How To Spot Fake Bape STA Low Sneakers

Ch David
bapesta shoes authentication guide
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The Bapestas are a symbolic product for the famous brand, A Bathing Ape. Along with the Shark hoodie, the Bapesta Low sneakers come in many colourways which people love.

It’s pretty hard not to say, but indeed, the Bapesta Low sneakers remind us of a familiar pair of shoes, but aside from that, the Bapestas are unique on their own as well.

Once with the fame, there are replicas, and since Bapestas are this popular, they are very replicated, and when you want to buy a new pair of these, it gets frustrating now knowing which is the real deal and which is the counterfeit.

That is exactly why we’ve compiled this ultimate fake vs real Bapesta Low legit check guide, and only by reading it, you are going to know what to look for in order to spot fake Bapestas.

The easiest way to spot fake Bapesta Low sneakers is to look at their size tags, as the fake Bapestas never have their inscriptions on that little piece of fabric at the correct thickness (font-weight). The authentic Bapesta Low shoes always have the same font-weight for all of their characters, as they’re never leaking any quality when it comes to this tag holding information about your pair’s size.

How to spot fake Bapesta Low sneakers

Step 1: Fake vs real Bapesta sneakers interior size tag

For the first step of the guide on how to spot fake A Bathing Ape Bapesta sneakers, we want to go inside the shoes in order to check their size tags.

As we’ve mentioned a little while ago, we consider the size tag as the very best way to tell the authenticity of a pair of Bapestas, and that’s why we always tell people to check the size tag when it comes to legit checking Bapestas.

1. Newer model comparison – fake vs real Bapesta size tags

You may or may not know this, but the Bapesta sneakers are here for a while, and they’re currently being replicated both in the older versions and in the newer ones.

First of all, we are going to have a look at the fake vs real Bapesta sneakers for their size newer models which also have the newer size tag – this is the most popular size tag that you’ll see inside the Bapesta pairs.

bape af1 real vs fake

In the picture with the real vs fake Bapesta Low sneakers above, we have pointed out how the fake pair’s size tag has two main flaws.

Starting with the beginning, you can see how the fake pair’s “US” two-letter text looks too thin, and how it is too small when compared to the real one.

Speaking of the real one, the authentic Bapestas have their “US” text on the size tag looking thicker, bigger and more defined than the fake one.

Now going to the lower side of the label, we have the “* A BATHING APE®” text, and this inscription is also too thin and too tiny, while yet again, the real shoes have a thicker and also bigger text than the fake one.

2. Older model comparison – fake vs real Bapesta size tags (2000’s, Nigo’s era)

Let’s step aside from the newer size tags, and now let’s go back in time in order to have a look at the fake vs real older Bapesta size tags.

Precisely, we now have to deal with the real vs fake Bapesta sneakers from around the year of 2000, when the Bapestas were still in Nigo’s era.

how to spot fake bapesta sneakers

The picture with the fake vs real Bapesta sneakers above shows you how the fake pair has three main flaws.

First of all, the “cm size:” text looks too thin and the letters are too big with too much space in-between, while the real pair’s letters are thicker, smaller, and with an overall bulkier look than the fake inscriptions.

At the same level on the size tag, we have the “us size:” inscription which is in the right side of the label, and on the fake shoes, this text looks also too thin and too big, while the real pair’s text is once again smaller and thicker.

Lastly, in the bottom-right corner of the size tag, we’ve got the “FootSoldier®” text, and on the counterfeit Bape shoes, this text looks too thin, while the real pair’s text is too thick.

Still here, the fake pair’s registered trademark “®” symbol is too big, while the real pair has its “®” character way smaller.

Step 2: Look at the stitching on the star logo on the side of your Bapestas

Going to the second method of the guide on how to spot fake Bape sneakers, we will now have a look at the shoes from their profile sides, as we want to talk about the stitching on the notorious star of Bapesta.

As always, let’s first brief the reference fake vs real Bapesta comparison image below, and after that we are going to explain the flaw on the fake shoes, as well as the counterparts of the real shoes.

fake vs real bapesta low

In the picture with the authentic vs fake Kanye West Bapesta Low sneakers above, we have pointed out how the fake shoes have their threads on the star at the wrong size and thickness.

In fact, the fake pair’s stitches look too small and short, as well as too thin, and this can be seen on every area of the fake Bape star.

On the other hand, the real Kanye West x Bape Bapestas have their stitching on the star looking bigger and longer, as well as thicker than the fake pair’s threads.

Step 3: Authentic vs replica Bapesta Low sneakers rear details

Proceeding to the third step of the guide on how to spot fake Bapesta Low sneakers, we now want to flip the real vs fake Bapesta shoes to their rear side, and here we’ll check their details.

First of all, let’s have a look at the fake vs real Bapesta sneakers in the older style, and as you can see below, we’ve compared the most popular looks of the Bapestas on the rear side.

real vs fake bapesta shoes

This picture with the real vs fake Bapestas above shows you how the fake pair’s registered trademark “®” symbol is placed too low.

In fact, the fake pair’s registered trademark “®” symbol is placed too low, as it almost leaves no space between the letter “B” in the word “BAPE”.

On the other hand, the real Bapesta sneakers have their “®” character placed a tad bit higher, as it is placed further away from the word “BAPE”.

