In this op-ed we'll be doing a side by side comparison of real and replica Air Jordan Retro OG 'Bred' (308497-060) that were released in May 2019. Although imitations of this highly coveted pair are readily available, there are differentiating markers that draw the line between an original product and lesser copies. 

The first giveaway - the inside label. On the top right corner of each label are the factory codes, LN3 and LNM, which are under LN and suggest the shoes from materials and production SOPs to craftsmanship are similar. On a closer look however, the font used for the product code is different. Compared to the real shoe, numbers on the replica are more spaced out, and not printed close to the horizontal cut off line. 

A slightly trickier one is the side label on the box. On a real label the letter "U" should be aligned closer to the "W". As you can see from the arrow, the alignment of the "U" on the replica is flushed just a tad too much to the right, closer to the second letter "M" instead. 

For craftsmanship reasons, the insole color is another giveaway. The real insole should look slightly "dirty" and darker, whereas a replica shoe will tend to give you a pristine, white insole. 

Want to know more about the AJ 4 Retro Bred 2019? To prevent replicas from catching up, we won't disclose all the details here. If you have questions or a pair that needs authenticating, head over to the LEGIT APP where our trained sneakerheads can get back to you.