How To Spot FAKE Nike Air Force 1 Black in 2023

Box Label

We begin by checking the box label, we can already see some differences between these labels, thou the other label is for women we can already spot the difference.

The real pair label is light grey in color however for the replica, the color is a darker grey. Another thing we should be inspecting here is the stamp (denoted in red circle) on the barcodes, these stamps are sometimes hidden and can only be seen by using UV light. If you happen to see stamps on any label when buying it's a shady pair. Nike won't stamp their labels in any way.

Size Label

The size label got some serious print details from the date of manufacturing and UPC codes etc. But one of the replicas' common flaws is their spacing and font boldness.

Denoted in the yellow rectangular enclosing the UPC codes we can see that the spacing between numbers is closer for the retail pair, however on the replica which is denoted in red, we can see that distance from each number is a lot spaced compared with retail pairs size label. Another yellow rectangular-shaped enclosing that was made in India, check how thin the font is compared with the replica, it looks much bolder in the font.

Rear

The shape will always be different esp. for the low-tier fakes or replica Air force 1 Black.

Denoted in the yellow curve line just for you to see how it should look like for retail pairs when compared with the replica's rear shape looks chunky and squared. I have drawn a line just to point out that the AIR embroidery placement for the real Air force 1 black is placed higher than the fake, check how low the AIR placement is for fakes by using that swoosh tail, it's below that swoosh tail, while retail Air Force 1 Black is above that swoosh tail.

Side Panel

At first glance, we can almost say that it's on point, but after checking this side panel thoroughly we found some differences in how the replicated Air Force 1 scaling is not at par with retail pairs.

Denoted in the yellow rectangle leather or should we say synthetic leather material cuts is sleeker for retail. however, on the replica, this part in the red box is indeed chunky.

Checking the swoosh curve of the authentic Air force 1 Black, see how it curves more compared with the fake (denoted in the red curve) it's less curved.

I have to split these into two so we can focus more on their differences.

Checking that collar part for the real Air Force 1 Black has more space, however, on replicated Air Force 1 black the space is just too thin.

Notice also how thin the cushioning for the fake Air force 1 black is also too thin, unlike in retail the cushioning is thick and protruding.

The Midsole Air text placement is another difference if we take a closer look, the replica Air force 1 black "AIR" extends beyond the leather cuts, unlike on retail it did not. Though this is not a solid indicator, we might as well point this out.

Metal Buckle

The metal Buckle is an east giveaway when checking the real vs fake Air Force 1 Black.

Denoted in the yellow box, see how smooth the texture and quality are. When compared with fakes, this metal buckle is already tarnished and made of low quality.

Just to add how the front stitching also differs for both real and fake Air Force 1 Blacks. Replicated pair tends to have thicker threads.

Tongue Label

The tongue label is a good indicator for us to find out if our pair is authentic or not, we did not see any difference when it comes to the font, however, how it was placed is just not like the same.

Notice the spacing above that Nike embroidery is present, when compared with the replicated pair, the spacing is all gone.

Insole Stitching

As promised it's an in-depth check, we now uncover the footbed of the Air Force 1 Black.

First to mention on our real vs fake Air Force 1 Black is the footbed stitching threads, see how long the threads used for the replica are when compared with retail pair stitching, threads are a lot shorter.

The footbed material is also not alike if we check the texture, it seems the replicated pairs tried using a nylon Strobel vs a felt-like material for retail pairs.

Back Insoles

Another good indicator is checking the glue markings or patterns.

See how the fake or replicated Air Force 1 Black glue stains already stopped on the heel part, unlike the retail or authentic pairs it covers 75%-80% of the entire area with glue lines.

Insole Prints

Insole prints are again a good indicator when checking for flaws in the replica Air Force 1 Blacks. Notice the difference between prints. Denoted in the yellow box are the authentic insole prints more defined, however, for fakes Nike was printed. There should be an Air Force 1 logo print and not just Nike.

Just to add that the real have different prints for their insoles, here we can see that AF1 logo with 82 on it.