Spotting real and fake Kånken (UPDATED)

Hey!

I'm sure everyone would be aware, but lately the Kånken bag trend has been on the rise. Kånken is a bag brand from Sweden, and their bags have been featured in countless blogs, be it on platforms such as tumblr or Pinterest. 

Here's a pic of the lilac Kånken I got recently along with my OOTD!

That being said, there are many Kånken bags online, and some of them are replicas. Sadly, there have been many dishonest sellers who sell fake kankens at high prices which can pretty much afford you an authentic one if you find it at the right price. 

This is especially prominent on platforms such as Carousell, where sellers claim that their Kånken bags are authentic and charge exhorbitant prices for the fake bags, prices ranging from $20+ (most of these people are honest and admit that their kankens are replicas- replicas are very very cheap) to $100+ SGD (you can pretty much buy a real Kånken at that price) 

So that's the thing: 

How do you know if you're buying a real one? 

I've decided to create a guide so that people will understand how to identify a real and fake Kånken, and hopefully, you won't be fooled or cheated by those dishonest people who claim they've got "the real thing"

Which websites to purchase Kånken bags from: 

There are many many websites out there, selling real kankens, and also fake ones. 

A very trusted and popular site among people I know who bought kankens is http://www.ilovemykanken.com/

This website carries AUTHENTIC kankens, not fake ones. I'd highly recommend this one as it has free international shipping, and also a discount code for purchases (20% off) 

Another site would be by the very company that created the bag: Fjallraven

http://www.fjallraven.us/products/kanken

There are also different companies that you can buy Kånken bags from such as Urban Outfitters. 

I would not recommend any marketplace websites such as Qoo10 etc. because independent sellers sell their bags there and hence the authenticity is questionable depending on the seller.

If you don't want to buy the Kånken bag at full price: 

Now here's the good part: you do not have to spend over a hundred dollars on a Kånken bag (that's the average cost in SGD if you buy from any stores 

I personally bought my Kånken bag on Carousell, in tip top condition, so I'll give you a guide on how to find the real thing. 

Let's get this straight: Kånken does not have any "factory rejects" out for sale. They do have an outlet in Europe just one in Sweden I believe, but the kankens there should look every bit like the real one, so don't buy from anyone claiming they have supplies "direct from the factory". Oh hell no they don't. 

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS FACTORY STOCKS OR REJECTS. 

And let's be honest - do you really think that someone who brings the real deal back from Europe is going to charge you any cheaper than around $100 which is retail price? No, not unless they've already used it.

1. Reflective logo

I'm not all too sure about this one, but apparently the central Kånken logo should be reflective, not matte. It also shouldn't be a layer of gloss over a print, it's just a nicely sown on, good quality logo. However, I've bought fake kankens before (realised it was fake and luckily I got a refund) and I realise it's not that easy to identify via logo.

Make sure that it doesn't feel rough - the fake one I got previously had a logo that felt like sandpaper or the rough material on a nailfile. The original one should be smooth.

2. All the dots are there: 

The a's in the Fjällräven Kånken logo should have its "a" printed as "å" and "ä"

However, please beware, fakes have this too (very often) 

This logo has to be sewn on properly as well and not curl in any particular direction- it lies flat on your bag.

3. The fox button and WASA logo. 

To me, this is one of the most distinctive signs: 

The fox button has to look like this: 

I've bought fakes before, and they look vastly different. You can pretty much tell which one is fake and which one is real. This is truly the best way to identify. The buttons should also be the same size throughout, regardless of model.

Also, the back of the button should have a WASA6 logo:

However, high grade replicas can have this too, so make sure both are there.

4. Zips. 

The side of the zips should have YKK printed on it (it's a zipper supplier) and the fjallraven prints.

UPDATE: My lilac kanken mini does not have YKK on the zips, but the normal sized fog kanken I had does have it.

My mini kanken zips look like this:

That being said, I'm not sure if the fake ones have this 

5. Material tag: 

Make sure that the Kånken you buy has the model printed correctly 

For the classic Kånken, the tag should say 23510- Kånken, and the number changes to 23561 for kanken mini.

Kanken's main material should be polyvinyl alcohol and not anything else.

Kanken is either produced in Vietnam of China - no other places. Do check the colour is correct in chinese as well as the code number (google translate would be a useful tool if chinese is not your native language)

6. Packaging. Kånken should come with a tag giving the correct code number. However, some sellers may remove it as they have used it. My Kånken didn't come with that tag, but it came with this: 

(Sorry it's so folded) 

But it's a Kånken catalog brochure. I do advise people who buy their kankens to keep this as evidence because it's part of proving authenticity (some people could just stick theirs into a fake one so don't take this as absolute evidence).

Kånken should also come with this thin grey foam padding that keeps it in shape when being sold. 

7. Material

It should feel abit like a soft raincoat material almost, and not any crackly material which I am told fakes do have. Take a feel of your bag and ruffle it around a bit to check.

Love,

Khione