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Nike Air Force 1 Original vs Fake Guide 2025: How to Spot a Fake?

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Nike Air Force 1 Original vs Fake Guide 2025: How to Spot a Fake?

The white Nike Air Force 1 is one of the bestselling shoes of all time. It was the first basketball shoe to utilize Nike Air technology. It pioneered a soft, springy, and cushioned fit for the game of basketball. Nike Air Force 1 Low is designed with simplicity in mind. This is the perfect choice for sports lovers who can easily coordinate daily outfits to affirm their fashion styles. As the love for Nike Air Force sneakers growing, there are more and more fake Air Force 1s in the market. How can you tell if Nike Air Force 1 are fake? In this Nike Air Force 1 Original vs Fake guide, I will show you how to spot step by step.

Cover Photo:nike.com

1. The Material of Nike Air Force 1

1) Nike designer Bruce Kilgore's creation, initially only available as a high top, was striking for its hiking-boot-inspired cues and uniquely chunky sole. The real Nike Air Force 1 shoes are made from a signature leather material with excellent quality. The“airbag” buffer – the familiar AIR has created a sturdy and extremely comfortable feeling to carry.

2) Fake Air Force 1s are knock-off Nike sneakers made with low-quality fabric, materials, and stitching. These counterfeit shoes mimic Nike AF1 sneakers by attempting to replicate the Nike logo and style of the shoe.

Source:nike.com

2. The Toe-Box of Nike Air Force 1

1) The authentic toe-box of Nike Air Force 1 seems to be narrower whereas the fake one is more box-like giving the sneakers a cheap look. The fake pair's toe box is looking a lot curvier and lifted up, while the authentic Nike AF1 sneakers' toe box is looking lower and less inflated.

2) The outlines of the counterfeit sneakers are too thick and dark that making the model look unclean; the same can be said about the perforations pattern too.

3. The holes on the side of Nike Air Force 1

On the authentic sneakers, you can see how the two holes on the side are placed a lot higher than the holes on the fake Nike Air Force 1 pair. And most commonly, the fake Nike Air Force 1 sneakers will have their holes placed too close to the midsole.

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4. The Tongue of Nike Air Force 1

1) Nike stitches the Nike Air logo on the tongue of authentic sneakers. Often, fakes will print rather than sew this logo onto the tongue.

2) Here you can see the obvious difference between the spacing of the text and the edge of the label. In the authentic pair, you can see how the logo and text is centered on the label, which leaves a bit of space on the top of the tongue. However, on the fake Air Force 1s, you can see how it leaves no spacing on the top.

3) Also there is a hole on the tongue which serves as a passage for the lace to provide support for the shoe tongue.

5. The Size Tag/Inside Label

1) Recognize the main flaws in font/text of the size tags between the authentic and fake Air Force 1: font thickness and letter/word spacing. The entire word of the authentic tag is clear and not cut off. It has a thicker font and the spacing between letters are consistent throughout. The font thickness and spacing is also consistent. However the fake's tag has a very thin font and the spacing between the letters are quite inconsistent.

2) Search the style number on google. If the results of the search do not match the colorway and model of the Nike Air Force 1 White, then it is surely a replica.

6. The Lace & Metal Piece

1) Nike Air Force 1 Supremes come with flat woven laces. Make sure the lace tips are sealed in clear plastic caps.

2) Take a look at the metal piece at the front of the Air Force 1s.The legit pair has silver color tone to it, whereas the fake has a bronze coloring. On the authentic pair you can see the metal material being darker and less reflective to light as the replica. Make sure the metal piece has a slight curve to the metal, and not completely straight.

7. The Swoosh Logo

1) The way the fake swoosh is shaped immediately gives away its fakeness. The fake Air Force 1 pairs will have their Swoosh logo's curving looking more of a sudden, while the authentic Swoosh's curving goes more“natural”and smoother.

2) Not only the shape but the stitching is a problem too: the sewing should be neatly, symmetrically, and tightly instead of as sloppy as it is in the fake picture.

8. The Midsole "A I R" Engraving

The midsole will have an Air logo embossed into the rubber. Check that the embossing is sharp with straight edges. Note the positioning of the logo, and the slanted ends of the debossed lines on either side.

9. The Heel Counter of Nike Dunk

1) Look at the detail is the Nike embroidery - each letter on the replica heel counter needs to be perfectly straight and identical to the original lettering.

2)The fake Nike Force 1 sneakers have their logo's letters improperly crafted and font-weighted. The NIKE lettering which is more tilted in the real shoes with smaller but fuller letters.

3) The stitches on the fake shoes aren't even solid, but super sloppy, when they are supposed to be tight, symmetrical, and secure as it is on the real pair.

10. The Sole

1) The engraved details on the real sole are exquisite and refined whereas the replica sole lacks such characteristics: some embossed details that are supposed to be there are completely missing, shapes and measurements are not accurately copied either.

2) The Nike Logo is one of the easiest spots for replicas. You can easily see the "R" on the authentic pair, whereas some terrible replica is simply a circle. The fake manufacturers didn't bother engraving this detail in at all.

11. The Stitching

1) You can very quickly notice how neat and consistent and deeply sewn the threads are in the real Air Force 1s. On the other hand, the replica stitching is sloppy is sewn in very surface level. It is also visibly more sloppy.

2) Also notice the toal number of stitching above the perforation holes. In the legit Air Force 1, you can see 4 lines of stitching. However, on the fake shoe you're only able to see 2 lines of stitching.

12. The Box of Nike Air Force 1

1) AF1s usually come in a gray box or a black box and have inner lining paper that is embossed with tiny stars and the text “since 82” printed on it. Limited editions, collabs and special releases usually have their own special box.

2) The infomation sticker is always a must, it's detailing size, country-producer and model number.The style number is usually 9 digits long with the first 6 numbers to symbolize the shoe code and the last 3 digits of the color code (xxxxxx-xxx), and you'll also find it on the tongue. Scan a bar code with a special app (such as Quick Scan). It must work and show the same model, mentioned on the info sticker.

Where To Buy New And Second-hand Nike Air Force 1 sneakers The Cheapest?

Nike Air Force 1 sneakers are available in Nike boutiques worldwide. And you can also get a second-hand and vintage Nike Air Force sneakers on some resale websites! Sign up at Extrabux.com, you can get up to 4% cash back on your purchase at these sites！

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