When Travis Scott unveiled his Air Jordan 4 collaboration, the sneaker world went crazy. The light blue sneaker was like no other Jordan 4 seen before. A homage to La Flame’s beloved Houston Oilers, the shoe was as hyped as it was bright. Comprised of powder blue premium suede, the shoe featured unique details that help to put Travis on the map for Jordan collabs. Hidden branding from the rapper, as well as a “Cactus Jack” heel tab, gave the shoe its distinct edge.
Originally released in 2018, the shoe was one of the most hyped releases of the year. The limited nature of the sneaker, as well as the bold take on the classic Jordan 4 silhouette, meant that the shoe also had a high resell value. As with any limited Jordan release, this meant that a large number of replica Travis Scott Jordan 4s entered the market.
Here at KLEKT, we’re going to show you how to spot fake Travis Scott Jordan 4s. This week’s episode of Real vs Fake focuses on the first-ever Travis Scott x Jordan collaboration. We’ll explain just what to look for when comparing real vs fake Travis Scott Jordans, as well what you need to look out for. Without further delay, let’s Take a look at how to tell fake Travis Scott Air Jordan 4s.
The Test
Below one of the Travis Scott Jordan 4s is real and one is fake. As with any KLEKT Real vs Fake guide, we want you to guess which you think it is first. Take a closer look at the Cactus Jack 4s and decide which you think is the real shoe.
The Price
As with any Real vs Fake comparison, the first thing we’re going to talk about is the price. Whilst some replica sneakers may be very close to the real thing, the price is a big giveaway. The Travis Scott x Air Jordan 4 “Cactus Jack” retailed for £190/€225. It was an instant sellout when it dropped, with prices quickly hitting two to three times the retail price. As more Travis Scott x Jordan collabs have dropped, the price of the AJ4s has only gone up.
With the shoe having a fairly high retail price point, you should be suspicious of any pair that has a low price. Currently, these Cactus Jack AJ4s sell for upwards of €810 depending on the size. This makes it one of the most expensive Travis Scott sneakers on the resell market. If the price is too good to be true then that usually means that it is!
The Reveal
If you thought that the shoe on the right was the authentic Travis Scott x Air Jordan 4…you were right! This was definitely one of the better fake Travis Scott Jordan 4s that we have seen come through the KLEKT HQ. If you got it wrong, don’t worry. We’ll show you just what you need to take a look at in order to determine whether or not your Travis Scott 4s are fake.
The Packaging
Before we even take a look at the shoe itself, there are a couple of key indicators that you can see from the packaging. On most fake Air Jordan 4s, there will be some signs for you to take a look at. On this particular fake Cactus Jack Jordan 4, the signs are obvious.
The Price
As we mentioned earlier, the price can determine whether or not the shoes you are looking at are fake. When we looked at these Travis Scott x Air Jordan 4s, this piece of advice came in very handy. If you take a look at the price on the real Travis Scott x Jordan 4s, you will see that the price is “$225”. On the fakes, however, the box says “$190”. This is a simple error that made this fake easy to spot before even taking a look at the shoe.
The Ring
On all Air Jordan 4 boxes, there will be a ring on the same side as the label. Although this ring may be a small detail, it can have a big impact when determining whether a shoe is real or fake. The real Travis Scott x Air Jordan 4 “Cactus Jack” has a matte finish to it. However, if you look at the fake box, this ring is metallic and shiny. This was an easy spot and one that you should look at when carrying out a legit check on Travis Scott Jordan 4s.
The Midsole
Travis Scott’s Jordan 4 kept things fairly neutral when it came to the midsole of the sneaker. Having a bright blue upper means that the white and black midsole unit contrast it nicely. It also has a couple of signs that you can look at to check authenticity.
The Shape
As these are a premium Air Jordan 4, the materials and more specifically, the shape, have been taken good care of. You can see on the real Travis Scott Air Jordan 4 that suede material curves up slightly when it hits the mesh. The fake Travis Scott Jordans, however, do not. You can see that the material hits a straight line and continues on.
