How To Spot FAKE Nike Dunk Low in 2023 (All Colorways)

Context

Some important information to take note of is that certain pairs of retail/authentic Nike Dunks have many factory flaws and inconsistencies. This is important because when determining whether your pair is fake, simply because the stitching is unusual wouldn't be sufficient. Therefore for circumstances on pairs such as the Panda Dunks or Georgetown, we must loosen up on defining what "flaws" are. A handful of pairs from late 2020 to the current time also fall into this category.

In the cases where factory flaws are rampant, we stress that having a retail or authentic pair of Nike Dunk sneakers to compare to, becomes increasingly more important. But if you don't have a retail sneaker for comparison, it is still possible to legit check Nike Dunk sneakers. Hence why we'll be examining and looking at multiple indicators of authenticity for a more holistic approach.

Rear View

Let's begin with looking at the back of the Nike Dunks. Here you'll see the Nike logo along with the notable 3 lines of stitching. The main aspects to focus on are a couple of things: [1] Nike Text [2] Stitching [3] Midsole Stitching [4] Color

We'll be looking at multiple examples on different Nike Dunks for your satisfaction and convenience.

Nike Dunk Low Union Passport Pack Pistachio [Ex: 1]

Let's begin with the first real and fake Nike Dunk example above.

"NIKE" Text

Denoted by the green box. You might not notice at first glance. However, take a look at the "NIKE" text on the authentic and the fakes. You'll notice that the spacing between the letters is very different. On the retail Nike Dunk, the spaces are wider than on the replica. The fake Dunk has the letters too close and comes into contact with one another almost coming into contact.

Stitching

Denoted by the yellow arrow at the upper stitching. Here notice the stitching quality on the authentic and the fake. The upper stitching for the fake Nike Dunk is quite sloppy and curves up and down frequently. Although the retail pair's stitching isn't the greatest either, the extent of the curvature of the stitching is vastly different.

Denoted by the red oval/circle. Take notice of the spacing between the 2 stitches on the authentic and the fake Nike Dunk. On the authentic pair, you can clearly see the distance between the 2 stitching remains consistent. Whereas on the fake Dunk, the stitching comes into contact with each other, then splits apart again.

Midsole Stitching

Denoted by the red rectangle/box at the bottom. In this area, we can see that the authentic Nike Dunk is sewn deeper into the heels, where the stitching threads are not as visible. However, on the replica Dunks, the threads are sewn at a surface level and are too shallow, which allows you to see everything single thread.

Nike Dunk Low Plum [Ex: 2]

Now moving onto our next example.

Color

Take notice of the different shades of red being used on the retail Nike Dunk versus the fake pair. The suede on the authentic pair is much lighter and is quite pinkish relative to the darker red on the fake Nike Dunks.

It's important to note that, whenever a sneaker deals with peculiar or uncommon colors, the fake manufacturers usually compensate with another color. You will see this color flaw frequently on any sneaker with funky colors, such as the Nike Chunky Dunky or Nike Dunk "De La Soul".

Stitching

Denoted by the yellow circle. In this area, you'll notice the difference in the stitching quality of the retails against the replica. The threads used on the fake Nike Dunk are extremely thin, which makes the threads almost blend in completely to the suede and not as visible.

Denoted by the green circle. The same flaw arises on the replica again with the thin stitching blending into the suede. Almost every thread used is thicker on the retail compared to the fake Nike Dunk.

Nike SB Dunk Low Travis Scott [Ex: 3]

Onto our last example of the Nike Dunks.

"NIKE" Text

If you look closely, you can see that on the counterfeit, the size of the Nike text is much larger than it should be. It almost takes up the entire space in the upper patch. On the retails, it is much smaller and leaves more room on the top and bottom.

Stitching

Denoted by the blue arrow at the upper patch. You'll notice that on the fake Nike Dunk, the stitching threads used are much thicker than on the real pair. The threads on the fake are too prominent and make the stitching pop out.

