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Advice and tips on buying and selling between private individuals

How can you spot fake Rick Owens shoes?

Californian Rick Owens created the brand of the same name in 1994. The brand became a household name after being worn by Kate Moss for Vogue magazine. Rick Owens combines minimalism, graphic design and elegance. Rick Owens clothes challenge the structures of ready-to-wear by proposing new ideas for shapes and ways of wearing clothes. Among the most iconic pieces were the shoes, particularly the "Ramones" model. Unfortunately, counterfeiters are constantly replicating this iconic model in a bid to make a profit. However, there are ways of telling a genuine pair of Rick Owens shoes from a fake. In this article, we give you 4 of them.

The seams of the shoe :

First of all, check the stitching on the shoe. These are truly representative of the luxury house's expertise. Replica factories are not as rigorous and diligent as the brand.

Look at the stitches, especially in the toe area. This area is the most complicated to sew because of its shape. It is therefore very likely that the replica trainers have faulty seams in this area.

The stitches must all line up. These stitches are also exactly the same on a genuine pair. The stitching lines on a counterfeit pair of Ramones are much longer and thicker. They also have extra threads, meaning that some of the stitches run outside the seam line. If you see this type of defect, you can be sure that you're dealing with a counterfeit.

On the left, perfect seams, on the right, faulty seams

Back of the shoe:

Pay particular attention to the back of the shoe, and more specifically the back tongue.

The back tongue is wide and short on replica shoes, whereas the brand's authentic tongue is thin and long. This difference in size and thickness is completely visible to the naked eye.

On the left, a counterfeit back tab, on the right, a genuine back tab.

The toe area:

You should also check the toe area, which is very visibly different between a genuine pair of Rick Owens shoes and a fake pair from the luxury brand. This area is usually faulty on counterfeits.

The toe box area is much higher and raised on a counterfeit pair. This area is also more arched and rounded than on authentic Ramones.

On the left, a real pair of Rick Owens shoes, on the right, a pair from replica factories.

Holes in the side of the shoe :

Also pay attention to the two perforations on the inside of the shoe. These are usually poorly replicated by crooks.

The workshops of luxury brand Rick Owens make these two perforations equally. The two holes are perfectly aligned. On counterfeit shoes, these two holes are made irregularly. They are generally not aligned and are sometimes not the same size.

Secure the purchase of your second-hand pair of Rick Owens shoes with Obvy:

If you want to conduct transactions, sales and/or purchases, between private individuals in complete security, choose Obvy. Obvy is a secure payment platform designed to eradicate online scams between individuals. When you make a transaction on Obvy, the funds are only credited to your seller when the buyer certifies the conformity of the item purchased.

In the event of a counterfeiting scam, you can quickly and easily return the product to the seller and get your money back. What's more, you'll have all the information you need about the seller in the event of legal action.