The Colour
Jordan 4 Travis Scott’s have a well-balanced midsole colouring. You can see that on the authentic pair, the crisp white is contrasted well with a slightly matte black. However, when looking at the fake Travis Scott Air Jordans, you can see that the midsole colour is glossier. This may be because the replicators have used a cheaper material.
The Heel
One of the most unique parts of the Travis Scott 4s is the heel tab. On the left shoe, the shoe features the Cactus Jack logo and is one of the most distinctive Travis Scott emblems. However, the heel tab also shows a couple of key differences between the real and fake Jordans.
The Logo
Right off the bat, these fake Travis Scott AJ4s struggled to get this logo done properly. You can see that the “A” still has the plastic in the middle on the fake, a simple detail that showed the quality of this shoe. When looking at the real, you can see that the letters are all defined and clearly punched properly.
The Paint Splatter
As we already mentioned, Travis Scott 4s have a few additions like no others Jordan 4s out there. This unique blue paint splatter on the back is a nice touch from La Flame and has an important part in determining authenticity. You can see that on the real Jordan 4 Travis Scott’s that the paint covers a lot of the heel tab. However, on the fake, you can see that there are some bald spots. This is a simple sign to look out for.
The Upper
Now we’ve covered all the other areas, it’s time to take a closer look at the upper of this magnificent shoe. There are a number of areas that to check out on the Travis Scott Jordan 4s, just as there are on the Travis Scott Jordan 6s! Let’s take a closer look at what to look out for.
The Colour
One of the biggest differences between real vs fake Travis Scott Air Jordan 4s is the colour. This is one of the brightest AJ4s ever made and the colour really pops in person. On the real Travis Scott Jordan 4, the suede is a bright powder blue. However, the fake Travis Scott Jordan sneakers are much darker, something that was an easy spot.
The Stitching
As with all fake Jordan 4s, the stitching is one of the biggest giveaways. On this particular fake AJ4, the stitching wasn’t too good. You can see at the bottom of the black mesh that the stitching is inconsistent on the fake, however, on the real, the stitching is all the same distance and size. This was an easy giveaway to look for.
The Tongue
On this particular fake Air Jordan 4, the tongue was an easy spot. You can see that the tongue is much fatter on the fake pair of Travis Scott 4s, whereas the real pair has a much more proportionate tongue. This detail was a quick one to check and definitely easier to spot given the size difference between the two.
The Flight Logo
When it comes to the flight logo on the Travis Scott x Air Jordan 4, there are a couple of discrepancies between the two. The actual size of the flight logo is much bigger on the fake pair. You can see the clear differences in the image below and see just how the fake has been executed. The Flight Logo itself has a much worse quality of stitching, whereas the real pair looks clean.
The Laces
Finally, the differences in the laces on the real vs fake Travis Scott Jordan 4s is another easy one to spot. On the real pair, these laces are waxed and have a much better finish to them. However, the fake Travis Scott 4s use box standard flat black laces. When we got these shoes out of the box, this was one of the first things we spotted.
Recap
If you’re ever in doubt when legit checking a pair of Travis Scott x Air Jordan 4 “Cactus Jack” shoes, just remember these handy steps:
- The Price – if it’s too good to be true then it is!
- The Packaging – check the price on the box and make sure that the ring has a matte finish, not glossy
- The Midsole – take a look at the cut on the suede material and make sure that the black plastic is matte not glossy
- The Heel – make sure that all of the letters are punched properly, especially the “A”. Check that the paint splatter covers most of the heel tab
- The Upper – check that the colour is bright and that the Flight logo is clean. Also check that the tongue isn’t fat, that the stitching is clean and the laces are waxed
Final Thoughts
So there you have it. We hope that you enjoyed this guide on real vs fake Cactus Jack Jordan 4s. These were a good fake but had some issues that were very obvious. Our objective is to show you that as good as fakes may be, they always have a few flaws. If you ever need help legit checking sneakers, check out the Real vs Fake section on the KLEKT Blog.
