Fewer sneakers in history had a more dramatic release than the Nike Air Yeezy II ‘Red October.’ After Kanye West began to publically denounce Nike and then CEO Mark Parker, many fans had given up all hope that the elusive shoe would even release. After West revealed in 2013 that the relationship came to an end, it seemed as though that was the end of the ‘Red October.’
“The Nike Air Yeezy 2 is now available” a simple tweet read on Sunday 9th February 2014. It’s safe to say that the sneaker world erupted shortly after, with fans from every corner of the globe trying to get their hands on a pair. This was without a doubt one of the greatest, if not the greatest, sneaker drop of all time.
Of course, with all that shock, mysticism and crazy hype, came a flood of replicas. As years have gone by, replica Red Octobers have gotten better and better. As time has gone on, the resell price of these sneakers has only grown in value. Whilst many may have their eyes on the adidas Yeezy range, there are those sneakerheads who remain entranced by the original Nike Yeezy line.
For the latest instalment of our fake education series, we’re tackling arguably the most iconic Yeezy of all time. We’ll be teaching you how to spot a fake pair of Red Octobers. We’ll be covering some of the most unique details about this sneaker. Without further delay, let’s start this Nike Air Yeezy 2 Red October real vs fake comparison.
The Test
Below is a real Red October and a fake Red October. We want you to take a look at the two sneakers and decide which one you think is authentic before we reveal the answer.
The Price
Before you even have to look at the sneakers, one of the biggest giveaways on a fake Yeezy Red October is going to be the price. The Red Octobers, which had a retail price of £220/€245 but quickly rose to over £4,000/€4,500, with prices now sitting at over £10,000/€11,500 depending on the size.
More often than not, fake Red Octobers will be at a price that is too good to be true. Fake pairs online are often at well below market and even retail price; something that replicators have to do. If you’ve spotted a pair of Red Octobers at a suspiciously low price then walk away. Every sneakerhead knows what these are and also knows how valuable they are. If you’ve seen something that looks too good to be true, chances are that it is.
The Reveal
Those of you who said the sneaker on the bottom was real, congratulations…it was fake! There are a number of discrepancies between the fake Yeezys and real Yeezys.
One of the most obvious differences that we would like to point out before we start is the overall colour. As you can see in the image below, the fake Red October is a much darker red compared to the real.
If you got it wrong, not to worry. We’ll explain just what you need to take a look at when carrying out this Yeezy 2 legit check.
The Toe
When you start to compare these two sneakers, there are some pretty big differences. One of the most obvious sections that you should take a look at is the toe. Depending on how good your fake Yeezy Red Octobers are, there should be a number of differences that you can pick up on.
The Suede
All Nike Yeezy’s feature a suede toe box, a unique part of the shoe. As you can see on the authentic Red Octobers, this suede is a very dark and rich red. The quality of this suede is very good, something to do with the premium nature of the sneaker. It has a slightly furry texture but is very soft to the touch.
If you compare this suede to the fake Red October suede, the two are miles apart. On the fake Red Octobers, this suede is the wrong shade to start with. It is far brighter than the real pair, has nowhere near the same texture and is much shorter in comparison.
This is one of the biggest giveaways on pretty much all fake Yeezys, even the most expensive fake Yeezys.
The Midsole
As you can see from the image below, the colour of the toe section is quite different between the fake Red Octobers vs the real. The authentic Air Yeezy 2 Red Octobers is a very rich red, something that is obvious even from a brief glimpse.
However, when you take a look at the fake Yeezy 2s, the toe section is very pale and doesn’t match well with the upper. As you would expect, Nike has taken a great deal of time when producing these sneakers.
If you want to know how to tell fake Nike Yeezy ‘Red Octobers’ then take a closer look at the toe section.
The Strap
One of the most distinguishable parts of the Nike Air Yeezy 2 is the strap across the front. It carried over from the original Nike Air Yeezy (and even the adidas Yeezy Boost 750). This is a big detail and one that this particular fake Yeezy 2 has failed to perfect altogether.
You can see that on the real Red Octobers, this strap is placed between the middle of the laces and has two lace holes above it. However, on the fake Yeezy 2 Red October, this strap is too high up. It covers one of the lace holes altogether and leaves too big a gap from the lace hole underneath.
The Upper
What distinguishes the Red Octobers from other Nike Air Yeezy 2s is the upper section. On the Pure Platinum and Solar Red Yeezy 2s, there is a leather panel and Swoosh. However, the Red Octobers use a completely different pattern altogether. We’ll take a closer look at how the fake pair of Red Octobers has failed to get the upper right.
The Spikes
You can see that the Red Octobers have a very unique upper, starting with the plastic spikes that make up the lateral panel. On the real Red Octobers, these spikes have been glued onto a fabric.
However, if you take a look at the fake Red Octobers, these spikes have been glued onto a plastic base, a big giveaway. These spikes also do not feel as well made, with some quite rough parts, whereas the real spikes are smooth.
The Eyelet
One of the most important parts of these sneakers is the eyelets.
