Air Max 97 Off-White Serena Williams: Real VS Fake

Last Updated on January 10, 2024 by Ch David

Today’s real vs fake guide is for the Off-White Air Max 97 Elemental Rose.

These shoes were made by Virgil Abloh, specifically for Serena Williams — in the “QUEEN” collection.

• Find the Pink Off-White Blazer in the same collection.
• They look just like the 97s: Pink & Purple.

Let’s check out the Air Maxes.

How to spot fake Serena Williams 97s

Our team believes that the medial text always helps you spot fake Off-White Air Max 97 Serena Williams the fastest way.

It is never replicated properly by fake Nike manufacturers

1. Medial text

1.1. Left shoe

• Authentic Off-White Air Max 97:
  1. Features thinner “Off-White” text.
  2. The “TM” text is proportionally sized in height and thickness.
  3. Quotation marks in the “AIR MAX 97” text are appropriately sized.
  4. The “USA” text is neither too thin nor crooked, fitting well with the transparent site.
  5. The “c. 1997” text utilizes a lowercase “c” and has suitably thin numerals.
• Fake Off-White Air Max 97:
  1. Displays overly thick “Off-White” text.
  2. The “TM” text is too thin and excessively tall.
  3. The quotation marks in the “AIR MAX 97” text are too long.
  4. The “USA” text is both too thin and placed crookedly, improperly interacting with the transparent site.
  5. Incorrectly uses an uppercase “C” in “C. 1997” and the numerals “1997” are too thick.

1.2. Right shoe

• Authentic:
  1. The “TM” text is noticeably thicker and larger.
  2. Quotation marks (” “) in the “AIR MAX 97” text are well-defined and visibly clear.
  3. The letter “B” in the “Beaverton” text is robust and clearly shaped.
  4. The comma symbol (“,”) after “Beaverton” is of standard thickness.
  5. The “USA” text is rendered in a slender and neat font.
• Fake:
  1. The “TM” text at the top appears undersized and too thin.
  2. Quotation marks in the “AIR MAX 97” text are smaller and lack definition.
  3. The “B” appears notably thinner and less defined.
  4. The comma symbol appears exceptionally thin and lacks prominence.
  5. The “USA” text comes across as too thick and imprecise.

Finding it too hard? Reach out to our Nike x Off-White experts:

2. “AIR”

• Authentic:
  • The “AIR” text is placed straight and accurately.
• Fake:
  • The “AIR” text is crooked and not aligned as neatly as it is on the authentic pair.

3. Swoosh

• Authentic:
  • The Nike Swoosh logo is placed noticeably lower on the transparent part of the sneakers.
• Fake:
  • The Nike Swoosh logo is placed too high compared to the authentic pair.

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.

4. Pull tab

• Authentic:
  • The pull tab is shorter.
• Fake:
  • Pull tab tends to be too long.

5. Stitching

• Authentic:
  • The stitching on the pull tab is dense and thick.
• Fake:
  • The stitching on the pull tab appears less dense and thinner.

6. Tongue

• Authentic:
  • Adequate distance is maintained between the Nike Swoosh logo and the letter “N” in “NIKE”.
• Fake:
  • The Nike Swoosh logo is too close to the letter “N” in “NIKE”.

7. Green tab

Fun fact: This tab is the same color as the Off-White Air Force 1 Volt.

• Authentic:
  • The green tab is larger and has curved corners.
• Fake:
  • The green tab appears too small, thin, and features sharp, square corners.

8. Sole

• Authentic:
  • The Nike Swoosh logo within the orange bubble is larger, extending towards the bubble’s edges.
  • The Swoosh is centrally placed within the bubble.
• Fake:
  • The Swoosh logo is notably smaller and does not utilize the bubble’s space as much.
  • The Swoosh is improperly placed, not being centered within the bubble.

9. Insole

• Authentic:
  • Text is proportionate and matches the original design specifications.
• Fake:
  • Text appears overly large in comparison to the authentic model.

10. Size tag

• Authentic:
  • The “VT” text on the size tag is positioned appropriately and has a standard thickness.
  • Texts like “AJ4585-600”, “MADE IN VIETNAM”, and “FABRIQUE AU VIETNAM” maintain regular and precise thickness.
• Fake:
  • “VT” text might be placed too close or too far from the right edge of the size tag and appears too thin.
  • The aforementioned printed texts exhibit a noticeable thinness compared to those on genuine pairs.

Shortlist: How to spot fakes quickly

In our in-depth guide, we covered numerous specific details to spot fakes.

For a quick check, refer to these top 8 indicators:

1. Inspect the medial text, paying attention to the thickness of the “TM” text and ensuring that the “c. 1997” has a lowercase “c” instead of a capital “C.”
2. Check the midsole “AIR” text for any crookedness or misalignment, which is a common issue with fake Off-White Air Max 97 pairs.
3. Examine the placement and curvature of the Nike Swoosh logo on the side of your sneakers, as counterfeit Swooshes are often incorrectly positioned and shaped.
4. Assess the length of the pull tab, as fake pull tabs are typically too long.
5. Inspect the stitching on the pull tab, as genuine pairs tend to have higher-quality stitching.
6. Verify the tongue tag, paying attention to the placement of the Nike Swoosh logo in relation to the letter “N” in the word “NIKE.”
7. Examine the orange tab, particularly the density of the green stitching above and around it, which is typically less dense on fake pairs.
8. Look at the sole’s Nike Swoosh logo, as fake pairs often feature a smaller Swoosh inside the orange bubble.
9. Inspect the insole and make sure the right thickness is used for the text.
10. Verify the size tag’s inscriptions. Fakes never have the right thickness.

Expert Legit Check

If you require assistance with authenticating your Off-White Air Max 97 Elemental Rose:

• All you need to do is provide us with images of your Off-Whites.
• We’ll respond with the results within 24 to 48 hours.
• Our response will include a detailed report explaining whether we believe your sneakers are authentic or fake.

This concludes our guide on how to tell fake Off-White Air Max 97s for Serena Williams.

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