To spot fake A Bathing Ape shoes (aka Bapes) is not very easy for a non sneaker head. Honestly, it is not very easy for sneaker heads themselves. For the normal everyday person walking down the street who looks over and sees a person wearing some Bapes, they would say “Damn! that person’s rocking some Bapes!” But then there are the haters or jealous type who would be like “Yeah, they got some Bapes on. So what? I bet they ain't even real.” But honestly, who really knows if they are real or not? Well, that's what I am here to tell you about.

I am here to help you tell the difference between a real pair of A Bathing Apes and the many, many counterfeit or "bootleg" fake Bapes. First off, to those of you not familiar with the A Bathing Ape company, let me school you on the basics. They are a luxury brand straight out of Japan. In a nutshell they mainly make sneakers that are very similar to a Nike Air Force 1 but instead of the “swoosh” at the end of the check, they have a star. So to all of you who see Bapes and just think someone’s got some real knock-off Air Forces on, now you know.

So now that you are familiar of what the typical Bape looks like, it's time for me to tell you how to discover which ones are legit and which ones aren't. Well the first and easiest thing to look for is color and material. About 90% of the Bapesta's are all completely made of patent leather. So if you see some that are just regular leather or maybe even nubuck or suede, right away that's a dead giveaway that they're fake. Also, colorways are very important.

About 80% of the Bapes that have been released are all crazy colorway combinations from graphite grey/neon green to pink/purple/orange to even colorways to commemorate Marvel Comics super heroes. So legit check number two would have to be this, if you see some all white or all black Bapes they're 100% bootleg. I'd have to say that the closest normal colorway ever produced would be the red/yellow or navy/yellow's or things along those lines. But never one colorway or even basic colorways like white/red, black/white, etc. Now comes the hard part, the boxes.

Nowadays people have the boxes manufactured almost to the dot. And this isn't just for Bapes but for Nikes and Jordans as well. If you are close enough to buying a pair and get to see the box, thoroughly examine it. Think about how a normal everyday sneaker box looks and feels. You know what size you are so add that into the comparison as well. If you are buying a size twelve but the box you get the shoes in looks like it could fix a size nine then there you go, point number three. Plus most boxes are made very poor and look very feeble in a sense. Then comes the inside of the shoe.

If you get a pair and there are no insoles in them, they're fake. No way around it. I don't care what the person tells you, no real pair of sneakers Bapes or anything else are ever sold without their insoles. If they did that then all shoes would feel like you're walking on a board the whole time because that's usually what's right underneath the insole to keep the form of the shoes. Another thing is this- there are only two real authentic places to get Bapes from. One is in Japan and the other is located in So-Ho, New York which is owned and operated by Pharrell of the Neptunes. There are boutique shops that do sell A Bathing Ape as well, but most of the time they buy from someone else and sell them in their store. Those two places I have named above are the official retail locations for A Bathing Ape. So if your friend comes over your house and says “Hey, look what I just picked up at this place downtown,” sorry man, but those just ain't real.

The price tag on Bapes is another key point. Bapes retail for well over $200, so if you see them being sold for less than that stay away! Plus they are produced in very limited quantities every time a pair is released. There are no exact dates for when a new colorway comes out. Sizing is another key. It's very hard to find Bapes in a size twelve so if you come across one be sure to check out everything I've mentioned above. So with all that I leave you these last words of advice.

If you see them on the streets, on eBay, on sites that sell Jordans you have never seen before for like $80, or anything along the lines to a everyday person of a place that doesn't have its authenticity then turn your head and walk away. Don't take the money or that credit card out of your pocket. To find out the most up-to-date information on A Bathing Ape I recommend checking out the following sites and message boards:

Bapetalk.com
Niketalk.com
SoleCollector.com/Forums
PickYourShoes.com
VintageKicks.com

Also note there are boutique shops online that do sell A Bathing Ape products. Vintagekicks.com and Pickyourshoes.com are two. Check out the sites above if interested in finding out more or obtaining a genuine pair of your own. With all that being said I hope everyone from the everyday person to the common sneakerhead gained some knowledge from the things I have said here and have helped everyone better tell how to spot fake Bapes. This is the first step in stopping all the bootleggers out there! All you have to do is continue to do your part, and spread the word.