Let's learn about the history of Louis Vuitton's product codes (authorized products).
Louis Vuitton started using product codes in the early 1980s. The company was founded in 1854, so for all its long history, it is only recently (40 years ago).
On this page, you can find out when and where your bag was made by using the product code. We hope you will find this information useful.
Note 1: When purchasing a bag on the second-hand market, make sure that the details provided by the seller match the details of the date code. Checking the date code is one way to determine if a bag is a fake, but it is not the only way. A bag may have a valid date code but may not be authentic. When in doubt, we encourage you to seek professional opinion. We do not guarantee the accuracy of the results.
Note 2: When the factory code "AAS" is displayed, this indicates a special order. The factory code was last updated in January 2021 to reflect new factory openings and closings. Also, date codes have been used for many years and are constantly changing, usually containing a combination of the factory location and the month/year or week/year the bag was made.
Let's get to know the product code
Louis Vuitton's product codes are basically a combination of letters and numbers, and the way they are displayed has changed many times over the years.
Many people have never heard of a product code, but they can be found in very inconspicuous places, such as inside a storage pocket or near an inside zipper. Please try to find them (the codes themselves may have faded over time, for example).
It is also said that the reason why Louis Vuitton has a product code is so that the store can verify the item when you receive customer service. Since it is not made for the buyer, there is no need to display it in a visible place.
Incidentally, Louis Vuitton products without product codes began to circulate around 2021. Instead of a product code, they are embedding an IC chip in the product to prevent copy products and to allow the information to be scanned and read. Times are changing all the time.
"Model Number" is different from Product Code
The "model number" of a Louis Vuitton product is easily mistaken for a product code. You may see a string of letters and numbers such as "M40156" in the description or title of a product, but this is not a product code but a model number.
Many product codes are also prefixed with alphabetic characters, which can be very confusing, but it is good to remember that the alphabetic characters in a product code are basically two characters, while the model number is basically one character.
Also, the numeric part of the product code has four characters, while the model number has five.
History of Product Code
~1982
Louis Vuitton did not use product codes until 1982.
From 1982 to the mid-1980s
Around this time, Louis Vuitton began using a three- or four-digit code to indicate the year and month in which the product was made. The first two digits represented the year and the numbers 1-2 represented the month.
Mid to late 1980s
Louis Vuitton began using letters in its new product codes in the mid-1980s. These letters represented factories, with the first two digits representing the year, the next one or two digits representing the month, and the letter representing the factory of manufacture by country.
From 1990 to 2006
In the early 1990s, Louis Vuitton changed the way the product codes were displayed. The country code was moved to the front of the code, with the first and third digits representing the month and the second and fourth digits representing the year.
In other words, the month and year digits are now intentionally mixed.
2007 - Present (2023)
In 2007, Louis Vuitton again partially changed the numbering format. Instead of the month of manufacture, the format was changed to indicate the week of the year (e.g. the 23rd week is the week of June). The first and third numbers after the country plant code now indicate the week, and the second and fourth numbers indicate the year.
Country Code
| France | A0, A1, A2, AA, AAS (special order), AH, AN, AR, AS, BA, BE, BJ, BU, DR, DU, CO, CT, ET, FL, LM (from 2019), LA (from 2019) LW, MB, MI, NO, RA, RI, SA, SD, SF, SL, SN, SP, SR, TJ, TH TR, TS, TY, VI, VX |
| Germany | LP |
| Italy | BC, BO, CE, FO, MA, PL, RC, Re, SA, TB, TD, NZ |
| Spain | BC (since 2015), CA, JJ (mainly straps), LO, LB, LM, LW, GI, UB |
| Switzerland | DI, FA |
| USA | FC, FH, LA, OS, SD, TX, FL |
| Regular Repair | DK |
Even though it's called a product code, the way it's displayed is totally different depending on the time of year. I learned a lot.
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