace of mind. By following the brief steps outlined in this guide, you'll discover how straightforward it can be to authenticate Canada Goose jackets & more.

 

Examining the wash label is the most important technique in authenticating a Canada Goose jacket, as counterfeiters have yet to accurately replicate these labels with all of the minute details considered. This makes it the most effective method for ensuring authenticity. To help you, we've included images of some genuine labels, all of which have some minor differences although highlight the distinct features that fake labels often miss, solidifying it as the top strategy in discerning real Canada Goose products from imitations.

Let’s break down what exactly it is we’re looking at when we examine the wash labels above. There’s a lot to look at and there are a number of changes that get made each year to keep the labels unique to stay ahead of the counterfeiters.

The first thing you will notice is the white paper tag. It looks worn and crinkled, almost like a piece of A4 paper that’s been crunched up and thrown in the bin, later to be salvaged when you realise you need it. This is something you want to see on an authentic Canada Goose wash label. It has a real habit of curling up over time. This is an additional sign you may well have an authentic jacket in your hands.

Now what about all of the writing on the tag? There are 3 main attributes to each wash label: the style code, the size and the colour.

The style code is something that can be easily searched online. This should always match the garment you are looking at. In the case of the very top left tag in the above image, 5056M is a Canada Goose Lodge Down Jacket. The “M” in the tag means male whereas a woman's jacket will have “L” at the end. The colour is black so if you aren’t looking at a black Canada goose men's lodge jacket, there’s a serious problem and you may well have a fake in your hands.

If you’ve got a wash label that has either a blank section after the ‘style code:’ or ‘colour:’ sections, unfortunately, this is also a counterfeit. The reason for the blank tag makes a lot of sense actually. Think about a cheap factory producing fakes. Instead of having to make individual tags for each specific model, they make a blank tag that can be applied to a limitless number of Canada Goose models, lowering their overall costs. Check out the tag below which has been placed next to a real tag to show you how the fake looks in comparison.

The lack of text can clearly be seen on the fake label. A number of things here give it away. The font is printed too clean. Authentic Canada goose labels always print the text in a grainy, slightly messy style appearance, probably due to trying to print onto the crinkled paper. The fake tags always have very clean print text as if its printed on a smooth surface and as you’ll notice, there's a serious lack of details to help with identifying the jacket.

Key Wash Label Changes

Canada Goose have continued to update the design of their wash labels over the last few years as the continuous rise in counterfeit luxury fashion continues to plague the internet. This allows Canada Goose to stay ahead, ensuring each season they have something unique the fakers haven't managed to copy yet.

Some key changes made over the last few years are;

1. The font. In 2021, Canada Goose started using a mix of upper and lower case letters on some jackets. Prior to this, the care labels used to all be in block capitals.

 

If you’re reading this article, I’m sure you are aware that Canada Goose jackets aren’t cheap, otherwise, why would the fakers bother to make them? With continuous increases in the RRP price each season, the demand for Canada Goose continues to surge meanwhile becoming increasingly unaffordable. This is why people choose to buy one elsewhere rather than directly from the brand themselves. There are numerous websites and marketplaces online offering below RRP or second-hand Canada Goose. So how do you identify the retailers selling authentic stock? One of the quickest ways to sieve out the fakes is the price.

At the time of writing, the retail prices are as follows for the most popular models;

 

• Wyndham Parka £1,425* (with fur trim)
• Carson Parka £1,525* (with fur trim)
• Macmillan Parka £950* (no fur trim)
• Expedition Parka £1,725* (with fur trim)
• Langford Parka £1,495* (with fur trim)
• Chateau Parka £1,495* (with fur trim)
• Lodge Hoody £725*
• Lodge Jacket £675*

 

So it’s pretty clear that a popular Canada Goose model is going to cost you more than £1,000. In the very best cases, large retailers and authorised distributors of Canada Goose may be able to achieve somewhere in the region of 50% off RRP when buying in significant bulk orders. (Think spend of £100k minimum). This means for a retailer to make a hypothetical penny profit, they could sell a Wyndham Parka at £715. In reality, after the costs of staff, website operations, marketing, shipping, warehousing/storage, VAT & TAX, it’s going to need to be a great deal higher than that. If you see a website offering brand new Canada Goose stock with any more than 20% off current RRP, be very careful. Do your due diligence by using a reliable website such as Trust pilot to assess the quality of real customer reviews. Check the age of the retailer's oldest social media posts & the variety of payment methods they offer to ensure this isn’t a brand new business set up to scam customers out of their hard-earned money.

Bonus Tip - Tops & Knitwear

Something no other article online speaks about is the fact knitwear, tops & accessories do not have the same wash labels as jackets do. On all of these kinds of items, the hologram is always on top. Underneath this label is a very small care label with the style code, colour and size underneath. This label is not crinkly paper nor is the font grainy. It's just a standard label. The one thing worth noting here is that most of the fakes of these types of items NEVER get the style code right. It might even be something as simple as one of the fleeces where the style code matches a 1/4 zip model when the item is a full zip model. This is where it's important to search the style code online and ensure it's the same item you have in hand.

Why should I buy authentic?

Unfortunately, the quality of the fake Canada Goose logos and badges is just too close to authentic right now. There are fakes that do appear 1:1 from the external appearance of the jacket. This is why you must always use the wash label as the deciding factor in whether your jacket is legitimate or counterfeit. Do not let the surface-level appearance of fake products steer you away from buying an authentic jacket though. There are a number of other factors to consider when choosing to buy authentic instead of fake.

There are a number of reasons to choose authentic over counterfeit;

• Authentic products maintain value as the RRP continues to increase each year. This means if you wish to upgrade your wardrobe, you can sell it online and get a serious amount of retained value for it.
• Replica Canada Goose jackets are of lower quality, with internal materials that are not vouched for or sanitised in a way that is deemed safe for public use. Theres a reason Canada Goose certifies the down in their jackets is specially sourced and sanitised for safe wearing.
• Real Canada Goose jackets have a lifetime warranty meaning if there are any issues with zips, pockets, cuffs or internal down issues, leakage etc, the jacket can be sent in for repair. Sometimes people get sent a replacement if the jackets deemed beyond repair.
• Fake jackets fund illicit activity and endorse terrible working conditions in third world countries. By choosing authentic, you trust a company with a long standing track record in the designer industry.
• Buying an authentic jacket makes you feel good. You get to support the business you love whilst achieving something you've worked incredibly hard for. You deserve the real deal!

Thanks for reading and feel free to bookmark this article for future reading when you need a helping hand authenticating your latest purchase.