Luxury Handbag Authentication Specialist
Luxury leather goods specialist. Works on Italian house construction, hardware, and interior stamping.
Published October 2026 · Contact
Why These Fendi Bags Need a Careful Look
The Peekaboo is Fendi's best-known modern bag: a structured top-handle bag with a turn-lock, a hidden second compartment and a flap that opens like a book. The Zucca canvas bags, with the interlocking double-F pattern, are Fendi's oldest signature and still sell in large numbers on the resale market. Both are copied constantly.
What makes them hard to check is that the details people are usually told to look at, such as a FENDI engraved lock, a MADE IN ITALY plate, an RFID tag and a stamped code, are all easy to reproduce. In the genuine and counterfeit Peekaboos we have reviewed, we found no label, plate or tag on one side that was missing from the other. So this guide does not pretend that a single small part gives you an answer. It shows what the genuine parts look like, so that you can compare your own bag in good photos, and it says plainly which of them prove little.
Worth knowing
This is a genuine reference guide. Every bag pictured passed authentication. The counterfeits we have seen copy these parts well enough that we cannot name a single fake tell that is missing from genuine bags of the same model, so there are no red-flag checks below. Use this guide to learn what genuine looks like, not as a test that can clear or fail a bag. For the Baguette, which has its own checks, see our [Fendi Baguette guide](/blog/authenticate-fendi-baguette-guide).
Peekaboo Versions You Will See
Before comparing details, work out which Peekaboo you have, because the parts change between versions.
- Sizes and shapes: Mini, regular, Essentially and larger Iconic sizes, plus the wider X-Tote. Listings often mix these names up.
- Materials: smooth and grained calf, suede, fur and embossed leathers all appear on genuine bags.
- Selleria: the hand-stitched Selleria line has visible saddle stitching and a numbered oval plate inside.
- Trims: special editions add details such as tortoiseshell-effect locks, so a lock that differs from the one pictured below is not a reason for doubt on its own.
- Hardware: gold or silver tone, matched across the lock, rings, studs and zip pulls on every genuine bag we compared.
The Turn-Lock
The Peekaboo lock is a rectangular frame fixed to the front flap with a rotating bar. On genuine bags the bar is engraved FENDI along its length, the frame is cleanly cut and the bar turns smoothly through a quarter turn to release.
Inside the flap, the other half of the lock is a flat plate with a small MADE IN ITALY engraving beneath the window. Finish, colour and wear should match the outside lock.
Worth knowing
A well-engraved lock is not proof. Counterfeit Peekaboos carry FENDI-engraved locks and MADE IN ITALY plates too. Treat the lock as something to compare, not as a pass.
The Interior Plate and Rings
Most Peekaboos have a rectangular metal plate inside, on the leather of the inner pocket, engraved FENDI with MADE IN ITALY below it. The lettering is a clean sans serif, evenly spaced, and the plate sits flat and square to the stitching.
Shoulder-strap bags use round spring-gate rings with FENDI engraved on the ring. The engraving follows the curve of the metal and the gate closes flush.
The Interior Tags and the Code Strip
Inside a genuine Peekaboo you will find a few small labels, and which ones depend on the era.
On the bags we compared that appear newer, a black woven tag reads RFID LABEL REMOVABLE over the same line in Italian, with a printed number below a stitched line. A FENDI ROMA woven tag sits next to it.
On bags that look older, the black woven tag instead carries the guarantee text in Italian and English, and often a small hologram label with a printed number.
The code strip is a separate leather tab, usually inside the lining at the zip pocket, with a code pressed into it. On the strip pictured, the code is four blocks separated by dashes, starting with a model code that begins 8BN. Other genuine bags we compared followed the same four-block shape, but not every one did, and the model code changes with the version.
Our Fendi serial number checker reads the length and shape of a code. It does not give a date, and a correct shape is easy to copy.
Worth knowing
Every one of these labels has appeared on counterfeit Peekaboos too, including the RFID tag, the guarantee text and the stamped strip. If the code on the strip, the number on the tag and the number on a card do not agree with each other, that is a warning. If they all agree, it is not a pass, because counterfeiters copy numbers from real bags.