Denoted by the red arrows. Here you will notice the same issue with the thread thickness on the middle stitching of the replica Nike Dunks.

Toe Box

Next, we'll move on to looking at the toe box on the Nike Dunks. We'll look at it from the side and top profile. What we'll be looking for is the curvature and elevation of the toe box from the side and the perforation holes on the top.

Side Profile

Take a look at the toe box side profile on an authentic pair of Nike Dunks versus a fake.

Denoted by the blue dotted line. Take notice of the difference in the curvature of the toe box and the midsoles. An authentic Nike Dunk should always curve slightly up near the toe box, where the tip of the sneaker is. On the fake Dunk, you can see how flat the shape of the sneaker is from the soles, midsoles and toe box. There is no noticeable curvature towards the toe box.

Denoted by the green dotted line. The extent to which the Nike Dunk will curve upwards, towards the tip of the sneaker will vary from sneaker to sneaker and pair to pair. However, one thing to take note of is that it should never lay completely flat, where almost the entire sole of the sneaker comes into contact with the surface.

Some top-tier fakes will have this flaw down, however, the majority do not.

Here is another perspective on the difference between authentic and fake Nike Dunks.

In this example, you can see them side by side for better comprehension. Recognize how the replica Nike Dunk is once again laid almost completely flat, where the soles come in contact with the surface almost entirely. On the authentic pair, it curves upward and the soles do not come into full contact with the surface it lays on.

Denoted by the green and yellow dotted lines. You can see the difference in the height due to the curvature.

Here is a zoomed-in version that may help visually.

Top Profile

Next, let's move on to the perforation holes on the toe box itself, and see the differences between an authentic and fake Nike Dunk. The flaws we'll be focusing on: [1] Perforated Hole Size and [2] Stitching

Many replica Nike Dunks have perforated holes nearly the same size as retail, but this is a great indicator nonetheless.

Once again, we'll take a look at multiple pairs of Nike Dunks for better comprehension.

Nike Dunk Low Plum [Ex: 1]

In this first example, we can take notice of the size difference in the perforation holes between the real and fake Dunks.

Perforated Hole Size

Denoted by the red circle. The authentic one is much smaller than the replicas. In addition, the retail Dunk has its holes much less defined, which is also partially due to the difference in the suede material used. You can notice the fabric on the suede has longer fur as well.

Stitching

Denoted by the red box. Here we can notice a loose thread on the stitching on the fake Nike Dunk. This indicates lower quality machinery and careless stitching from the replica.

Nike Dunk Low UNC [Ex: 2]

Hole Size

In our next example, we can see a similar arise in the size of the perforation hole on the replica. Almost every single perforated hole on the authentic Nike Dunk is bigger than on the fake Nike Dunk.

Nike Dunk Low Union Passport Pack Pistachio [Ex: 3]

Hole Size

In our third example, we can see the fake Nike Dunk has perforated holes that are barely noticeable due to its size of it. Even zoomed-in, it is barely visible. However, on the real Nike Dunk, we can easily notice the holes without having to squint.

Swoosh Logo

Next, let's move on to the swoosh logos. Checking the outer and inner swoosh logos is ideal. We'll be focusing on a couple of key areas: [1] Swoosh Tip [2] Swoosh Thickness [3] Stitching [4] Color

We'll look at multiple examples of this...

Nike Dunk Low Plum [Ex: 1]

Let's take a look at our first example. We can notice immediately many flaws on the fake Nike Dunk.

Stitching

Denoted by the orange box. Take notice of the stitching inconsistency on the fake Nike Dunk. It is sewn sloppily where the lower thread is sewn into the shoe deeper than the upper thread. On the real Nike Dunk, the upper and lower thread is consistent in both the thickness and depth of the thread.

Denoted by the blue circle. In this area, we see inconsistency in the threads of the stitching once again. On the fake Nike Dunk, you can see crossing into the dark purple suede of the sneaker, then crossing back to the lighter purple. Whereas, on the real Nike Dunk, the stitching remains only on the lighter purple suede.

