How to authenticate a Hermès Kelly bag

The Kelly is the dream bag.
Which also makes it the most copied bag.
If you’re ever trying to spot a fake without having a panic attack, here’s what you need to check. 

Check the stamp. It tells the fakes immediately. 

Real Hermès stamps are subtle. Clean, shallow, elegant.
Not shouting, not pressed like someone was angry at their job.

Fake Kelly stamps?
They’re usually way too deep, bold, and uneven, like the text is trying to claw its way out of the leather.

If the font appears thick, smudgy, or simply too loud?
Mm-hmm. You already know.

Look at the stitching. Hermès stitches by hand, the fakes… don’t. 

Real stitching is rounded, clean, neat and perfectly spaced

Fake stitching is the opposite:
messy, uneven, and low-key chaotic, like the thread had a rough morning.

Also, the thread on a real Kelly feels strong and durable.
On a fake? It tends to be thin, weak, and sad.

Hardware check. This is where fakes fall apart

Hermès hardware is chef’s kiss perfect. 

Metal plates are thin with sharp details
The engraving is clean and lightly done
Screws are hollow, not raised

Fake hardware gives itself away instantly. 

Plates are chunky or dull
Screws are raised or fully covered, not hollow
The “Hermès Paris” engraving looks deeper, bolder, and sometimes even crooked

If the hardware looks off… the bag is off.

The closure. This part should be perfectly symmetrical

Real Kelly closures have straight edges with everything aligned, and that classic Hermès “nothing is out of place” precision

Fakes?
The closure is usually slightly off, uneven, or tilted.
It’s one of those things you can’t unsee once you spot it.

The overall lettering

Real lettering is small, clean, pale, and crisp.
Fake lettering is bolder, deeper, and sometimes smudged, as if it were traced instead of engraved.

Instead of examining fonts, screws, and stitching like a detective on a crime show, you can just buy from SWRL.

Every single Hermès piece on SWRL goes through:
✨ Human authentication by real experts who look at these exact details
✨ Plus verification by LegitGrails, 

So whatever you buy on SWRL is actually authentic, no guessing, no zooming, no “oh god what if.”