Information

Obviously there’s no way Nike can keep their designs under wraps until the release date. In order to prepare for mass production the factories get the mold of the shoe at least a couple months earlier. However, there are other ways to ensure the counterfeits won’t be able to deliver the whole package. Think about the signature box. All those early previews, which sadly include fake styles, offer shoes without a proper box or “borrow” it from the previous version. Usually, the box leaks only a couple of weeks before the launch, which is probably too late for copycats to put into production. Same goes for the style code. While the style code alone, i.e. 616175-700, is known quite early, the exact colorway name (Parachute Gold/Arctic Green-Dark Loden-Black) is much harder to establish beforehand. This means that paying attention to names on the box, for example LEBRON XI instead of LEBRON 11 (fake!), pays off. Common sense rules for buying kicks still apply here… always request for tagged pics (with box and everything), use the listing to verify the existing colorways, and try to use trusted sites only.

Signature box

Again, the easiest way to spot a fake deal, which applies to all shoes, is to verify the packaging. It’s usually very helpful in the first couple of months after the shoe drops. Especially with LeBron James’ signature shoes the designers make it easy for us. Each year James’ kicks come in a new drawer box. For the LEBRON XI it’s a two-colored black and red carton with two L-crown-J logos upside down. Sort of like the concept of yin and yang. Additionally, on the side there are LEBRON and JAMES logos written using a special font that reads JAMES and LEBRON upside down.

Zoom Air insole

The full-length Zoom Air insole is back! Although it’s not as fancy as the Zoom Max unit used for the LeBron X, it has been used before, it’s still very unique in its construction. On the top Nike placed the same LEBRON (right shoe) and JAMES (left shoe) logos that are present on the box. On the bottom goes the classic Zoom Air bag… full length style. Additionally, the insole incorporates a Lunarlon foam. While the counterfeits that I’ve seen so far did get the logos right, the color blocking is off. Also, the cushioning unit below looks more like an Air Max bag with tubes instead of Zoom, which is smooth.

original vs. fake