Swoosh Thickness

Denoted by the green dotted lines. Here we can see the curvature outline of the Nike Dunk swoosh. In both images, the green dotted lines are identical. However, on the replica Dunk, the swoosh tip doesn't curve back enough compared to the original. While the lower green dotted line fits quite well with the swoosh on the fake, notice that the swoosh angle has a higher slope.

This higher slope on the fake versus the real Dunks can be visualized by looking at the yellow outline. You can see this visually by how close the swoosh is relative to the midsole of the sneaker. The real Nike Dunk is much further away from the midsole, whereas the replica is closer.

Color

This may be difficult to tell apart without the retail Nike Dunk in hand, however, you can see the clear difference in the shade of red that is used on the Nike swoosh. The authentic Nike Dunk uses a lighter-colored suede for the swoosh, while the replica uses a much darker red. When dealing with funky or peculiar colors on sneakers, the replica manufacturers tend to overcompensate with another shade of the color. This is a clear example of that.

Nike SB Dunk Low Travis Scott [Ex: 2]

Moving onto our next example - the Nike Dunk Travis Scott.

Stitching

Denoted by the yellow circle. Here we can notice the slight difference in the frequency of threads and the spaces between each thread. On the real Nike Dunk, the threads are sewn deeper and there is a gap between each thread. On the fake Nike Dunk, you can see the lack of any spacing at all between each thread. Also, the threads are sewn in quite shallow making them more prominent.

Swoosh Tip

Denoted by the green arrow. On the real Nike Dunk, the tip of the swoosh is much longer than the fake. Because it is much sharper and longer, the swoosh tip is closer to the upper panel than on the fakes. You can also see the upper dotted red line to visualize how much swoosh length is missing from the replica.

Tongue Label

Next, let's move on to the tongue label of the Nike Dunks. We'll be taking a look at the front and the back tongue label. The tongue labels will have slight inconsistencies even on the retail pairs, so unless the flaw is drastic it won't be an automatic indicator of a replica.

Front Label

When looking at the front label, a majority of the flaws will be present in the letter "R" and the centering/spacing of the logo relative to the tongue label.

Nike Dunk Low Plum [Ex: 1]

We can immediately see the huge difference in the centering of the Nike logo and also the size of the tongue label.

Denoted by the green outline. Here we can see the drastic difference in the distance between the authentic Nike Dunk and the fakes. The real Nike Dunk has a generous about of space from the Nike logo to the top of the tongue label. Whereas, the fake has very little room near the top.

Denoted by the yellow outline. We see the same issue arise except this time the fake Nike Dunk has an excessive gap from the Nike logo to the bottom of the tongue label. On the real Dunks, we see a mild amount of spacing.

Nike Dunk Low Union Passport Pack Pistachio [Ex: 2]

Here's another example on the Pistachio Union Nike Dunk Low.

Denoted by the red circles. We can see the difference in the size of the letter "R" in the circle. The legs of the letter "R" in the fake Nike Dunk are shorter than on the retail pairs. The circle encasing the letter "R" is also much smaller, but very slightly.

I've also shown the green circles to denote not the flaws, but Nike factory inconsistencies. However, I will mention that even though there are differences between the real and fake Nike Dunk, they are still within the bounds of retail Nike Dunks. Some retails pairs will have the "KE" connected, while others do not. The letter "K" will also mildly differ from the originals as well.

Back Label

Next, take a look at the backside or inner tongue label. Remember that some Nike Dunks have factory inconsistencies even on the retails, so we will loosen up on some flaws.

As always, we'll go over a couple examples for your comprehension...

Nike Dunk Low Vintage Green [Ex: 1]

If you examine the back tongue label, you'll start to see many inconsistencies in the text font and size on the retail Nike Dunk! This is unfortunate, but it's Nike factory inconsistencies like these that we must take into consideration before deeming it as a replica.

Instead, what you'll notice is even though the retail is inconsistent on some letters - something all retails are consistent with, is the color and general thickness of the embroidery.