Then, looking at the “STA” text, you can see how the fake pair’s letters are too thick, while the real pair’s same letters are thinner.

bapesta air forces real vs fake

In the picture above, you can see an example of the authentic Bapestas in the newer format on their rear side.

Step 4: Verify the stitching on the midsole of your Bapesta Low shoes

Moving to the fourth method of the guide on how to spot fake Bapesta Low sneakers, we are now going to check the stitching on the midsoles of the shoes.

The stitching on the midsoles is what connects the soles and the lower side of the shoes to the upper.

bape star af1 real vs fake

In the image with the authentic vs fake Bapesta Low sneakers above, we have pointed out how the fake pair has its stitching job done badly when compared to the clean stitching job on the real shoes.

The fake pair has some threads that are thicker and shorter than the others, while the threads seen on the real shoes have the same thickness and length for each thread.

The steps we’ve written so far are the best ways to authenticate this item.

The next few steps are still reliable signs of authenticity but are for non-top-versions of replicas available for this item. We recommend sticking to the steps we’ve explained above to make sure you’re not drawing the wrong conclusions.

Step 5: Examine the toe box of your Bape sneakers

Moving to the fifth method of the guide on how to legit check Bape sneakers, we’ll stay on the profile side of the shoes, and we now want to zoom out a bit in order to see the bulkiness of the toe boxes on the real vs fake Bapestas.

how to spot fake bape af1 star

The image with the real vs fake Bapesta Low shoes above shows you how the fake pair’s toe box is a little flatter at the top, as well as how the sole is too little curvy up to the front tip.

On the other hand, the authentic shoes have their upper side looking bulkier, and their sole is curvier and arched more than the fake pair’s toe box.

Step 6: Look at the badge on the exterior side of the tongue of the shoes

For the sixth way on how to authenticate Bapesta Low sneakers, we’ll want to get a close-up real vs fake Bapesta comparison image of the tongues.

air force 1 bapesta fake vs real guide

The picture with the real vs fake Bapesta Low sneakers above shows you how the fake pair’s registered trademark “®” symbol is too thick, while the real pair’s symbol is thinner.

Then, the fake letter “B” in Bape’s written logo looks narrower than the real pair’s letter “B”, as the authentic pair’s letter is stretched more and it is wider than the fake one.

Step 7: Analyze the “APE” text on the midsole of your Bapestas

Proceeding to the seventh method of the guide on how to legit check Bapesta sneakers, we are going to talk about the “APE” text on the midsoles.

The “APE” text is present on each authentic pair of Bapestas, as it is a symbol for these shoes.

fake vs real air force 1 bape

The image with the real vs replica Bapesta Low sneakers looks too thin, as it comes out of the shoes too little.

On the other hand, the authentic A Bathing Ape Bapesta Low shoes have their same “APE” text more massive, as it comes out of the shoes more, thus giving this thicker look.

Step 8: Verify your Bapesta Low sneakers for any crafting flaws

The eighth step of the guide on how to authenticate any Bapesta Low shoes will have us talking about any marks or flaws in the process of manufacturing the shoes.

a bathing ape af1 real vs fake

This picture above shows you how the fake pair has two black marks which shouldn’t be there. When the shoes were being manufactured in the replica factory, these two marks occurred when they shouldn’t have.

Such flaws will never occur on an authentic pair of Bapestas, as the quality control service is as good as it never lets shoes with any extra marks to get out of the factories.

How can I spot fake Bapesta Low shoes in 60 seconds?

The 9 detailed steps outlined above might not be so practical when you are in a hurry or when you want to buy the sneakers online. 

That is why we have compiled this quick 60 seconds solution to authenticating your sneakers. Below are the top 9 indicators that can help you determine if you have a fake or real Bapesta pair.

  1. Verify the size tag inside each shoe, as the fake pairs usually have their text on the size tag at the wrong thickness
  2. Look at the stitching on the Bape star of your shoes, because the replica Bapestas tend to have their threads at the wrong size and font-weight
  3. Check the details on the back of the shoe, because the fake pairs commonly have their Bapesta logo improperly detailed
  4. Authenticate the stitching on the midsole of your shoes. Mostly, the fake Bapesta Low sneakers have their stitching with threads that are at the wrong size and thickness
  5. Look at the toe box of your shoes, and make sure that the toe box is as flat and as curvy as it has to be
  6. Inspect the badge on the tongue of your Bapestas, because in most cases, the replica Bapesta Low shoes have their text at the wrong thickness
  7. Keep an eye out for the “APE” text on the midsole, and make sure that it comes out of the shoes as much as it has to
  8. Look at the Bapesta Low sneakers for any sort of extra marks, as these never take place on the legitimate pairs

Where can I get my Bapestas authenticated? The Bape authentication service

All you have to do is send us good-quality pictures of your Bapesta 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 Bapesta legit check guide. We will continue to update this article as better and newer comparisons are put out.

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Thank you for reading this,

Ch Daniel and Ch David

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About the Author

Ch David is the co-founder and CEO of Legit Check By Ch. Ch David is in charge of the Legit Check By Ch Library of real vs fake authentication guides, where hundreds (soon thousands!) of free guides on how to authenticate various items are published under his supervision.
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