Loewe x Howl's Moving Castle

[baggysweatpants]

Fakes are crazy these days! I had posted here about a Otori-Sama wallet on Fashionphile I was interested in but was suspicious. I pulled the trigger anyways because I had the option for free return and it was so obviously a fake. But it was INSANELY well made. The marquetry, dimensions, etc. was identical. What clued me into it was the thickness of the leather, the smell and the feel of it in hand. Another clue specifically for this wallet was that 4-5 other listings had the wallet with the same control # and identical photos. Otherwise it was honestly impossible to tell from photos.

Ethics aside, I'm not totally against fakes/replicas in general considering the ridiculous prices of the luxury market now. Instead, I'm really against people selling fakes as if they're real. If you're gonna sell me a fake give it to me for $50, don't try to trick me 😂

Controversial opinion, but I sort of agree. The Purseforum audience definitely is willing to pay for the real deal, but I think we also generally agree that luxury houses nowadays are really in it for the cash grab. The Puzzle Edge being pushed so heavily is 100% a symptom of lower quality but higher prices. If you're going to sell a really good replica with good leather and craftsmanship, just price it fairly and say that it's a replica! The scamming is so unnecessary.
But clearly the scammers get away with it often enough that making that insane profit is worth a few extremely irate customers.

 

[Chalkster]

For those of you buying Loewe x Ghibli items on the pre-loved market, please be careful. I thought it would be too hard to copy the marquetry and that the Ghibli capsule collections were too niche to fake, but where there's interest and money, seems there's enough incentive to make a fake.

This was my first Loewe item so I was uninitiated and super excited when I got this. Since then I bought another cardholder, a small vertical wallet, a dice pocket, sterling silver charm, leather Heen bag strap dice, all from the Ghibli collections and a flamenco mini from the Joe Brainard capsule.

Side by side with all the items, the difference was clear as day - the box colour, the bag weave, the booklet, the zipper engravings, the leather and stamping on the inside, all looked different. I realised it was a fake and my heart sank! Since then, I have raised a claim/complaint (purchased via ebay) and they've agreed to a refund.

Please see the pics below, I can't tell how an uninitiated person would ever know. Are there any tell-tale signs you can see?

View attachment 5894360

The biggest sign for this one is with Calcifer's colour imo. It's a deep red-orange, and both the colour (if memory services clear, it was more of a red-orange-- if that makes sense) and transition are a little different in the authentic piece.

 

[Chuo_freeway]

Hello!
Did anyone here buy the embroidered castle grey hoodie?

Would you please mind If I messaged you for a concern I have with mine?
Thank you so much in advance!

 

[Chuo_freeway]

Well since I didn't get an anwer I'm just going to post it in here for the general public haha



Do the signs of the tag mean that I can't wash it? It's a sweatshirt, how am I not supposed to whash it?

Could anyone give me any tips? Maybe it'll be fine as long as I wash it inside out and in cold/delicate cycle?

Thank you so much in advance!

 

[runtywendo]

Well since I didn't get an anwer I'm just going to post it in here for the general public haha

View attachment 5912272

Do the signs of the tag mean that I can't wash it? It's a sweatshirt, how am I not supposed to whash it?

Could anyone give me any tips? Maybe it'll be fine as long as I wash it inside out and in cold/delicate cycle?

Thank you so much in advance!

Looks like officially it's dry clean only with petroleum solvent. But if you post a photo of the fabric contents on the tag maybe we can suggest unofficial ways to wash yourself-- it's hard to tell without knowing the exact content of the fabric.

However, I'd caution against washing it yourself because this is an intricate piece with a lot of dyes on different materials (I'm assuming), so I'd only bring it to a very specialized, trusted dry cleaner that regularly handles luxury clothing. You don't want some random dry cleaner to accidentally make the dyes bleed or fray threads because they're inexperienced with luxury items. (I've heard horror stories)

 

[Chuo_freeway]

Looks like officially it's dry clean only with petroleum solvent. But if you post a photo of the fabric contents on the tag maybe we can suggest unofficial ways to wash yourself-- it's hard to tell without knowing the exact content of the fabric.

However, I'd caution against washing it yourself because this is an intricate piece with a lot of dyes on different materials (I'm assuming), so I'd only bring it to a very specialized, trusted dry cleaner that regularly handles luxury clothing. You don't want some random dry cleaner to accidentally make the dyes bleed or fray threads because they're inexperienced with luxury items. (I've heard horror stories)

Hi!
Thank you so much for answering, I appreciate it a lot! I took a look at the fabric contents:
- Main fabric is 100% cotton (good!)
- Embroidery is 97% polyester (also good, it's plastic, no dye involved) and 3% viscose (the trees/green part).
- it has two cow leather parts tags on the strings.
I'm assuming viscose is dyed, and that would be the delicate part of the garment, along with the two leather parts, right?
But also viscose is very common in fast fashion and besides loosing it's shape and feel after a few washes, it's fine, right?