The fake Nike Dunk is a much darker color overall in the text due to its thicker embroidery of the lettering. This is more obvious in certain areas, such as the ones denoted by the red box. You can see it being more prominent in the "SWOOSH®" and the bottom text "MADE IN INDONESIA FABRIQUE EN INDONESIE".

Nike Dunk Low Retro White Black [Ex: 2]

In our second example, the replica actually looks decently similar to the authentic Nike Dunk. However, at a closer look, you'll still notice slight differences.

Denoted by the red circle. The "®" on the fake Nike Dunk has shorter legs, which makes the letter "R" not prominent at all. Whereas on the real Nike Dunk, you can still recognize the letter "R".

Denoted by the red box. Here you'll notice that the upper text "MADE IN VIETNAM" and lower text "FABRIQUE AU VIETNAM" are equal in font size on the authentic Dunks. However, on the fake Dunks, you can see that the upper text is a bigger font size than the lower text.

Midsole Stitching

Next, let's move on to the midsoles of the Nike Dunks, particularly at the stitching. On some Nike Dunk releases, this area will also have Nike factory inconsistencies even amongst retail pairs. Some releases are more consistent than others. That knowledge is important, which we can use to our advantage as an indicator.

The flaws we'll be focusing on - in the midsole stitching - is [1] Depth Consistency [3] Color.

Nike SB Dunk Low Travis Scott [Ex: 1]

Let's take a look at our first example.

Color

Denoted by the red circle. At a closer look, you can see that threads of the stitching on the fake Nike Dunks use a darker shade of beige/brown coloring. Whereas, on the real Nike Dunks, the color is much lighter. As mentioned many times, replica manufacturers tend to rarely use the same colors on their material. In some cases, it may be very close to the retails, but never the same. Hence having a retail Nike Dunk as a reference is important for top-tier counterfeits. Keep in mind the majority of fake Dunks are low-tier quality fakes.

Depth Consistency

Denoted by the orange and blue arrows. Here we are indicating how deep each thread is sewn inside the midsole. On the real Nike Dunks, you can see that Nike inconsistencies are present. The threads are alternating between deep and shallow threads, however, the overall stitching on the original Dunk is quite shallow with some exceptions of deep-sewn threads. The shallow threads pop out and are visible, while the deep-sewn threads are not.

On the fake Nike Dunks, you can see the consistency of how every single thread is deeply sewn in. This leaves no single thread to pop out and be visible like on the authentic Nike Dunks.

Nike Dunk Low Plum [Ex: 2]

Depth Consistency

Denoted by the orange and blue arrows. Here we'll notice a similar flaw to the previous example, but the opposite circumstance. On the authentic Nike Dunk, we see the same inconsistency in the depth of each thread. We see a couple of threads pop out while the rest is deeply sewn and not visible. In this case, the overall stitching is deep except for a few threads.

On the fake Nike Dunk this time around, every single thread is shallow without exception. This is an immediate red flag because on the retails, the overall stitching is deep, while this fake has all of its threads shallow.

Sole

Next, let's take a look at the soles of the Nike Dunk. We will focus on a couple flaws on the outsoles: [1] Texture [2] Spacing [3] Nike Logo

And as always, we'll show multiple examples for you sneaker fanatics.

Nike SB Dunk Low Travis Scott [Ex: 1]

Spacing

Here you can notice a difference in the spacing of the outsole design. On the authentic Nike Dunk, the gaps are much smaller. Whereas on the fake Nike Dunk, the gap is much larger. You can notice it more on the zoomed-in red and blue circles for some examples where this spacing flaw takes place.

Nike Logo

Denoted by the yellow circle. When looking at the "NIKE®" logo, the "®" is usually the most common flaw to notice, as the "NIKE" text is easily the easiest to copy. In the example above, we can see that the "R" in the authentic Nike Dunk is thicker than the fakes. This also makes the letter "R" come into contact with the circle around it. However, the fake Nike Dunk is thin and doesn't touch the circle encasing.

