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There’s nothing like new shoes to put a bounce in your step. But, what happens when something is a bit off with your new kicks? When it comes to Converse Chuck Taylor All Star shoes there quite a few small details that can help you to decipher if what you’ve paid money for is the real deal or just a knock off. In this case the devil truly is in the details.

white Converse shoe
Via/ Flickr

Authentic Converse shoes will have a serial number on the label on the inside of the tongue and each shoe will bear this number. If you have two different numbers then something is off. This number should also be on the box they came in as well.

The place where the shoes were made should be printed on the tongue label as well. If the country of manufacture appears in the middle of the label or towards the bottom of the label then they could be fakes.

white Converse shoe
Via/ YouTube

Another set of details to look at are the pinstripes along the side and the toe cap. These vary by style and color of the shoe, but should always be completely smooth and straight. The lines should never be wobbly. If you have a pair with a line that stops and starts again then this is a problem.

The toe cap will be in sturdy rubber and will be completely straight where it meets the lacing. The toe cap on an authentic pair of Converse should not be curved towards the tongue of the shoe at all.

white Converse shoe
Via/ YouTube

The logo on the insole should be clear and not faded or blurred. Imperfect logos can be signs of poor quality control, the kind of thing that would be spotted quickly in a real Converse factory and removed from sale, but which would be sold as “normal” stock from a factory making fakes. After all, the bottom line with those responsible for making knock-offs is the profit margin, not the image of the brand.

There should also be a tiny 6-pointed asterisk on the rubber sole, not too far from the Converse logo. If this is missing then you could have a pair of the fakes instead of the real thing.

Converse shoe sole
Via/ YouTube

The logo on the back of the shoes is also an important place to look for clues. It should have the words “Converse” and “All Star” as well as a filled-in 5-point star. Shoes that are sold as new stock should not have a an R inside a circle (copyright symbol) underneath the star. If your Converse has this then it’s possible they were made before 2008 and are genuine. But, it’s also possible that they aren’t genuine if they were sold as new.

white Converse shoe
Via/ YouTube

Watch the video below for even more clues as to how to spot the differences between real Converse All Star shoes and fakes ones. And, if you’re in doubt about any of these details you can always check them against some of the detailed images on the Converse website.