Hey all! After the release of the recent Travis Scott x Air Jordan 6 left many of us without pairs for retail, many of you might be gunning for a pair on the resell market.
Only problem, fakes of these have already started circulating!
We’re here to provide everyone with an in-depth guide on how to legit check this pair to ensure you are getting the real deal.
(Authentic packaging is on the left)
The first thing you’re going to want to check is the packaging. This may be difficult to identify, as different sizes come in different size boxes, but fake pairs may either be in boxes that are too large or boxes that are slightly too small. Your pair should be sitting in a box that seems appropriate. This might sound vauge but if you have a retail pair and are looking to double up you should be able to check the box size.
The size label itself will be hard to LC, but the lid of the box should be very close to the label. There shouldn’t be a noticeable gap between the box lid and the size label.
Lastly is the paper inside. This one might sound kind of vauge but the paper needs to be in the “goldielocks zone”, aka not too thin and not too thick. Some fakes will have a thick paper that is a deep semi-gloss black while others will look like a garbage bag. Legit pairs will feature an almost smoky black paper that is kind of like a wax baking paper.
Keep in mind that most of these differences will be difficult to notice unless you have a retail pair to compair to!
(2nd pic retail on the right)
The stitching seems to be consistently good on most fake pairs now, although some older batches though might have inconsistent stitching that varies in size and length. (1st pic)
One big thing to watch out for is the “Cactus Jack” heel embroidery. QC seems to have been decent on these (unlike the AJ1s and AJ4s) so the lettering should be decently crisp. If the A or the U in “Cactus” are a blob of embroidery, move on from that pair. (2nd pic) Since the A in “Jack” is so small it is fine if it is a little blob of embroidery!
There are some minor issues that some older batches of fakes might exhibit. The first one to note is the wrong finish on the tongue, retail pairs should be have a matte finish while some fakes are glossy.
Next is the general Jumpman embroidery. If the Jumpman has a beer belly, an astronaut helmet head, or a Mister Fantastic arm you should probably pass on the pair.
One thing to check for is the colour of the laces, the olive laces should be almost identical to the colour of the upper. If the pair you’re LCing has one of the other coloured laces swapped onto the pair, make sure to compare the olive set!
Lastly is the fraying on some spots of the nylon and the top of the tongue. The pair should have an adequate amount of fraying on all the little holes under the laces and at the very top of the tongue.
(Retail on the left)
One thing that is still plaguing fakes at the current moment is a colour that is slightly off. Some fake pairs have a slightly grey tint to them and are lighter in colour. This might be hard to identify if you don’t have a retail pair to compare to.
The worst part about comparing this is that lighting plays a huge factor on how the overall colour of the shoe will be.
(Retail on the left)
As fakes of these are becoming scary accurate, the biggest thing to check for at this time is the colour of the stash pocket.
On retail pairs the colour of the pocket is quite dark, while on fake pairs it can be a much lighter hue. The picture above shows a great contrast between the two. The stash pocket should be a solid 3 or 4 shades darker than the upper!
In addition to this, the lining along the stash pocket should provide a solid contrast compared to the pocket itself. Most fake pairs still haven’t nailed this as of yet. This might seem a little vauge but the lining of the pocket should be much lighter than the pocket.
This one is more of a bonus as many of you won’t have a UV light to test this with!
Before the pair is charged up by sunlight retail pairs will light up as blue instead of green while some fake pairs will glow green right off the bat. Also the inside of the air bubble should be a neon pink while fake pairs are a much deeper colour.
If you have a UV light this is definetly a worthwhile thing to check!