Denoted by the green arrow. Take a look at the Nike swoosh logo. On the real Nike Dunk, the swoosh is curved naturally into the tip of the swoosh with no angularity. However, if you take a look at the swoosh logo on the replica Dunk, you can notice how abrupt the curvature is. It is completely straight, then abruptly begins to curve upwards.

Texture

Denoted by the red circle. Take a look at the texture of the outsoles around the Nike logo. You can see that the grainy design on the fake Nike Dunk is much thinner than the real Dunk, which opens up a lot of space in between each grain. However, on the authentic Dunk, you can see almost no space between each grain.

Nike Dunk Low Plum [Ex: 2]

Nike Logo

Denoted by the yellow circle. Here we can see the letter "R" coming into contact with the circle encasing around it. However, on the fake Nike Dunk, this isn't the case and it doesn't touch at all.

Denoted by the green arrow. Here we can see a similar issue arise with the angularity on the fake Nike Dunk swoosh. The swoosh logo is completely straight then curves upwards abruptly towards the tip of the swoosh. However, on the real Nike Dunk, this curve is natural and you don't notice the angularity of the swoosh.

Size Tag

Next, let's go inside the sneaker and take a look at where the size tag is. When observing the size tag, we want to pay attention to inconsistencies in [1] Text Boldness [2] Text Spacing.

We'll take a look at multiple examples..

Size Tag [Ex: 1]

The authentic size tag is overall much thinner than the fake Nike Dunk tags. We've highlighted some areas where it's most prominent.

Denoted by the red box. The replica size tag is every so slightly bolder than the retail tag. You can notice this a bit more in the letter "c" in "cm" and "C" in "CN".

Denoted by the green box at the upper right corner. Here we can see the "VH" being bolded while on the authentic tag, it's in the regular skinny font.

Denoted by the blue box. Here we can see all the letters on the fake Nike Dunk size tag being bolder and thicker than the legit tag. We can see this being most prominent in the letter "M"s, which are denoted by the yellow arrows.

Size Tag [Ex: 2]

In this example, we see vastly different inconsistencies in the real and fake size tags. The legit size tag is bolder and skinnier in some areas compared to the fake tag.

Denoted by the yellow arrows. We can see that on the real tag, the boldness is more noticeable in the letter "c" in "cm" and "C" in "CN. Whereas the fake is skinnier in font-weight.

Denoted by the red box. In this area, we can see the real tag being bolded, and not the fake tag not being bolded.

Denoted by the blue box. Here we can see the same issue arise, where the authentic tag is bolded, whereas the fake is not. This is true for all of the letters here.

Insoles

Next, we'll take a look at the insoles of the Nike Dunks. We'll be examining the front and the backside of the insole. What we'll be looking for is [1] Nike Logo [2] Texture [3] Glue Pattern

Front Insole

Nike Dunk Low UNC [Ex: 1]

Nike Logo

Whenever we come across this iconic Nike Logo on any pair of Nike sneakers, the flaws usually occur where the letter "R" is. Many top-tier fakes will still get this slightly wrong.

Denoted by the red circle. On real Nike Dunk, we can see that the "R" is much smaller and it doesn't come into contact with the circle that is encasing it. However, on the replica Dunk, the "R" is much bigger, where it's touching the circle completely.

Texture

NOTE: The texture will differ depending on the Nike Dunk release. In our case, this is the Nike Dunk Low UNC.

Denoted by the yellow circle. Here we can notice the honeycomb pattern on the authentic Nike Dunk insoles. However, on the fake Nike Dunk, the texture pattern is more grid-like.

Back Insole

Nike Dunk Low UNC [Ex: 1]

Glue Pattern

NOTE: When we say glue pattern, we are referring to the amount of coverage the glue takes up on the insoles themselves (E.g: 50% coverage, 70% coverage, etc). Glue patterns will differ depending on the Nike Dunk release as well, but they usually all range from 60-100% glue coverage.

