First off, the box. I mean, duh, right? But seriously, don’t just chuck it aside. Real Fila boxes should be clean, crisp, and the printing should be, like, *spot on*. Spelling errors? Red flag city! Anything blurry or faded? Hmmm, probably not legit. Think about it, why would a big brand like Fila skimp on the packaging, right?
Now, the logo. Oh boy, the logo. This is where things get interesting. Okay, so, from what I’ve seen (and I’ve seen *a lot* of sneakers, lemme tell ya), the Fila logo should be super clean. No wiggly lines, no colors bleeding, nada. Everything should be sharp and defined. And, I read somewhere, that the stitching on the “F” might have some minor irregularities. That’s actually *normal* for authentic Fila. Weird, I know! But the *real* fakes will have, like, seriously messed up stitching. Think kindergarten art project gone wrong.
And speaking of stitching…look at *all* the stitching! Is it neat? Is it even? Are there threads sticking out everywhere? Good quality shoes have good quality stitching. A telltale sign of a knockoff is sloppy stitching. Like, come on, put some effort into it!
The tongue, yeah, the tongue of the shoe. I read something about the “F” on the tongue, that on real ones the first red side of the F is thicker. I don’t know if that’s true or not but it is worth checking.
Now, here’s where I get a little rant-y. The feel. You know? Pick up the shoe! Does it feel cheap? Does it smell like chemicals? Does the sole feel like it’s made of cardboard? If it feels like you could buy it for five bucks at a flea market, it probably *is* a five-buck flea market shoe, even if it says “Fila” on the side.
Honestly, sometimes it just comes down to your gut feeling. If the price is too good to be true, it probably is. And if something just feels “off” about the shoe, trust your instincts.
One last thing, and this is just my personal opinion, but I always try to buy from reputable retailers. Yeah, you might pay a bit more, but at least you know you’re getting the real deal. Plus, if something *is* wrong, you can usually return it without a hassle.
