Sunday, January 7, 2007

Real vs. Fake: Rock & Republic Jeans

After being taken many a time by sellers pushing FAKE Rock & Republic jeans myself, I've decided to share what I've learned of the brand and write a guide so others will not fall prey to counterfeits as well! Please note, this is not a sure-fire fool-proof guide, but an aid in identifying AUTHENTIC vs. FAKE and is by no means all inclusive.
Rock & Republic jeans retail anywhere from $160 up to as high as $400. With prices that high, there are certain QUALITY standards the company maintains prior to distributing their apparel.

The BASICS:

Craftmanship: AUTHENTIC Rock & Republic jeans will contain virtually NO flaws whatsoever. Rock & Republic jeans does not sell seconds to discount stores. Either they are perfectly made or they are scrapped. You will not find missing rivets or stitching on a pair of R&Rs unless they have been heavily worn. This takes us to the...

CRYSTALS: A few of the most faked styles of Rock & Republic jeans are those with swarovski crystal detailing (Stevie Chromas & Crystal Roths).
Stevie Chromas with crystals and Jagger Chromas with crystals are virtually IMPOSSIBLE to find. They were made in very limited quantities. I've only seen one real pair to date. Identifying factors:



Crystal Roths (the ones with the R's on the pockets) are also a highly faked style. Follow the same steps to verify authenticity with couple more indicators:


1. INSEAM: Unless hemmed, they should be at LEAST 34 inches.

2. WASH/DISTRESSING: This should look the same on all auth. pairs.

3. CRYSTALS: They will be PERFECTLY placed within the R's.

  • If they look to be messy/placed unequally, chances are they're fake.
  • The crystals should fill the entire open area of the R.
  • Real crystals are VERY sparkly and reflective. (They say "look at me!")
  • Fake crystals appear plastic-looking.
  • REAL crystals are firmly glued in position & almost never fall off.


4. THE 'R': The R on the back pockets has a shape that never changes.

  • Real R&R's have sharp, straight edges with points; fakes are curved.
  • The top loop and the leg of the R should be exaggerated

Labels: Newer Rock & Republics jeans contain two inner labels. One is a size tag, the other is a care tag. Older styles may have only one tag with all the information.

1.The size label: this label is typically on the left side. However, on newer styles it is directly on top of the care label near the zipper. It contains the logo, the size and commonly has a security strip (though not always)

  • The size tag should say "Digitally mastered in the USA"
  • The size should be boldly stitched on the tag, not printed.
  • Note the fonts of the text, this should be the same on all RRs.
  • It should have a shiny silver Security Strip across the bottom(some do,some don't)
  • This strip will reveal serial numbers when magnified

The Care Label: On some of the newer R& Rs, this label is about 2 inches x 2 inches wide and it has a bumpy canvas like feel/look to it. Most fakes will have a smooth tag. All the information is PRINTED on this label. It has the big bold Rock & Republic jeans logo, followed again by "Digitally mastered in the USA". Below this is the style and cut #s, followed by the fabric ingredients. The back of this tag will have RN#s and CA#s

  • The Style # is typically something like: crthgls
  • To decipher this: Crystal RoTH GLySerine
  • The Cut # is the cut used for that batch of jeans.
  • This tag will always have PRINTED info in both black or red.
  • Again, note the fonts. This is the same on all newer RR care tags.
  • UPDATE: RR has switched this tag yet again!! There are now Style Codes, Style #s and Wash Codes! (Utterly confused yet?! Don't be! The Style Code will tell you the cut/style and the wash, the rest shouldn't matter much!)

I must credit Jenuine_Bruin with the formatting and style of this guide. She's created an awesome guide for authenticating Seven For All Mankind jeans.

Tips how to compare between Republic Jeans and the fake one.