Kappa itself provides a route for checking product details: via the QR code on the inner label or a serial number at BasicLabels. Start with Kappa's official explanation and then compare the retrieved details with the offered shirt.
1. Start on the official Kappa website
Open the Kappa FAQ at the bottom of this article and look for the question about whether a product is original. There Kappa describes that a QR code on the inner label can lead to production details. The FAQ also refers to BasicLabels.
Use the reference from Kappa itself as your starting point. An arbitrary QR code or a page with a Kappa logo is not in itself proof that you are using the right checking service. Ask for a sharp photo of the complete label, so that you can see which code belongs where.
2. No QR code? Check the serial number
According to Kappa, products from earlier collections may not have a QR code. The FAQ says that you can then enter a serial number from the label in the online tool. The absence of a QR code is therefore no reason to automatically regard an older Kappa shirt as a fake.
If there is no usable serial number or the label is illegible, you cannot complete this route fully. Note that as a limitation of the check. A check that cannot be carried out gives no positive or negative verdict on the shirt.
3. Compare the result with the shirt
Read which details the official check returns and place them next to the offered example. Save the result for your own research and check whether the information really fits the shirt. A screenshot from a seller without any visible link to the label is less useful.
Even when the details match, a comparison of the physical shirt remains necessary. A photo of a label can belong to another shirt, and recognisable codes can be copied. The online check therefore does not replace the question of which example you are actually buying.
4. Establish the exact model
Note club or country, season, home/away/third and the version. Look for an official product page or a suitable historical reference. Compare fabric, collar, panels, Omini logo, club badge and sponsor. The name of a product line alone gives too little information about all these features.
Do not use a modern construction as a fixed standard for a vintage Kappa shirt. Look for information from the right period and ask about any later printing. A retail version does not become match worn because there is a player's name on it.
5. Ask for photos that connect the check
The goal is that label, result and shirt demonstrably belong to the same offered example.
- Front and back of the whole shirt.
- The complete inner label and a legible QR code or serial number, if present.
- Detail photos of the Omini logo, club badge and sponsor.
- The inside of the details, the collar and the seams.
- Proof of purchase or other available information about the provenance.
6. Keep an unexplained discrepancy open
If the retrieved product details and the shirt do not match, ask specifically for an explanation and additional photos. Contacting the official customer service or an expert can be more useful than relying on a general judgement in an advertisement. Keep track of what has and has not been established; the shirt check helps you organise those points.
Sources
- Kappa: frequently asked questions about originalityUnder Is my item original? Kappa describes checking via QR code and serial number at BasicLabels, also for certain earlier collections.