Unfortunately, counterfeits follow brands with demand and enough profit margins for the makers. The North Face company has been around since 1966 and offers some of the best cold-weather gear since. But it can get pricey buying retail. If you are on the secondhand market for a great deal, it is important that you know how to spot fake North Face.
We will also go over how to identify your North Face style or model using the style numbers. This will be another tool to help you with authenticating your North Face.
How To Spot Fake North Face Clothing
As we mentioned earlier, the North Face company has been around since the 1960s. Over the decades, it has become a part of pop culture clothing, having recently collaborated with Luxury brands like Gucci. But that also means those making counterfeits have gotten more clever with their copies.
It may be easier to tell a counterfeit for newer models because it will have various tags with style or model numbers. They will also have the season and year that it was released so you can compare against it. For more vintage items, this is how to spot a fake North Face. The general rule applies even if you still need some pointers for newer models. Here are things you need to look for right away if you suspect a counterfeit.
Disclaimer: We DO NOT support counterfeits. It is illegal and unethical. We came across our example from a thrift store and bought it thinking it was vintage. It is only from further inspection that we found out it was a fake and decided to make this guide to help others identify fakes.
Main tag
You will see that the main tags have different fonts. Different counterfeits may even have different fonts than the one here. However, you can compare it with the real tag.
You will also see that the half dome logo looks different. The real North Face tags will have even spaces between each ridge. You will see that the gaps on the fake are much wider and shorter.
Fabric content
One of the easiest ways to tell whether an item is authentic or fake is to look at the fabric content. Larger details like zippers and design may be easier to copy. However, one thing that counterfeits tend to overlook is the small details in the fabric content. You can check out this butcher job here for another brand.
The fake fabric tag starts writing toward the bottom instead at the top. And where it starts to especially go down hill is when it is describing the contents. The real jacket says “100% NYLON LAMINATED WITH PTFE” while the fake jacket says “100% NYLONLAMINATED WITHPTFE”. There are no spaces between the words. If you go to the next lines, you will see the same.
A reputable company like the North Face who has been around for decades would not make simple grammatical mistakes.
Care Tag
For our particular example, this counterfeit did not even bother to include a care tag. If the jacket that you’re looking at has one, check to make sure that everything is spelled correctly. Also, check for spaces between the words. Many counterfeits are made in non-English speaking countries. So they tend to overlook spelling and grammar.
North Face Trademarks
Authentic North Face jackets with their Gore-Tex material will have an additional Gore-Tex label. As you see from the fake jacket, the Gore-Tex label does not have the registered trademark sign nor the underline.
What is strange is that the Gore-Tex writing inside the lining actually has this registered trademark. So why the inconsistency?
Stitching
A minor but important way to spot a fake North Face is by looking at the stitching. If you know anything about sewing, you will see that the stitches are longer on the fake jacket. Even if you’re not familiar with sewing, you can see the difference in this very small detail. The type of thread used also looks different.
Hardware
Another easy way to spot a fake or counterfeit item is to look at the hardware such as buttons and zippers.
Buttons
As you see on the fake buttons, the outside has shiny North Face writing and logo. However, the half-dome is once again, far too narrow with wide gaps. Additionally, the inside snap of the button says “Bee – Y – J408HT -“. None of these details are found in the real North Face buttons.
In fact, the real North Face items have “The North Face” written around the button. The letters are shaped to fit circular so the “H”s are particularly distinctive among the letters. You will find this style of writing on some zippers too.
Zippers
You can usually tell fakes by the zippers used because authentic YKK zippers can be more expensive than the ones counterfeiters normally use to cut down costs. While you may still see the “YKK” being used in the fake here, the fabric tab that’s attached will give the fakeaway. The North Face writing is once again written without spaces between the words.
The “YKK” part of the zipper may very well be a copy. The fonts are slightly different than any of the other authentic zippers.
Actual Fabric
As we saw earlier, the fabric content of both the fake and real are supposed to be 100% Nylon. You may not be able to feel that they’re actually quite different in texture by looking at photos. However, you can see it. The Nylon of the authentic item looks smoother with threads even. The copy looks much more textured.
Sizing
There are a lot of good fakes out there that may pass with their attention to detail. However, sizing is something counterfeits often get wrong. Make sure you know your size and how items from authentic North Face fit your body. Fakers can make clothing bigger or smaller than the real thing.
How Do I Find My North Face Style Number?
If you bought your jacket second-hand or forgot the style, there is still a way to do a North Face model number lookup. Here’s how to identify North Face jacket mode.
For older models like the one from 2012, you may find the style number behind the size tags. Keep flipping until you see the style/model number. You will see here that it says “A71V”. You can type this into google to see completed listings from eBay or other e-commerce websites. Match the item with what you have. This will tell you the exact model name of your item.
You may also find the style number by the care tag on the side. Keep in mind that your style number may start with an A or a C. If you do not see any search results on the main Google page, you can check images to match the item. You can also go to eBay or other selling platforms.
For newer models like the one pictured below from 2020, you may find the North Face style number by the care tag. The care tags are on the left side of the garment. There will be a separate white tag below with a row of letters and numbers.
Unlike older style numbers that normally start with an “A” or “C” followed by three letters and or numbers, the newer style numbers are longer. For example, this one says “NF0A3JQC”. You will still start with the A and type “A3JQC” onto google. You will then see a listing on a retailer’s website.
Is Buying The North Face Worth It?
The North Face can be pricey, especially if you buy retail at full price. So people often ask whether buying a North Face jacket is worth it. The simple answer is YES. Why do we say this? When we look at a company and its merchandise, one of the biggest factors we look at if the company stands behind their brand quality.
The North Face has a warranty against defects in materials and workmanship with a Limited Lifetime Warranty. So if you have a jacket or even shoes (within one year for shoes) that were a defect or broke in some way, you can send it in for a repair. All you have to do is fill out this form and send it to their address.
We have sent in items that needed repairs and have been impressed with North Face’s customer service from our own experience. We received a gift card for the amount of a jacket when they were not able to repair it. But some scammer stole the information of our digital gift card and spent it all in a different state that we have not been to in years.
We called the company and explained. We were floored that they replaced the full amount of $270! They did not have to do that but they did. We since rank the North Face to the likes of Patagonia and Lululemon who are phenomenal.
