Thai Levi's Fakes

[sybaritical]

Bangkok is awash with fake levis. Raw ones run about 300 baht, Chatachak and Sapan Poot night market are your best bet. While the worn pairs can be exquisite there is also a lot of really filthy crap about and the Thais are more on it than people would have you believe ... If you're not asian, look at paying about 600 - 1000 baht (after haggling) for your dream fade. I've seen Thai fakes change hands for lots more than that.

[Dex_star]

When i went like 6 years ago all i bought were fake diesels

please dont neg rep me

[Dex_star]

Heres some pics of my brothers fake Evisus from bangkok... MBK

They were like $12

not selvedge, no chainstitch, Evisu embossed rivets, atleast they did the crotch rivet, like patent leather or somehting gulls and patch, patch embossed no.2, denim feels pretty heavy, 13-14oz?

[Largo]

hows the prices of the jp brands there?

For new stuff at MBK I've seen it run usually around 8,000-12,000 baht or so. It depends on the model, generally. Compared to Japan pricing, they seem a little over what you'd pay in $US, but there's still the occasional gem that never sold in there, like those crazy SDAxLee repros.

Bangkok is awash with fake levis. Raw ones run about 300 baht, Chatachak and Sapan Poot night market are your best bet. While the worn pairs can be exquisite there is also a lot of really filthy crap about and the Thais are more on it than people would have you believe ... If you're not asian, look at paying about 600 - 1000 baht (after haggling) for your dream fade. I've seen Thai fakes change hands for lots more than that.

All true. Plus it helps to look around a lot. One guys 'vintage Levis' will sell for 1000 baht, while another will cheerfully tell you they're used fakes and sell them for 500. Markets are funny that way. Which night market is Sapan Poot? Doesn't ring a bell...

edit @ DexStar: Those don't look half bad! I've seen similar models there, but not with that patch. The labels always read that they're the '2007' model, so maybe they update their fakes from year to year...

[sybaritical]

Sapan Poot is an excellent night market under a bridge near the all night flower market in the Thonburi district.

Short bit about it here

[coleslawyum]

This is an interesting thread. To have a bunch of pictures all together of fakes, feels almost like a commentary on fashion industry. Its important to document. Thank you for your posts.

[somatoform]

One surefire sign of a Thai fake is extra selvage on beltloops, or visible selvage on the coin pocket.

You're right about that. But some fakes don't have the belt loop and coin pocket selvage. I've got a pair.

[joey_formal]

the quality on some of the thai fakes blows my mind, thai selvage might make a good starting point for small up start denim companies looking for good quality and low prices.

[Blackplatano]

how do you guys find those faded fake thai levi's on ebay?

They looked like they are worth getting just for the novelty if they run less then $20.

[theLorax]

I'll sell the ones I posted earlier in this thread for $30 shipped in the US.

[somatoform]

The thing is that the Thai fakes are better than the real deal. You've basically got an APC Rescue fitting jean with a slightly lower rise and a waist that doesn't stretch all that much, certainly not to the extent that the APC's do (though not all Thai fakes are the same cut).

I'v got four pairs all dry, five if I include my second hand ones, all bought from Thailand.

The manufacturers of these jeans (Chadra, to name but one) would be well advised to cut out the Levis faking and just sell them rebranded as Thai dry selvage denim. I'd gladly pay 100 bucks for them.

[joey_formal]

hell i'd glad buy a bolt of their selvage denim from them.

[Largo]

The thing is that the Thai fakes are better than the real deal. You've basically got an APC Rescue fitting jean with a slightly lower rise and a waist that doesn't stretch all that much, certainly not to the extent that the APC's do (though not all Thai fakes are the same cut).

I'v got four pairs all dry, five if I include my second hand ones, all bought from Thailand.

The manufacturers of these jeans (Chadra, to name but one) would be well advised to cut out the Levis faking and just sell them rebranded as Thai dry selvage denim. I'd gladly pay 100 bucks for them.

Well a lot of them are what I'd call 'lazy repros', with blatantly ripped off Levis arcs and practically identical patches, but with minor details (buffalos instead of horses or whatnot) changed. I've seen about three 'major' cuts in the Thai fakes-one slim leg low-rise, one loose antifit, and this bizarre 'saddle cut' style, that I'd have to take pics of to describe.

I have honestly thought a bit about finding one of the manufacturers and re-branding the Thai fakes, just out of pure denim obsession, but I frankly have no idea what I'd do with them before or after the case. But if I used one of the really nice fakes with all the hidden rivets and chainstitching as a template, yeah-you'd have a really nice 50-100$ jean, all said and done. Maybe less, depending.

