Adidas Superstar: Original VS Fake (Expert Guide)

Last Updated on July 4, 2024 by Ch David

If you’re looking to learn how to spot fake Adidas Superstar sneakers, then you are for sure in the right place.

Our guide works for all models + colorways.

How to spot fake Adidas Superstar sneakers

To spot fake Adidas Superstar, look at the size tag inside each shoe. Fakes never have their inscriptions at the right thickness.

1. Size tag

1.1. New format (after 2016)

1 – The “MADE IN INDONESIA” text

In the image with the fake vs real Adidas Superstar shoes above, we have pointed out how the fake shoes have their “MADE IN INDONESIA” text looking really thin.

Back to the authentic Adidas Superstar shoes, you can see how the same “MADE IN INDONESIA” text is thicker and more defined than the one on the fake shoes.

2 – The “US UK FR JP CHN” inscription

Going to the second hand-emoji pointer, we have the line of text that says “US UK FR JP CHN”, which on the fake shoes, this line of text looks too thin.

Yet again, the genuine Adidas Superstar shoes have their text thicker, and that applies to the “US UK FR JP CHN” text as well.

3 – The appearance of the MALE/MÂLE text 

Both the real and fake Adidas Superstar pairs may or may not have MALE/MÂLE inscriptions. So whether your sneakers feature the text or not, it is perfectly fine.

Therefore, we do not consider this specific inscription as a way of spotting the fake Adidas Superstar pairs.

4 – The “adidas ®” inscription

Looking at this inscription on the bottom-left side of the size tag, you can see how the fake shoes have this text too thin, once again.

On the other hand, the genuine Adidas Superstars have their text thicker and more defined than the fake pair’s text.

Keep in mind that if the “adidas” text and the “®” symbol are in contact, that means 100% that you are looking at fake Adidas Superstar pairs, as the legit shoes never have these two in contact.

5 – Size prints

Lastly, looking at the line of text that indicates the size of your shoes, you can see how the replica Adidas Superstars have their whole line of text too thin and too little defined.

As you may guess too, the authentic Adidas Superstar shoes have their whole line of text indicating the size of the pair looking thicker than the fake shoes’ text.

1.2. Old format (until 2016)

Now it’s time that we have a look at the fake vs real Adidas Superstar sneakers that have the older size tag, which was made from around 2013 to 2015-2016.

The text on the fake shoes is generally too thin.

That applies to pretty much all of the inscriptions available on the fake shoes, as the genuine Adidas Superstars have their text thicker.

Finding it too hard? Reach out to our Adidas experts:

2. Rear details

In most cases, replica Adidas Superstar has text and stitching on the vertical patch at the wrong thickness.

• In the “adidas” text, the dot at the top of the letter “i” is too thin, as there is too much space from the dot to the long vertical leg of the letter, on the fake shoes,
• The letter “s” on the fake pair is thinner. The fake “S” is also too big.
• Fake Superstars have their stitching on both the left and the right side too thick.

Moving to the authentic Adidas Superstars, you can see how their stitching on the left and on the right side of the patch is thinner than the stitching on the fake shoes’ patch.

3. Side “SUPERSTAR” text

• The fake Superstars have their “SUPERSTAR” text too thin when compared to the legit pair.
• Related to the thickness, the fake pair that has its text really thin has the text placed too far away from the stripe in the 3-striped Adidas logo.

Looking at the genuine shoes, you can see how their thicker text covers more of the shoes, and so, it is placed closer to the 3-striped Adidas logo, unlike the fake shoes’ text that is improperly aligned.

4. Side stitching

The fake Superstars have the line too little bumpy and curvy.

Easier explanation: The fake line curves too much suddenly, not letting the curve have a wider angle, the same as on the genuine Adidas Superstar shoes.

Here’s a clearer image:

If your shoes’ stitching looks like one in the image above – don’t worry, that’s perfectly normal, as there are multiple releases of these shoes, and some have their stitching curvy, and some have it sharp.

Most fake Adidas Superstar shoes have their stitching curvy, but not as curvy or as sharp as it has to be.

A quick mention:

• The steps we’ve written so far are the BEST ways to authenticate this item
• The next few steps are still reliable methods…
• … but they apply to non-top-versions of replicas available for this item

If in doubt, we recommend double-checking the steps we’ve explained above this line.

5. Tongue label

• The fake shoes have their “adidas ®” text at the wrong thickness, once again.
• The same flaw on the fake shoes applies to the inscription inside the golden square, where the “La marque aux 3 bandes.” text is also really thin, while the same text on the legit shoes is thicker.

Looking at the authentic Superstars, you can see how their same inscription has a bigger font-weight, therefore having the text thicker than the fake pair’s text.

In case some of you are curious and you don’t know what the text inside the golden square means, that translates from French to English as “The brand with the 3 stripes.” which is Adidas, by its famous logo that presents three stripes.

6. Shoelaces

• The fake shoes have their laces really thin.
• Authentic Adidas Superstars have their laces way thicker than the ones found on the replica shoes.

7. Midsole

• The fake shoes have their stitching on the midsole at the wrong thickness.
• In fact, the replica Adidas Superstars have their stitching too thin and too long, while the genuine Adidas Superstars have their stitches thicker and shorter.

8. Toe box

The fake shoes have their toe box too curvy and arched up too high to the front side.

On the other hand, the authentic Superstar Adidas shoes have their toe box flatter, as it isn’t as curvy and arched up as the fake shoes’ toe box.

Shortlist: Spot fake Adidas Superstar in 30 sceonds

1. Check the size tag inside each of your shoes, as no replica Adidas Superstar pair has the text at the right thickness.
2. Look at the shoes from the back, because the fake shoes always have their text and stitching flawed in terms of thickness.
3. Verify your shoes for their “SUPERSTAR” text, as the counterfeit-manufactured pairs have their text improperly font-weighted and placed too far away from the 3-striped Adidas logo.
4. Examine the stitching line that crosses the side of your shoes. Mostly, the fake Adidas Superstar sneakers have their line improperly curved.
5. Check the text on the exterior side of the tongue on your Adidas Superstars, since most of the fake pairs have their text too thin.
6. Brief the thickness of the laces on your Adidas Superstars. The fake shoes commonly have their laces too thin.
7. Authenticate the stitching on the midsole of your Superstar Adidas shoes. In most cases, the fake shoes will have their stitching too thin and too long, rather than the authentic look which is thicker and shorter.
8. Look at your shoes’ toe box, as most of the fake pairs have their toe box too curvy and arched up too much.

There are situations, where you may be unable to go through each detailed step, explained above when you need to authenticate your Adidas Superstars.

That is why we have compiled this quick 60-second solution to authenticating your sneakers.

Expert Adidas authentication service

If you need help with the authentication of your Adidas Superstars, we’ve got you covered. 

All you have to do is send us good-quality pictures of your Adidas Superstar sneakers and we will get back to you with the results within 24 to 48 hours. The results will also come with a report on why we believe your sneakers are fake or authentic.

That brings us to the end of our real vs fake Adidas Superstar sneaker legit check guide. We will continue to update this article as better and newer comparisons are put out.

Need our opinion on your item’s authenticity? It’s a service we provide.

Get a fully-detailed report for why you have a real or fake item. Takes less than 48 hours!

Alternatively, use our free resources: written guides and video tutorials.

Thank you for reading this,

Ch Daniel and Ch David