Fake vs Real Air Force Ones: How to Avoid Getting Scammed

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Easily identify knock-off Forces by quality, construction, and packaging

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IN THIS ARTICLE

1 Rear Logo

2 Swoosh Logo

3 Toe Box

4 Metal Tag

5 Midsole

6 Sole

7 Insole

8 Tongue

9 Size Label

10 Stitching

11 Color

12 Packaging

13 UPC Code

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Co-authored by Victor Adrian and Bailey Cho

Last Updated: August 12, 2024 Fact Checked

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Air Force Ones are classic sneakers that look great on everyone, but their simple design makes it easy for counterfeit manufacturers to duplicate. While it may seem tricky to check the authenticity of an all white sneaker, there are actually several ways to see if you have a fake pair. In this article, we’ll teach you how to inspect every aspect of your Air Force 1s so you can confirm you have the real deal.

Things You Should Know

• Fake Air Force 1s often arrive with shallow, messy stitching—especially around the swoosh logo and rear heel strap.
• Authentic Air Force 1s have an evenly stitched “Nike Air” and swoosh logo on the back of both heels.
• Fake Air Force 1s lack fully-punched circular perforations across the toe box.

Steps

1

Rear Logo

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1. Look for: embroidered “Nike Air” and swoosh logos on both heels. Authentic Air Force Ones have neatly embroidered logos on the back of both heels. The logos are located in the center of the heel stamp, with letters that are even in thickness. The stitching is also densely packed and raised in appearance, giving the font a slightly 3-dimensional look.

   • Counterfeit red flags: loose threads, uneven stitching, and crooked logo alignment.
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2

Swoosh Logo

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1. Look for: a U-like curve towards the base of the swoosh. On real Air Forces, the swoosh logo has a thick, natural curvature, and the tail of the swoosh ends close to the heel collar. The stitching surrounding the logo looks deeply sewn, without any bumps or flaws, and there are 2 circular perforations directly underneath the base of the swoosh.

   • Counterfeit red flags: messy stitching, no circular perforations underneath the swoosh, and an angular swoosh logo (with the tail of the swoosh stopping near the midsole).

3

Toe Box

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1. Look for: well-punched, circular perforations. Authentic Forces have evenly spaced holes all over the toe box area, and there are 4 lines of horizontal stitching between the perforations and the metal AF1 tag.

   • Counterfeit red flags: slightly square-like perforations that aren’t fully punched out.
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4

Metal Tag

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1. Look for: a curved silver tag engraved with the text “AF1.” While real Air Forces include a metallic tag, the tag still has a subtle, matte-like sheen—instead of being super shiny. The tag is also slightly curved, so it shouldn’t be flat when you pick it up.

   • Counterfeit red flags: a shiny and flat tag, possibly with extra text on the logo (such as “AF1 ‘82”).

5

Midsole

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1. Look for: angled edges on the lines located beside the “AIR” logo. On authentic Air Forces, the 2 lines on either side of the engraved “AIR” logo are finished with an angled edge, with the direction of the angle corresponding to the direction of the text. For example, the text on the right shoe has a slight tilt to the right so the end of the line is tilted in the same direction.

   • Counterfeit red flags: the edge of the line is straight, or the angle is in the opposite direction of the text.
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6

Sole

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1. Look for: clear star engravings and trademark logos. Real Air Force Ones have distinct star engravings near the toe box and heel, with multiple rows of evenly-spaced stars. They also include 2 registered trademark logos on the opposite corners of the “NIKE” logo—near the bottom left hand corner of the “N” and the top right hand corner of the “E."

   • Counterfeit red flags: different shaped engravings and no registered trademark logo.

7

Insole

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1. Look for: light gray insoles with different designs on the left and right. In authentic Forces, the logo on the left insole clearly reads “82 Since,” while the right says “NIKE AIR AIR FORCE 1.”

   • Counterfeit red flags: dark charcoal insoles with blurry printed designs.
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8

Tongue

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1. Look for: evenly stitched label with white text. From the front of an authentic Air Force, there are 8 eyelets beside the tongue, with the bottom of the “AIR FORCE 1” label stitched at the same level as the first eyelet. The stitching runs across the underside of the tongue to ensure it stays in place with wear, and the text on the label is completely white so you can’t read it easily.

   • Counterfeit red flags: 6 eyelets beside the tongue, an adhesive label attached to the underside of the tongue, and metallic text.

9

Size Label

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1. Look for: symmetrical font, a matching style number, and an authentic QR code Inside authentic Forces, the font on the label is saturated and evenly spaced. If you look up the style number on Google, the result corresponds to the exact model and color of the sneakers, and you are also redirected to the official Nike website if you scan the QR code.

   • The style number is the 9 character code near the upper right hand corner of the label.
   • Counterfeit red flags: thinner font with inconsistent spacing between letters, and the style number and QR codes do not work.
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10

Stitching

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1. Look for: neat, uniform stitching throughout the entire shoe. Due to strict quality standards, authentic Air Forces have deep stitches, without any bumps or imperfections. The stitching around the heel strap (the vertical strap running across the back of the shoe) is straight and symmetrical, while the strap itself is slightly less than 0.75 inches (1.9 cm) wide.

   • Counterfeit red flags: sloppy, surface-level stitches and loose threads in various spots across the shoe.

11

Color

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1. Look for: pure white color without any stains. Real Air Force Ones are uniform in color, from the laces to the soles. There aren’t any spots of discoloration on the sneaker, and it’s almost blue-toned in hue, giving the Forces their fresh appearance.

   • Counterfeit red flags: slightly yellow or off-white in color, with some fakes having signs of discoloration around the sole.
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12

Packaging

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1. Look for: flawless gray box with a manufacturing sticker. Authentic Air Force Ones arrive in a smooth gray box, with little to no damage. The side of the box includes an official manufacturing sticker with the color, size, country of origin, barcode, and QR code. The text is printed in a dark ink, with evenly spaced letters.

   • Counterfeit red flags: low-quality cardboard box that arrives crumpled or damaged, and a manufacturing sticker that’s fuzzy and inconsistent in saturation.

13

UPC Code

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1. Look for: the model, size, and colorway of the code matches the shoes. The universal product code (UPC) is a 12-digit alphanumeric code that merchants assign to every unique product. In real Air Forces, it’s located below the barcode on the box and above the QR code on the interior size label. When you type in the code on a platform like Barcode Lookup, all the details of the box barcode should match your sneakers.

   • Counterfeit red flags: all the details of the shoe don't match the UPC code online.
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Tips

• Try to buy your sneakers directly from the Nike website to avoid purchasing fakes. If that’s not possible, only purchase from reputable retailers like Foot Locker, Finish Line, and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
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• Be doubtful of any new sneakers being sold for under retail price. Since Air Force Ones are a popular and classic model, it’s rare to find an adult pair under $100.
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• If you’re buying Air Force Ones from a reseller or third-party platform, make sure the label is clearly visible on the shoe and the box—most counterfeit manufacturers hide or remove these labels to scam people.
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