Adidas is the most beloved footwear brand, not only for its attractive and stylish shoes that suit all types of users, especially sports enthusiasts but also for its high quality and durability, highly rated by users. Due to this, despite numerous counterfeit and fake Adidas products flooding the market, they can't match the authenticity of genuine Adidas products. While the appearance may be similar, the quality is vastly different. Identifying genuine Adidas shoes versus fakes is quite challenging, especially for those not well-versed in this field. Therefore, today, Mytour will suggest to you some methods to check the authenticity of Adidas shoes.
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How to Authenticate Adidas Shoes: Real vs Fake
1. Verify the shoe's serial number
To determine whether your Adidas shoes are genuine or fake, first, look inside the shoes to find the shoe tag. Then, compare the tags on both shoes: if the tag on the right differs from the left, you have a genuine pair of Adidas shoes. If both shoes have the same serial number inside, then they are definitely fake Adidas shoes. Additionally, you should check the number on the shoe box. The serial number on the shoe tag must match the number on the shoe box.
In the image below, you can see the number 118112383 on both men's sneakers. This number also appears on the box. Two completely different serial numbers are 3V3L6H8100098 and 3V3L6H8100097. Therefore, the shoes in the picture are genuine Adidas. If they were fake, this serial number would appear on both shoes.
- See also: How to check Adidas shoe codes
2. Adidas Logo
Another way to authenticate Adidas shoes is to observe the logo. If you compare a genuine pair of Adidas athletic shoes with a fake one, you'll notice a clear difference. Fake shoes often have a glued-on logo, while authentic Adidas shoes have the logo engraved. The logo on fake shoes wears off much faster than on genuine ones.
Some counterfeit Adidas logos you can spot in the image below
Genuine Adidas Logo
3. Shoe Stitching
The quality of stitching can also help you distinguish between real and fake Adidas shoes. Genuine Adidas shoes, whether expensive or cheap models, will have high-quality stitching with neat, seamless seams, and no traces of glue. On the other hand, fake shoes will have lower-quality stitching with uneven seams, excess glue, or even loose threads, indicating incomplete construction.
4. Color
If you purchase a pair of shoes with colors different from those on the official Adidas website, you're buying fake Adidas shoes. Counterfeiters not only replicate Adidas models but also add additional color options. If you notice an unfamiliar color not available on the official Adidas website or store, be cautious as it could be counterfeit shoes.
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5. Shoelaces and Lace Holes
Most genuine Adidas shoes will come with an extra pair of laces, neatly packaged. Therefore, if you buy a pair of Adidas athletic shoes but they don't come with a new pair of laces inside the box, there's a high chance you've purchased fake shoes. However, counterfeit shoe manufacturers have started paying attention to this detail and have begun adding new laces to their products as well. Therefore, merely inspecting the laces is not enough to determine whether the shoes are real or fake. You need to also check the quality of the laces and see if they are carefully packaged in a separate bag.
Another thing to note is the material of the lace holes. Only older Adidas models may have metal lace holes like the ones in this picture.
6. Barcode
The presence of 'Made in China' on Adidas shoes is no longer a clear indication of authenticity. Since 1994, Adidas has shifted most of its production operations to other countries to increase shoe production volume. Therefore, don't worry if the shoes don't have the 'Made in Germany' label. That's perfectly normal. Instead, check the shoe's barcode. Regardless of where Adidas products are manufactured, the barcodes will contain a German code, meaning the first three digits must be between 400 and 440.
7. Price and Purchase Location
Certainly, everyone wants to buy high-quality shoes at a low price, but unfortunately, that's not possible with Adidas shoes. Genuine Adidas shoes won't be cheap because they are made of premium materials. Furthermore, note that authentic Adidas shoes are only sold at official Adidas stores, on the official Adidas website, or on the website of an authorized Adidas dealer. So, if you see a pair of shoes advertised as genuine Adidas but at a significantly lower price than on the Adidas website, you should be cautious as they are likely to be counterfeit.
Above is the article guiding you on how to check Adidas shoes to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit, real and fake products.
- Read more: How to authenticate genuine and fake Nike shoes