How to Spot Fake Nike Air Max Off-White 90
When authenticating Nike Air Max Off-White 90 you should analyze the overall shape and look first. Then move onto the swoosh, print, and text as you might spot some small details that are different from the original. Don't forget to check the tongue tag, heel, insole, and shoelaces as the differences might be hidden in the spots you don't expect them to be.Let's start analyzing.
Table of Contents
[ open ]Check the Overall Shape
Let’s begin our Air Max Off-White 90 authentication by looking at the overall shape of the shoe. In general, the toe box should have a smooth curve, which most replicas do not have, and instead, make the toe box too straight and vertical. Please take a look at the following real VS fake Air Max Off-White 90 comparisons to have a better understanding of what we mean.
This OW Air Max 90 in black colorway perfectly illustrates the problem with the toe box. On the fake, it is less curved and has a more vertical line shape. Apart from that, the Swoosh looks longer and less pointed, but we will discuss the Swoosh in detail later. Finally, the midsole of the authentic should be more curved.
Analyze the Overall Look (Desert Ore Colorway)
This pair in Desert Ore colorway has a problem with its leather panel overlapping with the Swoosh. As you can see, it overlaps the Swoosh in two spots: the tail of the Swoosh and the very tip of it, while the replica has only one overlapping point. This flaw occurred because the fake Swoosh is shorter than the authentic.
Let's take a look at another example to better understand what the Swoosh should look like.
Inspect the Swoosh Details
Let’s take a closer look at the details of the Swoosh to examine the flaws made by counterfeit manufacturers.
Firstly, the bright flap on the Swoosh should always have sharp, straight corners, and should never be rounded.
The next mistake here is that the zigzag stitching around the Swoosh is smaller. However, please be aware that the stitching can be inconsistent in some of the authentic pairs.
Verify the Medial Print
Moving on with the inspection, let’s take a look at the medial print of the shoe. It is one of the most reliable ways to legit check a pair of Air Max Off-White 90.
This pair in black colorway has its medial text tilted the wrong way, so much that it appears to be crooked. Not only that, but the color of the “Off-White” text is slightly more washed out and less distinct.
Evaluate the Medial Text Quality
The Desert Ore pair has its medial text paler and washed out than the authentic, too. This flaw certainly makes the pair stand out less, and it may be due to the bad quality of printing. The font is also smaller, which is especially noticeable on the “Oregon USA” text.
Examine the Tongue Tag
As for the Nike tongue tag, here you should focus your attention mainly on the Nike logo font.
The real vs fake Nike Air Max Off-White 90 shows that the fake one has taller letters, and the ™ sign is thicker. In general, the letters seem to be more tightly fitted together, with less spacing between characters, while the authentic Nike logo has them placed a bit further apart.
Please notice that the orange Swoosh appears to be longer than needed on the fake tongue tag, and the tip of it has a wrong shape.
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Assess the Toe Box Structure
For our next step to legit check Nike Air Max 90 Off-White, let’s discuss the toe box method.
The main difference here is that the toe box on the authentic is a bit boxier and has a smoother curve. On the fake Air Max Off-White 90, the toe box area overall seems more pointed and smaller than necessary.
The zigzag stitching seems less dense, and messier because some stitches are longer than the others. You should also lookout for any loose threads sticking out, as they might be a sign of a counterfeit.
Review the Heel Area
When authenticating the heel, you should mostly pay attention to the shape and placement of the suede patch, as well as the stitching.
Firstly, the suede patches of both shoes should be evenly sized and shaped. To put it simply, they should be identical. If you notice any inconsistencies, you might be looking at a replica.
Secondly, notice the distance between the bottom suede panel and the midsole of the shoe. On the fake sneaker, it is much bigger than it should be, meaning that the suede overlay has the wrong shape.
And finally, verify the stitching on the heel. All stitches should be consistent in size, and this is where the replica Air Max Off-White 90 fails. The stitches here are smaller and shorter than on the original, and not only that, but they are also inconsistent in length.
Look Under the Heel Tab
For this method, you have to pull up the heel tab and look at the underside of it, which has some simple text printed on it. As it turns out, this seemingly insignificant detail is mostly overlooked by replica makers, so it can be a great help at spotting a fake item.
The first difference here is that the color of the patch itself is incorrect. The authentic one is light brown, while the fake one is grey.
Secondly, the print is too thick and fuzzy. It appears to be done on cheaper, lower quality manufacturing equipment. The text is also smaller and the characters have less space between them.
Inspect the Size Tag
Next on our list is the size tag method. The main thing to notice on the size tag is the font.
A great way to authenticate the size tag is by looking at the SZ text in the upper right corner. The SZ lettering looks more thick and fuzzy on the fake one, which is most likely due to the bad quality of printing. As you may have already noticed, most replicas have thicker, fuzzier fonts, often with smaller letter spacing. This is a general detail that can be applied to almost all brands and models of sneakers.
Another mistake you can spot here is that the font overall is smaller. It is especially easy to notice on the “Made in China” text.
Authenticate the Insole
As for the insole, here we would like to point out some flaws in the “Ten” logo.
The letters of “The Ten” text are a lot thinner. The X logo is also thinner and the corners of it are more stretched out.
You should also notice the placing of the text and the X logo. Of course, the authentic pair should have it perfectly centered.
Review the Shoelaces
For the last method today, we are going to examine the shoelaces, specifically the “Shoelaces” print on them.
Most importantly, we suggest you authenticate the placing of the text. It should be placed close to the plastic lace tip, at about 1-2 cm distance, but not overlapping with it. On the fake Air Max Off-White 90, the text seems to be placed too far from it.
Apart from that, the fake “Shoelaces” print is too thick in font, and that, as we previously mentioned, is a dead giveaway of bad printing.
Tips for Spotting Fake Off-White Air Max 90 (Black Colorway)
You should follow the methods mentioned in the guide to spot a fake pair but pay closer attention to the overall look method and the medial text as you might find the most differences by doing so.
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Final Thoughts
This brings us to the end of our guide. Our main advice, as always, is to be careful when shopping for brand items. With thousands of replicas being produced every day, you never know when you are going to stumble on a fake product. Common signs of a fake:
- Too-straight toe box with a poor curve and awkward vertical shape
- Rounded Swoosh flaps instead of crisp, straight corners
- Tilted or faded medial print, often poorly aligned or washed out
- Inconsistent stitching on the Swoosh, heel, or toe box
- Oversized or poorly spaced fonts on the Nike tongue tag and size tag
- Wrong placement of “Shoelaces” text, or font that’s too bold
- Incorrect insole logo – thinner letters, stretched X shape, misalignment
- Uneven heel patches or incorrect suede placement
- Off-colored or fuzzy heel tab print
- Low-quality print or sizing inconsistencies inside the shoe
If you need your brand items professionally authenticated, do not hesitate to contact us! Our knowledgeable Nike authentication team provides reliable authentications 24/7.