FAKE/IMITATION VS ORIGINAL SHOES

Lets face it, not every one can afford to spend $1000 on a pair of designer shoes or $200 in a pair of Nike or
Adidas shoes, so that’s when the imitations start to look appealing(unfortunately).

YES I´M GUILTY . . .
I confess having owned some shoes inspired in other brands or designers, but I never owned the kind
of imitation that has “Addidos” written on the label instead of Adidas, not that I have something against them, I just think that those kind of knockoffs are not so…. attracting, not to mention these kind of imitation is illegal, since logos are trademarks of each company.
If you’re into products inspired by other brands or you are just not willing to spend your whole paycheck on a pair of shoes, then I strongly recommend you this post.

Differences

Maybe you don’t quite notice the difference but in my opinion there are indeed two kinds of imitations.

1)._ There are the ones that look exactly as the original brand and design, except for the label and sometimes the logo, there are also some shoes that are sold as the original and that it is illegal.
To sell a cheaper and lower quality product, claiming to be original is against the law, to buy or own
an imitation or a knockoff it’s not illegal.

Generally these ones are the ones that most of the times are too excessive.
Why? Because if you are not able to afford or simply think that there’s no need to wear expensive
shoes, it’s always better to wear shoes that are unique and not just a replica of other brands.

2)._ In other cases there are other shoe styles & brands that are not just a mere copy, they are innocently inspired in some of the most well-known brands.
These are the ones that I recommend, most importantly because they have some similarities with
popular brands but still maintain their uniqueness, and do not mimic the original company logo or brand
name.
I think it’s always better to wear designer inspired shoes instead of sneakers imitation, since these last ones are too obvious.

After all the price that you see on those fancy and well-known brands, is not only the price of the product, these brands sell the idea of exclusivity and social status.
But in the end you choose what to buy, and lets be honest sometimes the shoes that designers sell are hideous and overpriced!

Like these boots for example:

Maison Martin Margiela Boots (Ugly & Expensive)
$2,495 !!

“Knockoffs & Imitations”

IMITATION (Above) Gladiator Shoes $65

ORIGINAL Dior Extreme Platforms $770
(Yes, these are the ones that Sarah Jessica Parker used in the “Sex & The City” movie)

IMITATION (Above) Nine West Boots $145

ORIGINAL Chloé Pumps $550
(net-a-porter)

IMITATION (Above) Steve Madden black satin shoes $89.95

ORIGINAL Giuseppe Zanotti black shoes $550

IMITATION (Above) Steve Madden Ginn Sandal $199.95

ORIGINAL Givenchy Gladiator Shoes about $1000

IMITATION (Above) Puma wannabes or “simply inspired in” ?

ORIGINAL Puma Shoes

IMITATION (Above) “Addadis” Shoes…. ?#@_¿?¿?

ORIGINAL Adidas Shoes

How to spot fake shoes?

Some people might find the look-alike shoes very appealing and obviously they’re willing to buy
them, but what happens when we want to buy a real product and someone tries to sell us a fake one as a real one?
If you refused to be fooled here are some quick tips on how to avoid being scam.

* Well, first of all rely on your common sense and intelligence, if you happen not to posses any of these
simply follow this advice: If you are buying a pair of Dior shoes and the price its below $300 it’s not that
there’s a sale or you’re just lucky, they are FAKE. This applies to every designer shoe, if it’s too cheap, it is for a reason.

*However, to spot fake sneakers it’s a little bit more tricky….

(Pic from spotfakeadidas.com)
Genuine Adidas shoes have different serial numbers on each shoe

(Pic from spotfakeadidas.com)
Hang tags should always be attached thought the first lace hole on the
instep side of both shoes.

Fake Run DMC’s will often come with one shoe laced, neither should be laced.
Extra laces should be packed tightly in tough plastic packaging.

(Spotfakeadidas.com)

(Spotfakeadidas.com)

Genuine shoes don’t have signs of “heel tags”

(Spotfakeadidas.com)

Websites & Fake products

VARIANTS

These are fakes, several sites use this term but it is deliberately misleading.
Look carefully at the Policy section on the site, it might be hidden somewhere but will usually say “these shoes are factory variants”.

SAMPLES

Everyone knows about samples but briefly for the uninitiated, ‘samples’ come in Size 9 with no box, and are used to road test different looks for a shoe. You can come across some unusual samples, some of which might be valuable.

LOOKALIKES

These can be found in department stores, are made by an anonymous brand and are very cheap replicas. The Shelltoes and the Nike Presto have been badly ‘lookalike’ locally.

CUSTOMS

If you see a shoe in a non-original colourway, it is either a sample, a fake or a ‘custom.’ Customs are shoes that have been hand detailed in some way. There are quite a few well known custom designers out there who are quite famous in their own right. They take a legitimate shoe and jazz it up and then charge premium prices, so it is unlikely you’ll be buying these without being aware of it.
Some sites call their shoes ‘customs’ but they are fakes. Pretty much anything that has been structurally altered is fake, such as all the Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Burberry AF1’s.

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