How to Tell the Difference Between Fake vs Real Golden Goose Shoes

The tell-tale signs that you’re looking at fake Golden Goose sneakers

Co-authored by Mallika Sharma and Devin McSween

Last Updated: July 5, 2023 Fact Checked

Golden Goose sneakers are incredibly popular for their chic, worn-in look, iconic star, and comfortable fit. However, with their popularity comes a flood of inauthentic copies pretending to be the real thing. If you’ve got your eye on a pair of Golden Goose shoes and want to know if they’re fake or not, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll list everything you need to check to tell if these sneakers are authentic, from their toe box, heel, and famous star to the dust bag they come in. Read on to learn how to spot fake Golden Goose sneakers!

Things You Should Know

Fake Golden Goose sneakers usually have flat and wide toe boxes while authentic pairs have narrow, tall, and defined ones.
Authentic Golden Goose shoes have a long, pointed star on the side while the star on a fake is often shorter and more rounded.
Golden Goose dupes typically have textured outer soles while real Golden Goose sneakers have smooth outer soles.

1

Toe Box

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Fake Golden Gooses have flat, wide toe boxes. The toe box is the very front part of your shoes. On Golden Goose dupes, the toe box is typically shorter and less defined than on an authentic pair. Real Golden Goose sneakers are well known for their narrow, tall, and pointed toe boxes.^{[1]
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- The toe box is typically more lifted off of the ground on authentic pairs than dupes.
- Authentic Golden Gooses typically have shoe laces that are thinner and less rugged looking than the laces that come on dupes.^{[2]
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2

Star

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Golden Goose dupes usually have shorter and less sharp stars. The star is the most iconic part on any pair of Golden Gooses. On fake pairs, the star is typically smaller, angled too far to one side, and has shorter, more rounded points. The star on a real pair is cut off right above the base of the top point and has long, sharp points.^{[3]
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- On Golden Gooses with glitter stars, real pairs use varying sizes of glitter. Fake pairs usually use glitter of the same size.
- Golden Goose has its signature star trademarked, so compare an image of the star on a real pair to determine if the shoes you’re looking at are real.^{[4]
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- On pairs of Golden Goose Running shoes, the full star is visible.

3

Sides

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The material on the outer sole, or the band that wraps around the bottom of the shoe, is typically made out of a bumpy, bubbled material on dupes. On real pairs, it is smooth and flat. While fakes often include the metal “GGDB” logo on the side of the shoe, it is smaller and more brightly colored than on authentic pairs.^{[5]
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4

Heel

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Real Golden Goose sneakers have taller heels than dupes. The length from the bottom to the top of the heel is usually much taller on authentic Golden Gooses than on dupes.^{[6]
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- For example, a dupe might use a holographic material on the heel instead of the metallic fabric used on an authentic pair.
- Real Golden Gooses have “GOLDEN GOOSE / DB” printed at the top of the heel in black. Fakes might forget this detail or use a font that’s sharper and narrower.

5

Sole

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Authentic Golden Goose sneakers have a distinct, sharp zig-zag pattern on the soles, or the very bottom portion of the shoe. On fake pairs, the zig-zags often have rounded points. The spaces between the zig-zags are typically uneven throughout or wider than on the real sneakers.^{[8]
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6

Insole

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Authentic Golden Goose soles are stamped with a clear, dark logo. On the insole of every Golden Goose sneaker, which is the material inside your shoe, there is a black rectangle with the name of the shoe and “GOLDEN GOOSE MADE IN ITALY” written on top in white. On dupes, the rectangle is often faded and the font is smaller and bolder.^{[9]
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- Real pairs are engraved with the size of the shoe on the side of the insole, too. If dupes include this detail, the number is typically not as deep and harder to read.

7

Material

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Real Golden Goose sneakers are made out of high-quality leather. There’s a reason Golden Gooses come with a hefty price tag: they’re handmade in Italy using high-quality leather, suede, and foam. Dupes are typically made out of synthetic polyester or poly-blend materials, so they have a lower-quality look and feel.^{[10]
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- Fake pairs of Golden Gooses often have visible glue lines or residue that points to their low quality.

8

Stitching

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The stitching is what often sets authentic Golden Goose shoes apart from dupes. Fake pairs might have loose threads, crooked lines, or parts, like the star, that aren’t completely sewn down. With their impressive craftsmanship, real Golden Gooses have crisp, clean, and barely visible stitches.^{[11]
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9

Distress Marks

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Authentic Golden Goose shoes have deliberately placed scuffs. Most pairs of Golden Goose sneakers come with a pre-worn look. Signs of distress like scuffs and scratches mark the toe box, heel, and sides. While dupes try to copy the scuff marks, they often look random and messy instead of artfully crafted and carefully placed.^{[12]
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- Every pair of Golden Goose sneakers are individually hand-crafted, so the scruff mark placement is always slightly different.

10

Labels

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Real Golden Gooses use a thin, slanted font on the tongue tag. While it depends on the style, most Golden Gooses have a square tag on the tongue that reads “GGDB” in a slightly slanted font with “MADE IN ITALY” below it. Some dupes do not include this detail, while others have a rectangular tag and use a font that is thicker and more slanted.^{[13]
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- Some Golden Goose styles have a perforated imprint of “GGDB” on the tongue.
- The tag on some Golden Goose extends inside of the tongue. Dupes typically use a thinner font than authentic pairs.

11

Dust Bag

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Inauthentic Golden Goose shoes come in a lower-quality dust bag. Real Golden Gooses and most dupes come wrapped in a cream dust bag. The dust bag that an authentic pair comes in is made out of soft, smooth cotton. On the other hand, the dust bags that fakes come in are usually made out of synthetic, wrinkly fabric.^{[14]
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- Authentic dust bags have black drawstrings, while fake dust bags often have cream-colored drawstrings.
- The text is also typically larger on a dupe’s dust bag than on an authentic pair’s dust bag.

12

Price

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Real Golden Goose sneakers retail for $500 and up. One of the biggest differences between authentic and inauthentic Golden Gooses is their price. Real pairs, like the popular Superstar style, cost you around $500 to $700. On the other hand, dupes often go for $30 or less.^{[15]
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- When shopping for Golden Goose sneakers, buy from reputable sites like Golden Goose or Nordstrom.
- To avoid buying fakes, stay away from discount stores like Shein and AliExpress, as they only sell dupes.
- Popular retailers like Steve Madden, Vintage Havana, and Shop Shu also sell sneakers that look similar to Golden Gooses but aren't authentic.

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Tips

If you’re thinking of purchasing a used pair of Golden Goose shoes, check them out in person whenever possible. This way, you can look for signs that they’re inauthentic.

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