An Illustrated Guide to Fake Air Jordans

Got a fresh throwback but no Air Jordans to match? Fear not—just because Jordan Brand didn’t make them doesn’t mean they don’t exist. There’s an entire segment of the fake industry that uses colorways that never came out on models that did. The downside to wearing sneakers like this is that many people will know they’re fake. Saying they’re "exclusives you got from your cousin" isn’t going to work in the internet age. But those that don’t know sneakers will have to respect the killer fit you’re getting off.

What exactly does the “IE” stand for on the Air Jordan 11 Low IE? That’s one of the true mysteries of the sneaker world–kind of like how SpongeBob SquarePants-themed fake Air Jordans became a thing in the mid-2000s. The best we can do is speculate that manufacturers simply tried to capitalize on the height of SpongeBob’s popularity by combining it with another hot item from pop culture, and that the absurdness of the collaboration was lost in translation.

Clear sneakers were hot for approximately six months back in 2004 following Nike’s launch of the “Espo” Air Force 2. By the time the “Invisible Woman” AF1 hit in 2006 it was already an idea past its prime, and that’s when fake manufacturers took the idea and ran with it, swapping uppers on shoes like the Air Jordan 7 with clear panels. Jordan Brand themselves one-upped the fake makers years later by being even later to the party when they released the Air Jordan 2010.

When it comes to fakes, one of the only lines to rival the popularity of the Air Jordan is the Air Max. What better way to fully embrace the culture of fraudulent kicks than by adding full-length Max Air to classic silhouettes like the Air Jordan 8 or 11? While not as popular, you can also even find Shox editions of your favorite Jays.

With each passing year fakes are getting better and better. The only way to be 100 percent sure your Jordans are real is to buy them from an authorized retailer. But for some people, having them first means more than making sure they’re real. There’s been much speculation on what exactly these early release pairs are. Have they been stolen from the factory? Built after hours with leftover materials? High quality fakes? Your best bet is to avoid them all together. It’s not worth getting burned just so you can post “GOT MINE” first with a praying hands emoji.

To be clear, there were certainly fake versions of Jordan Fusions too. But the fakes we’re talking about here are the real AJFs that Jordan Brand put out in the late '00s. These concoctions appealed to neither Jordan nor AF1 fans, and could be found on clearance racks, along with matching apparel, at any store unfortunate enough to be forced into purchasing them to keep the retro account intact.

When we say “luxury,” we aren’t talking about the Pinnacle line, but collaborations with actual luxury brands. If you see a double-G or LV logo on a pair of Jays, they could be customs, but they’re likely fakes. Either way, they aren’t an official product–this is Jordan Brand we’re talking about here, not Supreme.

There are seemingly few aspects of MJ’s life that haven’t been paid tribute to. His outfit during a David Letterman appearance? Check. One of his former security guard’s jackets? Check. But tributes to random celebrities? Never, but fake manufacturers have often mashed up popular Air Jordans with portraits of celebrities-of-the-moment. These won’t fool anyone, and make little sense, but they do offer a good laugh when they are spotted.

In somewhat of a trendsetting move, fake manufacturers started mixing and matching parts and pieces of different Air Jordans with one another even before shoes like the Spizike came out. Sadly, some of these amalgamations work better than the ones that have officially released.

Once Jordan Brand started to crack down on fake makers, some turned to tactics like changing up the logo and claiming they were original designs. In some instances, this is still done today—particularly with products that stay overseas. In others, brands gave up the charade and became sneaker blogs instead.