How to Tell If Your Air Jordans Are Real: A Sneakerhead’s Guide
Last Updated on May 29, 2025 | By Roberto Rolo
If you’ve ever scored a pair of Air Jordans from a reseller or online marketplace, you’ve probably asked yourself one important question: “Are these real?” With the rise of replica sneakers flooding the market, it’s more important than ever to know how to legit check your kicks. Whether you’re a seasoned collector or a first-time buyer, here’s a practical guide to spotting fake Air Jordans like a pro.
1. Check the box first:
Before you even look at the shoes, inspect the box. Real Air Jordans come in high-quality boxes that match the specific release. Look out for:
- Correct box label: Make sure the style number matches the pair you bought.
- Logo placement: The Jumpman logo should be sharp and properly centered.
- Smell test: It might sound weird, but fake shoes often have a strong chemical or glue smell that’s different from authentic pairs.
2. Examine the stitching and Wings logo:
When comparing the real and fake Air Jordan 1 side by side, you’ll notice that the counterfeit factory did a pretty good job replicating the logo. The artwork looks correct, but the authentic Jordan 1 logo is embossed slightly deeper into the leather.
At first glance, the difference is subtle, but a closer look at the cut patterns tells the real story. Authentic Nike shoes don’t have stitching guides ( the littel triangle peaks) to help with panel placement during assembly. However, the red logo panel on the fake pair is covered in these small assembly guides. While these guides are common in shoemaking, they’re never found on a genuine Air Jordan 1.
3. Stitching on the Heel Tab:
The Air Jordan 1 features a small heel tab that covers the back seams of the quarter panel and the Swoosh. On the authentic pair (grey), you’ll notice two stitch lines where the quarter top lines cross over, and the black thread contrasts against the grey leather.
On the fake Jordan 1, however, there’s only a single stitch line across the tab, and the stitching blends in—black thread on black leather. While this isn’t necessarily a sign of poor craftsmanship, it’s simply not how the original was made.
Another giveaway? The centering guides on the red leather sections of the fake Jordan 1. These markings help with assembly, but they’re never present on a genuine pair.
4. The Air Jordan Under Sole Logo:
If you take a close look at the Nike logo on the outsole, you’ll notice some key differences in the fake pair. The letters in the fake logo are too narrow, and a major giveaway is that the “K” in “Nike” doesn’t touch the tail of the Swoosh—unlike the authentic version.
Another clear difference is in the tread pattern. On the fake pair (red), there are glossy spaces between the tread features, whereas the real pair (grey) has a consistent, matte finish. These small details might seem minor, but they’re telltale signs of a counterfeit sneaker.
5. The Tongue Tag:
Next, take a close look at the woven label on the tongue. One big giveaway? The fake Jordan is missing the registered trademark symbol (®). It might seem like a small detail, but Nike always includes the ® twice on the woven label.
Flip the tag over, and you’ll find more differences. The real Jordan 1 features trademark information in both English and French, with clean, precise lettering. On the fake, the font is off, and to make matters worse, the tag is stitched on crooked—a clear sign of poor craftsmanship. Crooked stitching is an instant red flag when spotting fake sneakers.
Inside the shoe, you’ll find the size label featuring the Jordan Jumpman logo. This is another key area where fakes fall short.
On the fake pair, the tag is welded directly to the back of the tongue, while on the real Jordan 1, it’s properly sewn down on the inside of the shoe. This difference in attachment is a clear sign of authenticity—or lack of it. Always check how the label is applied when verifying a real pair!
Fake pairs at times will also have incorrect manufacuring dates aswell as incorrect sizes.
5. The Hour Glass Shape:
One of my favorite and quickest ways to check if an Air Jordan 1 is a bad fake is to check the hour glass shape, a fake sneaker will commonly have a straight back as opposed to the traditional hour glass shape that we have all grown to love.
This is by no means a definite giveaway but a good guideline. A keen eye will spot this from a mile away.
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