The detectives who sniff out ‘superfake’ luxury bags

WEARING black cloth gloves and holding a magnifying glass, Heloise Meyer gingerly examines a grey Hermès Birkin bag. No detail escapes her, as she shines a bright light from the magnifying glass onto the bag’s interior, labels, and even minute engravings.

To my untrained eye, this Birkin looks no different from any of the others on display at the Carousell luxury showroom. But this is in fact a very convincing knock-off.

Meyer lets me look through the magnifying glass at the zipper, where the brand name is engraved. Instead of carrying the Hermès label – with a grave accent mark – the zipper is wrongly branded Hermés, with an acute one.