If you’ve ever bought an Air Jordan, you know how expensive they can be. That’s why there’s a huge market for fake shoes.
Fortunately, there are a few things you can look for to see if the sneakers are legit. If you follow these tips, you’ll be able to spot the fakes in no time.
1. Check the box
Authentic Jordans come in sturdy shoe boxes usually featuring the Jumpman logo on the lid and side. Real boxes are made from thick cardboard with a high quality finish.
Check the box for any errors in branding, alignment, spelling and overall finish quality. Authentic boxes should feature correct colorway descriptions and all style numbers should match.
The manufacturing sticker is another key indicator of whether or not your pair is genuine. Almost all authentic Jordans have a nine-digit style number listed on the outside sticker.
2. Check the laces
The laces are an easy way to tell if a pair of shoes are fake. The laces that come with a real pair should be compact and tied in nicely woven whereas the laces on fakes usually are kind of sloppily tied and there’s more air space between the laces.
The stitching is a big area that replicas struggle with. The stitching on the heels of authentic AJ’s is tight, straight, evenly spaced, and follows the edge of each panel evenly.
Fake Air Jordan 1’s will often have stitching that is a lot thinner and doesn’t follow the edge of each panel evenly. This can be a sign of poor quality control.
The swoosh is another area that is common indicator of a fake. The swoosh on a real pair will have thicker thread that is sewn deeper into the leather, and it won’t cross over the tip of the swoosh like it does on counterfeits.
3. Check the logo
A fake pair of Air Jordans will typically have a lower quality logo on the insole than a genuine shoe. It will fade and become unreadable after a few uses.
One way to check the logo is by looking at the wing symbol. The authentic logo has a clear indent or debossing, while the fake one is not.
Another key aspect to look at is the text on the label. The real tag has a thinner font and larger size than the fake. Also, the country and sizes should be closer together than they are on the replica.
In addition, a fake label will often feature spelling errors that are common on most labels. Additionally, a genuine label will have woven logos on the back that are readable and accurate.
4. Check the soles
Fake airjordans can have a variety of flaws, including faulty soles. One common issue is that fakes often have the heel too bulky and inflated, which means it doesn’t hold the hourglass shape as well as the original does.
Another flaw is that they don’t curve properly like the real ones do. This is a bit of a compromise made by the fake producers so they can save money, but it’s a major indicator that you’ve got a fake.
Another way to spot fakes is to check the manufacturing sticker, which can be found on the inside of the box. The nine-digit style number should be written on it in a clear and uniform way, as should the stitching. Spelling errors on this sticker are a huge red flag, so if it doesn’t look good or isn’t correctly written, avoid purchasing the shoes.