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Published September 2026 · Contact
What Makes the Artois Worth Knowing Well
The Artois is Goyard's zip-top tote. It has the open, shoulder-carry shape of the Saint Louis, but it closes with a zip along the top. The body is Goyardine canvas with leather trim along the top edge, leather handles and leather corners at the base. It comes in PM, MM and GM sizes and in many colours: black with tan trim, all black, grey, white, sand, yellow, green, blue and orange all appear in our archive.
Because it looks so much like the Saint Louis, most of the checks in our Goyard Saint Louis guide apply to the canvas. This guide covers what's specific to the Artois: the zip, the interior tab, the lining and the details around the handles.
Worth knowing
This guide is built from LuxeDetect's own Goyard order archive. It holds 55 confirmed-authentic orders with "Artois" in the name. We reviewed photos from 25 of them, including every photo in six full sets. The archive also holds five fake-outcome orders labelled Artois. Four of them show a zip top in the photos, so we're sure they're Artois. The fifth doesn't show enough to tell. Four fakes aren't enough for a full real-vs-fake comparison, so this guide teaches genuine construction first.
The Zip and Its "G" Pull
The top closes with a metal zip. On the genuine Artois totes we reviewed, the pull is a polished tab ending in a round ring with a "G" cut into it. The finish matches the rest of the hardware.
The Interior Tab
Inside, a rounded leather tab hangs from the top edge. On the front it's blind-stamped "GOYARD / PARIS / MADE IN FRANCE" in three centred lines. The leather matches the trim colour.
The tab has a small hole with a slit below it. It fastens over a metal push-stud set into the canvas lining on a leather washer.
On the back of the tab is a heat-stamped code. Every genuine Artois code we could read was three letters followed by six digits, for example "MAE 020180" and "SIS 120230". Our Goyard serial number guide covers where the code sits on other models. The code confirms format, not authenticity, and the fake further down shows why.
The Lining
The Artois is lined in a natural cream canvas with a visible weave. The seams inside are finished with leather piping; on the all-black tote below it's black to match the trim.
Handles and Base Corners
Each handle is a folded leather strap, stitched along both edges. It ends in a leather tab stitched down onto the canvas below the top trim. On three genuine totes from 2023 and 2024 orders that we examined closely, a line of red thread runs along the seam under each handle tab. We couldn't see it on a genuine tote from a 2021 order, so don't treat its absence as a problem.
At the base, each corner is capped with a rounded piece of leather in the trim colour, stitched in place.
The GM Padlock
The one GM with a full photo set in our sample came with a polished padlock engraved "GOYARD" over "PARIS", with two keys on "G" rings. We don't have full sets for enough PM and MM totes to say whether smaller sizes include one, so don't count a missing padlock against a PM or MM.
A Fake Stamped With a Genuine Bag's Code
The most useful thing our fakes show is how little the code proves. Two Artois totes came to us a few days apart in 2021. One, black with tan trim, is genuine. The other, all black, is fake. Both tabs are stamped "MAE 020180". The fake's tab also has the rounded shape, the push-stud and the blind-stamped "GOYARD / PARIS / MADE IN FRANCE" on the front.
The other three confirmed fakes also had the zip, the rounded tab, the push-stud and the stamped front. One code read "SUT 020191". One was only partly legible. One read "ARO 02186", with five digits instead of the six on every genuine code we've seen. That's a detail worth checking, but it came from only one bag.
Worth knowing
With four confirmed fakes, we can't rank which details counterfeiters get wrong most often. The fakes we've seen copy the tab, the stamp and the code format, and at least one copied a real code exactly. Use the checks above to rule obvious copies out, not to rule a bag in.
When to Get a Professional Opinion
An Artois can match every detail in this guide and still be fake, as the bag above shows. If you're buying one secondhand, have it checked against verified references. The rigid, top-handle Goyard Saigon has its own guide.
LuxeDetect's handbag authentication costs $25 with a 24-hour turnaround, with faster options available. Send the front, a handle tab, a base corner, the zip pull, both sides of the interior tab and the lining. You'll get a written verdict you can show a seller or use to request a refund.
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 Goyard against verified references, from $25. You get a verdict within 24 hours, and a Certificate of Authenticity if the item passes.
Authenticate My Goyard →FAQ
How can I tell if my Goyard Artois is real?
Check the zip pull, the interior tab and its stamp, the push-stud, the lining and the handle tabs against a genuine Artois of the same size. A mismatch is a red flag. A match isn't proof, because the fakes we've seen copy these details, so get a professional check before paying full price.
Where is the serial number on a Goyard Artois?
On the back of the rounded leather tab that hangs inside the top edge. The front of the tab reads "GOYARD / PARIS / MADE IN FRANCE". Every genuine code we could read was three letters followed by six digits.
Can a fake Goyard Artois have a real serial number?
Yes. We examined a fake Artois stamped "MAE 020180", the exact code on a genuine Artois submitted a few days earlier. A correctly formatted code, or even a real one, doesn't prove the bag is genuine.
What's the difference between the Goyard Artois and the Saint Louis?
The Artois has a zip across the top, a rounded interior tab that fastens on a push-stud, and leather corners at the base. The Saint Louis is open-topped. The canvas and trim checks are shared between the two.
Does the Goyard Artois come with a padlock?
The Artois GM in our sample came with a Goyard padlock and two keys. We don't have enough complete PM and MM sets to say whether smaller sizes include one.
What colour is the lining inside a Goyard Artois?
On the genuine totes we reviewed, a natural cream woven canvas, with leather piping along the seams.
