Okay, so picture this: you’ve *finally* scored what you think is the Holy Grail of sneakers, the Dior Air Jordans. Maybe you dropped a *serious* chunk of change, maybe you thought you found a steal (red flag alert!), but either way, you’re buzzing. But hold up a sec, fam. Before you strut your stuff, let’s talk about something that’s as rampant as drop culture itself: *fakes*.
And look, I’m not gonna lie, the fake game is getting *good*. Like, scary good. Remember that Aussie bloke who shelled out *twenty grand* on some duds? Ouch. That’s gotta sting more than stubbing your toe on a Lego brick. So, how do you avoid becoming a meme, a walking, talking cautionary tale? Let’s dive in, shall we?
First things first, the logo. This is like the easiest thing to screw up, right? But the fakers still bungle it! Apparently, the real Dior logo uses a serif font. Now, I’m no font expert (Comic Sans is a crime against humanity, though, that much I know!), but basically, look for those little extra strokes at the ends of the letters. If it’s all blocky and plain, that’s a definite “uh oh” moment. Also, spelling mistakes? Smudged prints? Come ON, people. That’s like basic quality control. Don’t tell me I need to tell you that.
Then there’s the star. You know, that little star detail? Apparently, it’s supposed to be super crisp and clean. A blurry star probably means you’ve got yourself a constellation of regret. I’m just saying.
And then, going back to the Air Jordan side of things, there’s the tongue. The tongue is a total giveaway, apparently. The label on the tongue of the *real* deal is meant to have a taller, thinner Dior logo and a thicker “Air” logo. Fakes, they’ll usually get one or both wrong. I read somewhere that someone noticed the inside text too, the “8500”, uses a different font in some of the fakes. Honestly, who even thinks to check that kind of detail? But hey, knowledge is power, right?
I saw an article about the Feds seizing millions of dollars worth of fake Dior x Air Jordans, and that just shows how big of a problem this is. It’s not just some shady dude selling knock-offs out of a van anymore (although, those guys are still around, I’m sure).
Okay, so here’s my totally unprofessional, slightly scatterbrained advice:
* If the price is too good to be true, it probably IS. Let’s be real, these things are expensive. If someone’s offering them for pennies on the dollar, run. Fast.
* Compare, compare, compare! Find images of authentic pairs online and compare *everything*. Seams, stitching, materials, logos, everything.
* Trust your gut. If something just feels off, it probably is.
