Want to cop the hottest kicks, but question whether the pair is legit? Know the difference with Real vs Fake: OFF-WHITE Air Jordan 4 Retro SP “Sail.” First in 2019, Virgil Abloh displayed what was then known as the “Cream” WMNS AJ 4 Sample during his “Figures of Speech” art exhibition. Then, the official silhouette hit the February 2020 Off-White Women’s Runway Show. Finally, coinciding with their release, Virgil auctioned an exclusive pair for a whopping $186,859 (give or take) with proceeds for Black Lives Matter. But, if you’ve never seen them up close how can you spot if they’re fake?

What you should know

Virgil Abloh elevates Tinker Hatfield’s design with supple Muslin leather, Sail accents and delicate sheer tooling. Every inch of the upper is buttery smooth. Exposed edges on foam and tooling are stylistic of the OFF-WHITE brand. As are the trademark stamped and “SHOELACE” branded laces. For specifics, feel free to check out our youtube coverage here. Put simply, they look, feel and fit like a dream made with premium materials and expert craftsmanship. But for now, let’s breakdown the difference in this Real vs Fake.

Round 1

Sometimes, people think a branded box automatically means authenticity. However, even boxes can giveaway lots of insight into the quality of its contents. Looking along the tagged side of the box, we see the Red Jumpman emblem is closer to the edge on the fake. Additionally, the info tag on the real box feels textured with the letters raised slightly and the barcode is clear. But on the fake, it looks like static. Not only that, but looking closely you’ll see how the suggested retail price is missing. Opening the box and looking at dimensions, we see how uneven the peek holes are placed along the rim. Even the wrapping paper on the faux box appears murky when compared to the fully transparent wrapping on the legit pair.

Round 2

We put both pairs of Off-White Jordan 4 under UV lights to compare their construction. The mudguard lights up Blue along the toe and lines on the throat are stitching guides for the fake factory workers to follow. The forefoot threading does glow a bit on the real sneaker, but come off darker on the phony. And that’s not all. Remove the sole insert and look for numbers. The actual Off-White Sail won’t have any, but a factory that would need another way to track their inventory might.

Round 3

The overall silhouette a plays with slight hue shifts in Sail which looks great with the small amounts of visible White and Black. However the upper on the fake is darker when compared to the legit AJ 4 which looks a little paler when they are side by side. Looking at how the forefoot and toe is shaped, the ones worth coping appears rounded, giving the foot room to flex. But on the copy, the shape comes off oval and seems to pinch towards the toes. This compressed shape also comes off in the quarter mesh panel and uneven thread punctures seen throughout.

Round 4

The outsole is the one place where the colors are brighter on the fake and the real Jordans. But that might go unnoticed when you check out how the Nike branding is poorly cut into the arch. This makes the craftsmanship seem sloppy or rushed and definitely brings down the quality. Coming around to the heel we are looking for symmetry not just in the stitching but the overall silhouette. Here we see how the heel panels is poorly stitched on the bogus pair. And if that weren’t enough, the difference in transparency for the Nike Air heel window and heel stabilizers is arguably the most noticeable difference between the two pairs.

So, how did you do? Think you can hold your own amongst sneaker collectors and call out a fake Off-White Air Jordan 4 ” Sail”when you see one? Until next time, stay tuned for next installment of Real Vs Fake. Want to cop your very own pair of these incredible AJ 4s? Go to the Yankeekicks Store and get them now! Then, follow the link and be sure to check out our coverage on the latest and rarest here.