 

[runtywendo]

Hi!
Thank you so much for answering, I appreciate it a lot! I took a look at the fabric contents:
- Main fabric is 100% cotton (good!)
- Embroidery is 97% polyester (also good, it's plastic, no dye involved) and 3% viscose (the trees/green part).
- it has two cow leather parts tags on the strings. View attachment 5912321
I'm assuming viscose is dyed, and that would be the delicate part of the garment, along with the two leather parts, right?
But also viscose is very common in fast fashion and besides loosing it's shape and feel after a few washes, it's fine, right?

First, I'd like to correct you on the polyester. Polyester CAN be dyed depending on how its made but it's usually more color fast than natural fabrics like cotton. But that doesn't mean it's perfectly color fast and won't bleed.

Agreed the most delicate parts are the cow leather and the viscose, however I don't think I'd ever put that in a washing machine at all. You never want the leather pieces to get soaked in water/liquid and the viscose can bunch up if not carefully washed/dried. I'd also be cautious with the use of different materials because when they come in contact with/are soaked in water they can shrink or expand at different rates. So some of the threads can contract a lot more than the rest of the garment in the wash and will bunch badly/ruin the item.

Honestly, looking at it, if you gave it to a dry cleaner they'd likely just use the dry clean chemical to spot clean wherever needed and avoid the 2 leather pieces/viscose. You can see an example of what I mean here:

Personally, I'd only spot clean by hand on my own. I'd proceed with EXTREME caution though because if there is evidence you didn't follow the label, Loewe reserves all rights to refuse you after-care service. Unfortunately, many luxury brands just slap on "dry clean only" labels on everything as liability protection and a cost-saving measure. Just my 2 cents. Maybe others will have more advice on washing luxury items at home.

 

[despair]

I wash my RTW in my washing machine on a cold hand wash cycle and every item in its own laundry net. But I have not washed anything besides jeans, tees and shirts myself. I generally put my jackets and sweatshirts and sweaters in the steam refresh cycle of my washing machine which isn’t a proper wash cycle, but for that HMC sweatshirt I’ll definitely only look at a reliable dry cleaner.

 

[runtywendo]

This may be a wild suggestion but another option could be to invest in a Samsung or LG airdresser? It has a steam refresh function that people say can almost substitute dry cleaning. Might be wary of the steam if it's hot steam, but maybe there's an air only cycle? Considering the amount we spend on LOEWE, $2-3k on a fancy steam cabinet isn't a lot right?

Video of how it works:

 

[Chuo_freeway]

Hi guys!

I appreciate all your comments and help! But I did end up washing it in the washing machine (laundry net, with a viscose/silk/synthetics specificic detergent and delicate cycle) and it looks exactly like it did before.

Yes it's an expensive sweatshirt and it's limited edition but at the end, leisure clothes are clothes that get a lot of use and I need to be able to put mine inside the washing machine. (Also, the color-capturing sheets came out white, so there was no color bleed at all).

The fibers can be combed for a tidy look, which brings out the different colors (keep in mind they're still wet).




As a side comment, the trees (viscose part) did shrink a little from what I can tell, but it didn't cause any deformation.

(Also, I have to be honest with you... I got this piece for 1/10 of it's original price, maybe thats why I took the risk in the first place...)

Posting here a picture of the before:


Thank you so much for all your comments! Take care

(Edit because of typos)

 

[despair]

At 1/10 of original price I would have dumped it in my washing machine too. Lol.

 

[yuzulife]

Paired the Calcifer strap with my '05 Teal City so that I could go crossbody - worked out quite well I think!

 

[CrystalTokyo]

Can someone else post a picture of the hardware logo and from the side of their calcifer hammock? I think I might have gotten a fake one from VC It looks extremely real, but it feels too stiff for calfskin, it almost feels like it's made of fake leather.

 

[CrystalTokyo]

I ended up sending it back. I'm 99% it's fake. The stitching, tags, certification card, and booklet threw me off. They looked exactly like the legit thing, but the bag was so stiff and pleather like. I'm not sure I can trust any reseller at this point. If anyone has suggestions for legitimate resellers please let me know! I'm on the hunt for a calcifer hammock.

 

[yuzulife]

I ended up sending it back. I'm 99% it's fake. The stitching, tags, certification card, and booklet threw me off. They looked exactly like the legit thing, but the bag was so stiff and pleather like. I'm not sure I can trust any reseller at this point. If anyone has suggestions for legitimate resellers please let me know! I'm on the hunt for a calcifer hammock.

I'm glad you were able to send it back and get a refund. Sorry you had to go through that. It's pretty crazy out there; stay safe.