The Real Deal
Counterfeits are the whole problem with buying resale. Here is exactly what we do about it, so you can decide for yourself whether to trust us.
What every pair goes through
We only buy from suppliers we have a history with. Most fakes are stopped here, before anything reaches the shop, because we never took the shipment in the first place.
Size run, SKU, production date and factory code all have to agree with each other and with the shoe inside. Mismatched labels are the fastest tell there is.
Stitch count and spacing, midsole texture, the weight in your hand, how the collar folds. Twenty years of handling this stuff means a bad pair feels wrong before it looks wrong.
Not a joke. Counterfeit adhesive has a chemical smell that never fully airs out, and glue bleed along the midsole seam is a dead giveaway.
If a pair does not clear all of it, we do not sell it. We have eaten the cost on stock before rather than pass a questionable pair to a customer.
The things we look at
Even spacing, consistent tension, no loose thread at the stress points. Factories that make the real thing are boring and consistent. Fakes are not.
Leather that creases instead of cracking, mesh with an even weave, a midsole that compresses the way it should when you press it.
Font weight, kerning, ink density on the insole and the tongue label. Counterfeiters get close. They rarely get it exact.
Then ask us to prove it
Before you buy, we will send you close-up photos of the actual pair you are getting, including the label and the stitching. Not a stock photo, not a similar pair. The one going in the box.
And if something ever arrives and you have doubts, bring it back. Our returns policy exists for exactly this.
