Counterfeiters Produce Unreleased Sean Wotherspoon Air Max 1/97
G-Roc
Social media has made it 10x easier for the counterfeit industry to quickly produce the hottest sneakers. Apps like Instagram make it easy to see what's popular/trending by the number of likes, comments and reposts.
Sean Wotherspoon's original Air Max 1/97 is one of the most hyped and sought after sneakers I've seen in a very long time. I'd go as far to say Sean has one of the most impactful sneaker collaborations of all-time. There are only a few collabs that I can think of that had the same or similar impact as his colorful corduroy covered Air Max hybrid.
For Instagram users, including counterfeiters who use the app for market research, it was easy to see the huge demand for Sean's Air Max. Sean later confirmed that Nike would let him release a second pair in a blue colorway.
Sean shared a few photos on his IG, and the images were quickly shared all over the Internet. Like I said on @TheShoeGame's IG, all counterfeiters need is a good photo, IG hype and production is going down.
That's exactly what happened with Sean's unreleased blue Air Max 1/97. As always, yours truly was out roaming the streets and I came across what I'm calling the Foot Locker of fakes. This place had so many knockoffs of trendy sneakers, including this unreleased Air Max 1/97.
I'm no stranger to discovering places that sell fake sneakers, but I've never seen a place like this in person before. Name any hyped sneaker you can think of, and I promise you this spot has a much cheaper knockoff. By the way, this pair is $80.
So you know me, I picked up a few pairs that caught my eye and recorded a quick video. I also took photos, and I'll publish a separate article on everything else I saw.
But back to this unreleased pair. If I'm being honest, the overall shoe doesn't look bad. As you'll see in the video, the air unit was the most telling feature the shoe is fake. Prior to discovering the shop, if I saw an industry insider wearing a pair, I would just have assumed they wear a sample size.
That said, it's scary out here. Stay woke because the counterfeiters definitely are.
Watch the video above for a detailed look at the shoe.