On the real pair, these eyelets have a small metal ring around them to give them structure. This ring has a matte finish and a small line detail around the edge. If you take a look at the image above, you can see that this ring has a gloss finish across the ring and the line detailing is not as easily visible.
The Swoosh
As we mentioned previously, the Red October Yeezy 2 has a number of differences in comparison to the other Yeezy 2 sneakers. One of those key details can be seen in the Swoosh which has a very cool pattern across it.
The Swoosh features 3D carvings throughout and gives it an added element of texture and depth. These carvings are a very big part of the Swoosh and something that the fake has not even come close to getting right.
On the fake Swoosh, these shapes have been carved directly into the material instead of having the textured look.
The Tongue
As you would expect, the devil is really in the detail on these Nike Yeezy sneakers. If you look at the tongue, this section has a number of elements that you can take a look at if you want to know how to spot fake Nike Yeezys.
The Mesh
You can see that the tongue of the authentic Red October Yeezy 2 uses a mesh with very small perforations throughout. This is because Nike has taken greater care and ensured that the panel underneath the mesh is not visible.
However, if you take a look at the fake mesh, you can see the mesh has much larger perforations. You can also see that there is a diamond detail that is visible underneath, something the real has hidden.
The Lace Aglets
As you would expect, Kanye added some cool details to his collaborations with Nike, with the Nike Air Yeezy 2 NRG being no different.
The shoes came with gold lace aglets that screwed into the aglets so that they would not come off. These aglets are very heavy and you would definitely know if they came off.
However, the fake aglets are much lighter and do not screw into the laces. You can see that these aglets just sit on the top of the laces, meaning that they would slide in and out.
The Lace Lock
Red Octobers real or fake will match the lace lock to the plastic spikes that are on the lateral panel.
You can see that on the real Red Octobers, these spikes are sewn onto the fabric, just as they are on the side panel. The spikes do appear horizontal this time and now vertical as they are on the upper.
The fake pair, however, does not have these plastic spikes and uses the same rubber as it did on the upper. This lace lock is entirely plastic.
The Strap
Whilst we covered the strap already, there are a few more details that need to be covered. On the underside of the strap, there is a set of hieroglyphics that make up Kanye Wests name. The writing on the rubber is lightly lasered in on the real with the copyright sign being clearly visible.
However, on the fake, they have just placed a circle with no sign of the copyright sign at all. The hieroglyphics on the fur have a more matte finish on the real, however, the fake has a really dark red glossy finish.
The UV Test
As with all of the KLEKT Real vs Fake guides, we’re finishing off this shoe with the UV test. If you haven’t got a UV light, we could not recommend getting one highly enough. These lights are relatively inexpensive and can show up a number of discrepancies that the human eye can not pick up on.
The Upper
The spikes all over the shoe on the real pair light up orange, however, they don’t even light up on the fake. As you can see, the entire strap lights up orange on the real, with the hieroglyphics lighting shining brightly. However, nothing on the strap lights up on the fake.
If you look at laces on the real, they light up orange under UV, but yet again don’t light up at all on the fake. When comparing the mesh between these two pairs, you can see that the real doesn’t light up as it’s tightly weaved and has no holes. However, the fake pair lights up white due to the small holes in the mesh.
The Insole
The most obvious visual difference is the luminous orange of the real under UV whereas the fake doesn’t light up at all. The only parts of the fake that light up are the perforation holes, but the real shoe does not light up at all.
Recap
Let’s take a look at how to tell fake Red Octobers in just a few simple steps:
- The Price – if it’s too good to be true then it usually is!
- The Toe – the suede should be dark and feel soft. Check the colour of the midsole at the toe, it should be quite dark. Also, take a look at the strap placement. You should be able to see two eyelets above and below!
- The Upper – the spikes should be sewn onto fabric, not plastic. The eyelet should have a matte metal ring around it with small lines. The Swoosh should be made up of 3D carvings.
- The Tongue – the mesh on the tongue should be made up of small holes. Check that the laces screw into the aglets too. The lace-lock should match the upper material and be sewn onto fabric, not plastic.
- The Strap – On the underside of the strap, there is a set of hieroglyphics that make up Kanye Wests name. The writing on the rubber is lightly lasered in on the real with the copyright sign being clearly visible.
- The UV Test – the spikes, mesh and strap should all light up under UV light. Make sure that the insole lights up too!
Final Thoughts
If you’ve ever wondered “how do you know Yeezys are real?” then hopefully this guide on the Red Octobers has helped. These sneakers are still highly sought after and people still pay a lot of money for them. As you have seen from this comparison guide, the Red October fakes have a number of big differences when compared to the real thing. If you have also wondered where to get legit Yeezys, then you’re in luck!
At KLEKT, we have a team of dedicated authenticators that guarantee authenticity on every purchase. That means that you get the safety and security of your purchase, without all the unnecessary hassle and worry. If you are worried that you might be getting some fake Yeezy shoes online, why worry? Head to KLEKT and cop your authentic Yeezys now!
