How To Spot Any Fake Nike Dunk High

Ch David
real vs fake nike dunk high guide
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If you are wondering whether you have a fake or a real Nike Dunk High pair, you are in the right place to determine that.

We have compiled this fake vs real Nike Dunk High guide that will teach you the six best factors to check so as to easily know whether you have a real or a replica Dunk High pair of sneakers.

Along with every step of the guide on how to spot fake Nike Dunk High shoes, we are going to link reference images with the fake vs real Nike Dunk High pairs.

These real vs fake Nike Dunk High images will contribute to your authentication process, as they will make the job easier.

What we’d like to mention is that this guide applies to almost every Nike Dunk High colourway there is, except for these releases that are differently built, such as the Nike x Ambush Dunks.

How to spot fake Nike Dunk High sneakers

To put it shortly, the fastest way to spot fake Nike Dunk High shoes is to look at the size tag inside each pair, as well as the stitches on the rear side of the shoes, since the fake High Dunks never have their text and stitches at the correct thickness, while all of the authentic Dunks are distinguishable from the fake pairs, thanks to their higher quality from the fake pairs.

Step 1: Fake vs real Nike Dunk High size tag

The same as how we’ve previously mentioned, we consider the size tag inside each shoe as the best way to spot fake Nike Dunk High sneakers.

That is because the replica High Dunks never have their inscriptions on this little piece of fabric at the correct thickness.

And so, the leak of attention from the replica manufacturers gives us a bonus on spotting fake Nike Dunk High pairs.

With this being said, let’s have a quick look at the reference image with the fake vs real Dunk High pairs, and after that, we’ll explain the flaws of the fake shoes.

real vs fake nike dunk high guide

Starting from the top of the size tag, you can see the date of manufacturing the sneakers’ inscription, which is the small bolded text in the top-right corner – it’s the second line of text.

As you can see in the image with the fake vs real Dunk Highs above, the fake pair’s inscription about the date of manufacturing is too thin and too narrow on the fake shoes.

In fact, this flaw can be the most visible if you look at the “01” text, and you can see how the text is too narrow on the fake shoes.

Looking at the authentic Nike Dunk High pair, you can see how its “05” inscription looks a bit thicker and also wider than the fake pair’s “01” text.

Then, one line of text lower, you can see how the fake Nike Dunk High shoes have their “UPC” text and the numbers being yet again too narrow, but also too thick.

On the other hand, the authentic Dunk Highs have their “UPC” text and its numbers are wider and thinner than the ones on the fake shoes.

Going more to the left side of the size tags, we have the “CN” inscription, and this one is too thin on the replica Dunk Highs, while on the authentic shoes, it is thicker.

Skipping one line, the following ones are the lines of text which tell us the country in which the shoes were manufactured, which is Vietnam, for both the real vs fake Nike Dunk Highs in this case.

Looking at the fake vs real Dunk High image above, you can see how the fake pair has its “MADE IN VIETNAM” four lines of text (that are expressed in four different languages) being too thin.

Back to the authentic Nike Dunk High shoes, you can observe how these have their lines of text being a tad bit thicker than the ones on the fake Dunks.

And then, the last flaw that we’ve spotted on the fake Dunk Highs goes to the last line of text, which leads to Nike’s website.

Precisely, the flaw is that the fake Nike Dunk Highs have their text too thin, and looking at the legitimate Dunks, you can see how the last line of text is thicker and more defined than the one on the fake Dunks.

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Step 2: Real vs fake Nike Dunk High rear stitching lines

Moving forward to the second step of the guide on how to spot fake Nike Dunk High sneakers, we are now going to flip the real vs fake High Dunks to their rear side, and we will check out the stitches there.

Even though it may sound pretty simple, these stitching lines on the back of the High Dunks are really an important spot to check in the Nike Dunk High authentication process.

Just as you know already, let’s first look at the real vs fake Nike Dunk High image below, and after that, we’ll make it all clear.

fake vs real nike dunk high

In the image containing the fake vs real Nike Dunk High shoes above, we have pointed out how the fake Dunks have their stitching lines at the wrong thickness.

Starting with the four lines inside the patch in the middle of the shoes, you can see how the fake High Dunks have their stitches too thick and too short.

On the other hand, the authentic High Dunks have their four stitching lines looking thinner and smaller than the ones on the fake shoes. Therefore, authentic shoes have their threads boxier.

Then, looking at the two horizontal lines of stitching that come from the midsole and go to the upper side of the shoes, you can see how the fake pair has its two stitching lines too thin and too boxy this time.

The authentic Nike Dunk High pair has its two horizontal lines being thicker and longer for each thread, unlike the fake pair’s smaller stitches.

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 3: Check the toe box of your Nike Dunk High shoes

As for the third step of the guide on how to authenticate Nike Dunk High sneakers, we are going to look at the real vs fake High Dunks for their toe boxes.