[poly800rock]

The thing is that the Thai fakes are better than the real deal. You've basically got an APC Rescue fitting jean with a slightly lower rise and a waist that doesn't stretch all that much, certainly not to the extent that the APC's do (though not all Thai fakes are the same cut).

I'v got four pairs all dry, five if I include my second hand ones, all bought from Thailand.

The manufacturers of these jeans (Chadra, to name but one) would be well advised to cut out the Levis faking and just sell them rebranded as Thai dry selvage denim. I'd gladly pay 100 bucks for them.

That's exactly what Justin jeans are.

[Largo]

True, but they're using the 'normal' 2-300 baht range of jeans, usually with washes ranging from interesting to terrible-I was considering hunting down one of the manufacturers who makes the higher end fakes (the LVC and big 'E' ones, etc.).

In fact, I remember someone here had contacted that Suthee guy who had been saying he represented a local denim mill or something-was it you Poly?

[poly800rock]

no, i think that was miz.

the justin's i saw back in 06 were basically the same thing as levi's knockoff, but for 1000bht. why even bother, when for 400bht or less you can get levi's knockoffs.

[Largo]

no, i think that was miz.

Oh, well I can't ask him anything-he's scary!

the justin's i saw back in 06 were basically the same thing as levi's knockoff, but for 1000bht. why even bother, when for 400bht or less you can get levi's knockoffs.

Right! All you're paying for is the re-branding and the wash. In fact, now that I think about it, I haven't seen anybody here wearing them, either (although I'll admit I haven't looked too hard). Did you ever see those guys who'd been wearing their jeans so hard the whiskers on the lap had actually worn through the jeans?

[poly800rock]

Oh, well I can't ask him anything-he's scary!

Right! All you're paying for is the re-branding and the wash. In fact, now that I think about it, I haven't seen anybody here wearing them, either (although I'll admit I haven't looked too hard). Did you ever see those guys who'd been wearing their jeans so hard the whiskers on the lap had actually worn through the jeans?

my fake levis are those.

these justin's were 1000bht for raw, like 2000bht for worn pairs. not washes through a laundry. actually smelly worn pairs.

you hang out with analyst out there? i need to get back there before he leaves

[Largo]

Still trying to meet up w/Analyst-maybe this weekend if I'm lucky.

I think prices might have dropped on Justin's since you were here though-I'd swear they were less than 2000, but like I said, I haven't really checked out their stores that much. Did you get them at Chatuchak?

[poly800rock]

i never bought justins. i got a pair of raws for like 200-250bht, and the worn evisu and levi's selvedge for i think total 1000bht. I'm a pretty aggresive haggler so i think thats why it ended up so cheap.

[Largo]

Nicely done. Oh, those Evisus looked like that when you GOT them? Daaaamn. I should go find the guy who wore them in and convince him to post on SuFu. He could be the Thai Ryu. Oh yeah, I never asked: Are they OE or selvage?

[poly800rock]

both selvedge

http://www.superfuture.com/supertalk/showthread.php?t=15099

[Sympathy-For-The-Denim]

today I was in a secondhand shop, I saw some nice deadstock selvage jeans and noticed that these were levi 201 thai fakes... holy crap, they sold em for 150Euro(about 200$)!!! ...the quality of these felt really amazing... but a 201 with oil cloth patch, backbocket rivets, braces buttons, red tab, diamond shaped arcuate stiching and cinchback!? tsss!!!

[poly800rock]

i thought 201's had cloth patch?

[Sympathy-For-The-Denim]

yes of course it has, but oil clothpatch with red tab and diamond arcuates doesn´t work... the diamond shape came in 1947 when exposed rivets and cinchbacks had been gone long before....

[poly800rock]

here's a pair i'm skeptical about. the obvious thai fake details arent there, but I have never seen a legit pair of levis that are worn this well

http://cgi.ebay.com/Great-Hige-Vintage-Levi-big-e-501xx-Redline-jeans-W34_W0QQitemZ320161838663QQihZ011QQcategoryZ52386QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

the

[Cali]

Agreed, especially with the very dark portions - sketchy at best

[Largo]

If this is supposed to be the back of the top button, that disqualifies it, right? No factory stamp. Other than that I can't really tell without looking at the hardware close-up. Definitely looks like a 'Thai fade' though.

[starian]

I dono if its fake or real but the fact is its one nice pair of faded jeans.

[rnrswitch]

I think the real lack of leg twist disqualifies those jeans. I think thai fakes are not stf.