The Selleria Plate
The hand-stitched Selleria Peekaboo carries an oval metal plate pressed into the leather inside. It is engraved FENDI over the word selleria in script, then Lavorazione a mano and Serie numerata, with a number and 1925 below, ROMA down one side, ITALIA down the other and a small MADE IN ITALY line along the lower edge.
Counterfeit Selleria Peekaboos with a copied oval plate exist, so the plate on its own proves little. It is worth checking that the saddle stitching around it is even and that the plate is seated flat in the leather.
A code that checks out doesn't prove the item is real. Counterfeiters copy genuine codes.
Our authenticators check the stamps, hardware and construction of your Fendi against verified references, from $25. You get a verdict within 24 hours, and a Certificate of Authenticity if the item passes.
Authenticate My Fendi →Zucca Canvas Bags
The Zucca pattern is a woven jacquard of interlocking Fs. On a genuine bag the pattern is cut so that it lines up at the seams and across the flap and body, the weave is tight and the Fs have the same weight everywhere.
Inside, genuine Zucca bags have a leather tab with a metal plate marked with the FF symbol, FENDI with the registered mark, and MADE IN ITALY.
The zip pulls on the genuine Zucca bags we compared are cut in an FF shape, and the code is stamped in white ink on the lining beside the zip, as a four-digit number followed by dash-separated blocks. On some bags a block begins 8BR.
Zucca bags span several decades, so the plate, zip and tab styles change between eras. Compare against the same model and period.
Worth knowing
Pattern alignment is the check people reach for first, but good counterfeits get it right on the front and fail on the details, and genuine bags can also show small misalignment at a gusset. Use alignment as a reason to look closer, not as a verdict.
What Photos Cannot Prove
This guide shows what genuine looks like. It cannot clear your bag. Locks, plates, tags, strips and codes can all be copied, and a bag that matches every photo above can still be a good counterfeit. Do not decide from one detail, from a code with the right shape, or from an RFID tag that is present.
What carries more weight is how the whole bag agrees with itself: hardware that matches everywhere, a code, tag and card that agree, leather, edges and stitching that look like genuine bags of the same version, and a price that makes sense. Much of that cannot be judged from a photo.
When to Get a Professional Opinion
If you are buying a Peekaboo or a Zucca bag and the price matters, a second opinion costs far less than a mistake. LuxeDetect's handbag authentication starts at $25 for a 24-hour turnaround and includes a Certificate of Authenticity. Start an authentication with clear photos of the front and back, the lock inside and out, the interior plate, every tag and the code strip, the zip pulls and the base.
FAQ
How can I tell if my Fendi Peekaboo is real?
Compare the small parts with the genuine examples above: the turn-lock, the interior plate, the rings, the tags and the code strip. They should look like these and match each other. None of them is proof on its own, because counterfeit Peekaboos copy all of them, so for a bag you are about to pay for, get it authenticated.
Where is the serial number on a Fendi Peekaboo?
On a leather strip inside the bag, usually at the zip pocket, with a code pressed into it. The woven tags carry a separate printed number. You can check the shape of a code with our Fendi serial number checker.
Does a Fendi Peekaboo have an authenticity card?
Many come with a card and a barcode label, and older bags have a woven guarantee tag with a hologram label. A card can be copied, so use it only to confirm that its number agrees with the bag.
What does RFID LABEL REMOVABLE mean on a Fendi bag?
It is the wording on a woven tag that houses an RFID chip, used for tracking and inventory. Its presence tells you little about authenticity, because counterfeit bags carry copies of it.
Is a Selleria Peekaboo different from a regular one?
Yes. Selleria bags are hand-stitched and carry a numbered oval plate inside. They are a special line, and details such as the plate do not appear on regular Peekaboos.
How do I check a Fendi Zucca bag?
Look at how cleanly the pattern lines up across the seams, then the inside plate, the zip pulls and the stamped code on the lining, and compare them with a genuine bag of the same model and period. As with the Peekaboo, no one of them settles it.
Do you have a list of fake Peekaboo tells?
Not one we would stand behind. In the Peekaboos we have reviewed, the counterfeit and genuine bags shared the same labels, plates and engraving, so we have no single check that separates them. This guide shows genuine bags only.