Denoted by the dotted red line. Here on the authentic Nike Dunk, we can see about ~80% glue coverage. However, on the fake Nike Dunk insoles, we only see about ~60% glue coverage.

Footbed/Insole Stitching

Next, let's take a look deep inside the Nike Dunks. We'll be taking a look at the footbed of the sneaker, which is underneath the insoles. You'll have to remove the insoles from the sneaker to see this area. If it is glued shut, you may want to use a blow dryer to heat and soften the glue...

We'll be considering multiple indicators on the footbed: [1] Stitching Density [2] Upper Stitching

We'll also mention that retail Nike Dunks have footbeds that are also inconsistent, and that top-tier replicas are at times more consistent. However, retails do follow a pattern of the number of stitching used (the frequency of threads), so if the Nike Dunk seems like it has way too few or way too many threads, then it is most likely a fake.

A reminder that we're not looking at how messy or how short/long each white thread is, but rather the total number of threads. This is important to clarify because no online guides or resources seem to know or even want to mention it, and we believe it adds confusion for readers.

Nike SB Dunk Low Pro Parra Abstract Art [Ex: 1]

Stitching Density

Denoted by the red rectangle. Take a look at the number of thread stitches on the footbed on the authentic versus the fake. On the image above, you can easily see the difference in the total number of threads used, where it's much less on the replicas than on the authentic. On the fake, the threads are barely visible compared to the retails as well.

Fake Nike Dunks usually either have too few or too many threads being used.

Upper Stitching

Denoted by the red outline. We'll be looking at the upper stitching. Notice the spacing between each thread. On the legit ones, there is barely any gap between each thread, whereas on the fake you can see a notable space between each thread. Also, notice the number of visible threads is much higher on the authentic than on the fake.

Nike SB Dunk Low Grateful Dead Bears Green [Ex: 2]

Stitching Density

In this example, we can notice that the overall stitching density is much higher on the replica pair than it is on the real Nike Dunks.

Box Label

Next, let's move onto the box label. When checking the box label, your goal is to look for inconsistencies with the font boldness, spacing, and sloppiness.

We'll go over multiple examples of this...

Nike SB Dunk Low Travis Scott [Ex: 1]

Denoted by the red box. On the authentic Nike Dunk box label, you can see that the text size used is much bigger than the fake box label. The replica label has its text half the original size that it should be.

Denoted by the yellow box. Here we can see that on the authentic box, the text font is much skinnier than the fakes. Whereas, on the fake, the text is bolded unnecessarily. You can also see this unnecessary bolding occur on the code at the bottom, which is denoted by the green box. There are more inconsistencies that we haven't highlighted, but challenge yourself to do so and develop an eye for fakes!

Nike Dunk Low UNC [Ex: 2]

Denoted by the green box. The fake Nike Dunk label is using much darker ink than the retail, which boldens it. On the real Dunk, the font is skinny and not less noticeable.

Denoted by the yellow box. Here we can see that ALL the text inside the yellow box is slightly larger and bolder than on the real box label. It may not be noticeable at first. However, denoted by the green arrow, take a look at the size difference on the number "5" between the authentic and fake.

Shoe Filler Paper

NOTE: All new authentic Nike Dunk Lows will come up with shoe filler paper inside the sneaker. If the Nike Dunk comes with a cardboard shoe tree instead, be very wary.

What you should be expecting is shoe filler paper like the image below.

UV Light

Finally, to tie it all up. This final step is optional only for people who have a UV light source. This step is universal for ALL sneakers/shoes. Turn off all external lights, and shine your UV light on the Nike Dunk sneaker AND the box itself. Usually your goal would be to look for any liquid/glue stains, however because of Nike factory inconsistencies, retails will sometimes come with glue stains.

Often times, counterfeit manufacturers would use invisible ink and stamp a mark/symbol on it to better manage their inventory. So instead, your goal is to look for any marks or stamps (E.g: Chinese Characters, English Initials, etc). A retail pair of Nike Dunks should NOT have any stamp or mark on it at all!

Below are some examples of red flags...