You’re standing in your closet, or maybe browsing a rack at a thrift store, and you flip over the care tag of a crisp s.Oliver shirt. Down at the bottom, tucked away near the washing instructions and the fiber content, you see it: CA 58223.
It looks like a serial number. Maybe a style code? Or perhaps a secret tracker for a limited edition run? Honestly, most people just ignore these strings of digits, but if you’re trying to figure out if that jacket is vintage or just a really good replica, that little number is actually your best friend.
Let's clear the air right now. CA 58223 is not a style number. It won’t tell you the name of the dress or the year the jeans were released. It’s actually a "dealer identification number" registered with the Canadian government.
The Secret Language of Clothing Tags
In the world of international fashion, every country has its own way of keeping track of who is responsible for the clothes being sold on their soil. In the United States, you’ll see an RN number (Registered Identification Number). In Canada, they use the CA Identification Number.
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The Competition Bureau of Canada issues these numbers to Canadian companies that manufacture, import, or sell textile products. Since s.Oliver is a massive German fashion house—headquartered in Rottendorf and founded by Bernd Freier back in 1969—they need a registered legal entity to move their goods into the North American market.
CA 58223 is the specific identifier for the s.Oliver entity (specifically s.Oliver Bernd Freier GmbH & Co. KG) in Canada.
Think of it as a digital fingerprint for the brand. If a garment has this number, it means it was legally imported or distributed by s.Oliver’s authorized channels for the Canadian market. It’s a mark of corporate accountability, ensuring that if there’s a product recall or a legal issue, the authorities know exactly which "dealer" to call.
Why You Keep Seeing This Number Everywhere
If you’ve been hunting for this code online, you’ve probably noticed it pops up on eBay, Poshmark, and Etsy listings for everything from mustard yellow crossbody bags to skinny black jeans.
Because s.Oliver uses the same care labels for large batches of inventory destined for North America, CA 58223 appears on thousands of different items. This is where most people get tripped up. They search for the number hoping to find the exact name of their favorite sweater, only to find a dozen different jackets and pairs of trousers with the same "code."
- It’s not a model number.
- It’s not a color code.
- It’s not a size indicator.
Basically, it's just s.Oliver saying, "Yep, this is one of ours."
Using CA 58223 to Spot a Fake
Can you use this number to check for authenticity? Kinda.
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Counterfeiters are often lazy. They might skip the CA number entirely, or they might print a random one that doesn't match the brand. If you have an "s.Oliver" shirt but the tag says CA 12345, and a quick search shows that number belongs to a different company, you’ve got a red flag on your hands.
However, high-end counterfeiters are getting better at copying every single detail, including the dealer numbers. So while seeing CA 58223 is a good sign, it isn't a 100% guarantee of authenticity on its own. You still need to look at the quality of the stitching, the feel of the fabric, and the "Sir Oliver" legacy details that the brand is known for.
Real-world s.Oliver Branding
If you want to be sure it's the real deal, look for these details alongside the CA number:
- The "Sir" History: The brand actually started as a tiny 25-square-meter boutique called "Sir Oliver," named after Oliver Twist. They dropped the "Sir" in 1978 after a legal battle with a perfume company.
- Sub-Brands: s.Oliver has a bunch of branches. You might see "QS by s.Oliver" (their trendier, Gen-Z focused line) or "Triangle," which handles larger sizes. All of these might still carry the CA 58223 tag if they were sold in Canada.
- The Logo: Look for the specific spacing and the lowercase "s" followed by a dot. It sounds picky, but small typography errors are where fakes usually fail.
How to Actually Find Your Item's Style Name
So, if CA 58223 isn't the style number, how do you find out what your item is actually called?
You’ll need to look for a different set of numbers. Usually, s.Oliver hides the internal style code on a smaller, separate tag behind the main care instructions. It’s often a 10-digit number or a combination of letters and numbers like 12.345.67.8910.
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Once you find that specific sequence, plugging that into Google (often alongside the word "s.Oliver") is your best shot at finding the original product listing or a replacement on the second-hand market.
Actionable Steps for s.Oliver Owners
If you're trying to identify or sell an item with this tag, here is what you should actually do:
- Don't use CA 58223 in your search queries. It will only lead you to thousands of unrelated s.Oliver products.
- Search for the RN number instead. If the tag has an RN number (usually RN 115665 for s.Oliver), you can sometimes find more US-based listings, though it has the same "dealer ID" limitation as the CA number.
- Try Google Lens. Snap a photo of the garment’s pattern or unique hardware. This is significantly more effective than searching for the registration numbers on the tag.
- Check the "Small Tag": Look for a tiny white strip deeper in the side seam. That’s where the actual season and style codes live.
Knowing the difference between a registration number and a style code saves you a lot of time and frustration. CA 58223 is just the brand's legal "ID card" for Canada—nothing more, nothing less.