The toe box is yet another lethal detail to look at when authenticating the Nike Dunk Highs, as the fake shoes pretty much never get this detail on point.

nike dunk high legit check guide

Bear in mind that the authentic Nike Dunk High (and even the low ones!) must have a thick and this “over-inflated” look for their toe box.

Looking at the real vs fake Nike Dunk High shoes above, you can see how the authentic shoes indeed have their toe box thick and pretty bulky.

On the other hand, looking at the fake Nike Dunk High shoes, you can see how their toe box is too thin and how it has this slim look.

That’s not how even an authentic worn pair should look like; even a worn legitimate Dunk High pair will have their toe box bulkier than the fake pair’s toe box from the image above.

Zooming in to the Nike Swoosh logo, for the fourth method on how to spot fake Nike Dunk High sneakers you’ll have to check the threads on the famous tick logo.

As always, let’s quickly look at the fake vs real Nike Dunk High comparison image below, and right after that, we’ll explain the situation between the two pairs.

fake nike dunk high

In the image with the real vs fake Nike Dunk High shoes above, we have pointed out how the fake Dunks have their stitches on the logo being at the wrong thickness and length.

Starting with the thickness flaw, you can see how the fake Dunks have their threads too thin, and how the authentic ones are visibly thicker.

Then, as for the length of the stitches, we have pointed out in the real vs fake Dunk High image above how the fake shoes have their threads too long, and how the genuine pair has its threads longer.

Now, looking at the overall build of the fake pair’s logo, you can see how its threads look as if they were not stamped as deep inside the logo as how they have to be.

On the other hand, the authentic Dunk High Nikes have their stitching lines fit deeper inside the logo, as they have even a thicker perforation look when compared to the fake pair’s thinner look for the stitches.

More guides for your tastes: Nike Dunk Low, Adidas Ultraboost.

Step 5: Look at the text on the tongue’s badge

Going to the fifth method on how to spot fake Nike Dunk High sneakers, we are now going to look at the real vs fake Dunk High pairs for their text on the tongue’s badge.

Precisely, we are going to quickly have a look at the registered trademark “®” symbols on the real vs fake Dunk High pairs, as these are the ones that are commonly flawed on the fake shoes.

how to tell fake nike dunk high

As you can see in the image with the real vs fake Nike Dunk High shoes above, the replica pair has its two registered trademark “®” symbols being too thick and too boxy.

On the other hand, the authentic Dunks have their two “®” symbols thinner and slimmer than those on the replica pair.

On top of that, the fake pair also has its bottom side’s “®” character being too close to the letter “N” in the “NIKE” text.

And, since we’ve mentioned the “NIKE” text, you can also notice how the fake pair has its bottom sides of the letters in the “NIKE’ text being too curvy and too thick, as the letters come out of the patch too much.

Back to the legit Nike Dunk Highs, you can see how their “NIKE” text has its letters sharp and properly cut since they are not placed any close to the bottom “®” character, and how they also don’t come out of the shoes more than they have to.

Step 6: Analyze the stitching on the midsole of the Dunks

Proceeding to the sixth and the last step of the guide on how to spot fake Nike Dunk High shoes, we are going to look at the real vs fake High Dunks for their stitching lines on the midsole.

how to spot fake nike dunk high

There’s not really much to be said about the stitching on the midsole, because the fake shoes have their stitches badly attached to the sole of the shoes.

In fact, you can see how the stitches on the fake shoes are bad as they come out of the midsole, while the authentic shoes have their threads in their place, without coming out of the shoes.

How can I spot fake Nike Dunk High in 60 seconds?

The 6 detailed steps outlined above might not be so practical when you are in a hurry or when you want to buy sneakers online. 

That is why we have compiled this quick 60-second solution to authenticating your sneakers. Below are the top 6 indicators that can help you determine if you have a fake or real Nike Dunk High pair.

  1. Verify the size tag inside each shoe, as most of the fake pairs present their inscriptions at different font weights than the real deal.
  2. Look at the back of your shoes. The replica Dunk High pairs usually have their stitching lines at the wrong thickness.
  3. Brief the toe box of your High Dunsk, as the replica Nike Dunk High pairs usually have their toe boxes too thin.
  4. Check the Nike Swoosh logo on the side of your shoes, since the fake pairs commonly have their stitching threads too thin and too long.
  5. Analyze the badge on the tongue of your High Dunks. In most cases, the fake Nike High Dunks have their text badly font-weighted.
  6. Examine the stitching on the midsole of your shoes, since the fake pairs usually have their stitching too little visible.

Where can I get my Nike Dunk High authenticated? The Nike Dunk authentication service

If you need help with the authentication of your Nike Dunk High we’ve got you covered. 

All you have to do is send us good-quality pictures of your High Nike Dunk 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 Nike Dunk High 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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