Counterfeit Air Jordan VIs comparison to Retro 2010

I recently purchased a fake / counterfeit pair of Air Jordan VIs. Nothing seemed right from when I first saw the box - it was just "one of those feelings" you get when you know something is wrong. I referenced the internet, and found references on how to spot a pair of counterfeit Air Jordan VIs. Youtube had 2 good video references:

• nike AIR JORDAN 6 VI FAKE / FAKES how to tell,if all jordans are fake simple test
• Air Jordan VI infrared fake comparison

My other reference was my own pair of 2010 Retro VIs, as well as a page listing all the official infrared / black Air Jordan VIs that have been released. The person who sold me the shoe claimed not know they were fake Air Jordans, and was happy to refund me my purchase price with shipping. I will not mention who they are in this article.

I have documented the shoes in pictures for others to use as a reference. I'll start with images of the box (the smaller one housing the fakes):

As mentioned, the fake's box is slight smaller, but otherwise looks good. The overall shape was shabby, and this is what started off the "alarm bells in my head". Next was the first view of the shoes (the fakes being the ones in plastic):

I have never seen Air Jordans from Nike come wrapped in a plastic bag. To me, they have always been wrapped in tissue paper or butcher paper. The addition of the card in the fake's box was an interesting aspect. In the following images, the Retro 2010s will usually be on the left, and the fakes will be on the right:

This is where a keen eye spots the majority of the problems. The ones I noticed were:

• Bad stitching - especially around the toebox
• Bad cutting - there seems to be a problem with some of the holes, as well as some specs or bumps that appear where they should not be (see where the toebox meets the tongue on the fakes for a clear example of this)
• The rear spoiler on the fake is too shiny and very flimsy
• The Jumpman logo on the rear of the shoe is red - something which has not appeared on an official colourway on any of the Air Jordan VI shoes
• The top of the tongue of the fake is stitched, whereas there is no trace of stitching on the real Air Jordan VIs
• The sole looks generally good on the fake, with the exception of pits that can be seen in the clear section near the heel
• The lacelock on the fake is poorly finished, and does not have the ridge (near the base) that the real Air Jordan VIs lacelocks have.
• Bad glue marks around the heel

The tags on the cuff look different, but this was not indicative of anything wrong. The fake Air Jordan VIs code matches up with similar looking shoes when I searched the internet for a match. The fake shoe is the image below on the left:

Lastly, the heel press test. Fake Air Jordan VI heels collapse when some pressure is put on them, whereas the real Air Jordan VI heels are rigid and are difficult to press in.

The fake heel is the image on the left. From memory, I was pressing harder on the real Air Jordan VIs, and they did not collapse at all.

Please understand I am not opposed to people wearing fake or counterfeit items. It is an individual decision, and it reflects the view that the original item may be overpriced for some people. I am very opposed to selling fake items as "100% authentic" - that is just a blatant lie, even though it does not cost the same as the original. Sell originals as "100% authentic", but if you do deal in fakes, then make sure your customer is fully aware of what they are - and good luck on not getting caught by the company that makes the original items.

Lastly, I have previously documented how I transform the pictures I used in this blog article. You are more than welcome to try to script / techniques yourself.