The Jordan 4 saga continues as new colorways of the silhouette are being released every month. The latest addition is the upcoming Air Jordan 4 Red Cement, set to officially release on September 9th, 2023, just as schools reopen. However, counterfeiters have already released their own versions of these shoes.
A few days ago, I stumbled upon a pair and was amazed by their impressive appearance. Granted I don’t have an authentic pair on hands as a backdrop so it’s hard to notice any nuances, but I do have to admit that they’ve fixed the common errors I usually spot on the fake Jordan 4s. Take a look at the images below to see what I’m talking about.
Toe Area: Fake Air Jordan 4 Red Cement
The picture above is of the fake pair I came across. Typically, the netting grids on fake pairs lack rounded edges at the corners; however, this particular pair seems to have corrected that issue. The image below will demonstrate the usual appearance of netting found on counterfeit pairs.
It is evident in this counterfeit pair of Thunder 4’s that the grid corners lack rounded edges. However, this issue has been addressed and rectified in the replica Jordan 4 Red Cement.Panels’ Netting
I also believe that they’ve also corrected the panel’s netting on the fake Red Cement 4, the edges are also rounded as opposed to the fake pair in the picture below.
No round edge on the fakes. This is a comparison between the fake and the real Jordan 4 InfraredBack
I also don’t think there is any apparent flaw on the back, usually with the fakes, the heel overlay is cut a little higher, that might be the case, but it’s hard to tell without an authentic pair on hands.
So what can you actually do to avoid being dealt a fake pair. Well, I believe there are still parts of the shoe that they haven’t been able to get right. One is the markings on the back of the insole, see images below
Insole: Fake Jordan 4
One thing you can do is pull out the insole of the shoe and check the back of it. If the “Dreamcell” text appears unclear and the square highlighted is debossed, then you know you’ve being dealt a fake pair.
Above is the insole of the fake Air Jordan 4 Red Cement. The Jumpman logo on the insole is supposed to not come off when the wearer steps foot in the shoe, but with most fake pairs, because the ink used is cheap, the logo peels off right away. That’s one way you can tell whether your pair is illegitimate.
You see the differences between the Jumpman logo. On the fake, it is a bit faded and will peel right offBox label
They seem to have also corrected the box label. Nike no longer puts the MSRP sticker on boxes , especially those intended for the US market. But tons of the fake pairs still had it, but the fake Red Cement Jordan 4 box label above, the MSRP sticker isn’t there, that’s another correction they’ve done. But the label still looks off especially with the font of the letters and numbers.
Inside Size Tag: Fake Jordan 4 Red Cement
If anyone offers to sell you a pair with a production date similar to the one in the picture above, don’t follow through with the purchase. there are strong chances that the pair you’re being offered probably came from the same counterfeit factory.
As evident, the quality of counterfeit items has improved significantly, requiring a Sherlock Holmes-like effort to distinguish them. I’ve written an extensive post about the implications of this, see link below
Fake Sneakers Will Plunge Resale Further In The Abyss
