Air Max 97 Off-White Black (Real Vs Fake) – Legit Check

Last Updated on January 11, 2024 by Ch David

This guide is all about the Air Max 97 Off-White in Black.

By the end of the guide, you’ll be an expert legit checker.

Not the colorway you need? Check these out:

• Off-White Air Max 97 “THE TEN”
• Off-White Air Max 97 Menta
• Off-White Air Max 97 Elemental Rose

Let’s proceed with the Black colorway.

How to spot fake Air Max 97 Off-White (Black)

To spot fake Black Air Max 97 x Off-White, look at the medial text. The left + right shoes can instantly tell if your pair are fake.

Commonly, fake Air Max 97s have thicker inscriptions than the original.

1. Medial text

1.1. Left shoe

• Authentic:
  1. The “TM” text at the top is notably thinner.
  2. The “Off” text is neatly and straightly placed.
  3. Text like “NIKE,” “Oregon USA,” and “c. 1997” is appropriately slim and precisely printed.
• Fake:
  1. Exhibits overly thick “TM” and “NIKE” text.
  2. The “Off” text placement appears crooked and misaligned.
  3. Typically, text like “Oregon USA” and “c. 1997” tends to be too bold and thick.

1.2. Right shoe

• Authentic:
  • Smaller, subtler “TM” text.
  • The “c. 1997” text is slender and more compressed.
• Fake:
  • Exhibits an enlarged “TM” text, which is too prominent.
  • Displays “c. 1997” text that’s both too bold and too spread out.

2. “AIR”

• Authentic:
  • “AIR” text is positioned straight and neatly.
• Fake:
  • The “AIR” text appears to be misaligned, tilting noticeably to the left.

3. Swoosh

• Authentic:
  • Swoosh logo is accurately positioned.
• Fake:
  • Swoosh may be placed too low or high on the side.

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 on the rear heel side is shorter.
• Fake:
  • Typically has a pull tab that is too long.

5. Tongue

• Authentic:
  • Adequate distance between the Nike Swoosh and the “NIKE” text.
  • The “SPORTSWEAR” text is thicker.
• Fake:
  • The Nike Swoosh is typically too close to the “NIKE” text.
  • The “SPORTSWEAR” text tends to be too thin.

6. Sole

• Authentic:
  • The Nike Swoosh logo inside the orange bubble is larger.
• Fake:
  • The Nike Swoosh logo tends to be too small inside the bubble.

7. Orange tab

• Authentic:
  • Features sharp corners on the orange tab.
  • Always utilizes black stitching above and covering the orange tab.
• Fake:
  • Often showcases round corners on the orange tab.
  • Might exhibit green or blue stitching above and covering the orange tab instead of black.

8. Insole

• Authentic:
  • The “THE TEN” text on the insoles is appropriately thick and not overly tall.
• Fake:
  • Displays the “THE TEN” text as too thin and excessively tall in height.

9. Size tag

• Authentic:
  1. The Nike Swoosh logo on the size tag is well-defined.
  2. “VT” text at the top right corner of the size tag is thick.
  3. The “MADE IN CHINA” text, as well as the text above and below it, have adequate thickness.
• Fake:
  1. Exhibits a less defined Nike Swoosh logo on the size tag.
  2. The “VT” text appears too thin.
  3. Features “MADE IN CHINA” and adjacent text that are noticeably thinner than they should be.

Shortlist: Inspect your shoes

To offer a quicker solution, we’ve compiled a 60-second guide to help you spot fake Off-White Air Max 97 Black.

Here it is:

1. Examine the medial text. Fake pairs often have text that is either too thin or too thick.
2. Inspect the “AIR” text on the midsole. Fakes may have this text placed crookedly and not aligned properly.
3. Verify the placement of the Swoosh. Authentic pairs have the Swoosh correctly positioned, while fakes may place it too high or too low on the transparent side.
4. Analyze the length of the pull tab. Fake pull tabs tend to be longer, while genuine tabs are shorter.
5. Check the tongue tag. Look for proper spacing between the letter “N” and the Nike Swoosh logo. Ensure that the “SPORTSWEAR” text is neither too thick nor too thin.
6. Examine the Nike Swoosh logo inside the sole bubble. Fake logos are often smaller inside the orange bubble.
7. Look at the orange tab. Authentic pairs have sharp corners on the orange tab, while fakes may have curvy corners.
8. Inspect the insoles. Fake pairs may have “THE TEN” text that is too thin and stretched out, particularly in height.
9. Verify the size tag. Pay attention to the thickness of the “VT” text, the definition of the Swoosh, and the thickness of the “MADE IN CHINA” text and adjacent text.

Professional Legit Check Service

Our team is ready to help you:

• Simply provide us with pics of your Air Maxes.
• We will diligently review them…
• Delivering results within 24 to 48 hours.
• With a complete report.

This concludes our guide on distinguishing between real and fake Off-White Air Max 97 Black.

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