There are lots more shirts out there with this code. I would expect it is the same factory that is producing all these fakes and using the same codes for all of them. Long sleeves - For some reason counterfeits seem to love a long sleeve remake. Long sleeves were only sold in small batches at this time and command a high premium. Again if they seem too cheap then they're probably not authentic - Excluding goal keeper shirts which are long sleeve 90% of the time. Product codes are simply invaluable when trying to identify a fake shirt. Though the quality of fake kits has risen considerably over the years, I’ve never come across a fake that’s used the correct product code.

Finally, a word on printing. Player printing is popular, especially on older shirts, but avoid any shirts with thin and overly creased name and numbers. Styles have varied over the years, but fake printing is easy to spot in the majority of cases. To understand what a fake Arsenal logo looks like, see the following comparison image. When placed side by side, it’s clear which crest is fake. The inconsistent spacing around red portion of the inner shield, the warped text and jagged edges around the white lines in particular are giveaways, and the majority of fake crests aren’t even as ‘good’ as this one. And finally, a huge thank you to members of the football shirt community who provided pictures for this fake Arsenal football shirt piece. We couldn’t have done it without you, and it’s hugely appreciated. Now let’s take a look at some fakes. The vast majority of fakes slip up in the area of the adi logo, and before long you’ll probably be able to distinguish between a genuine shirt and a counterfeit on this area alone.

Colombia

Below are a couple of photos showing what a genuine adidas logo looks like, on both a replica and player issue. Notice details like the fact the wordmark portion of the logo touches the bottom of the stripes, and the consistent kerning (spacing between characters). Briefly touching on swing tags again, avoid any tags with years that are drastically different to the shirt you’re supposedly looking it. The shirt below claims to be the legendary 1995 away as worn by the likes of Denis Bergkamp, but if you zoom in on the tags you’ll see a modern and generic looking tag with the year 2015 clearly printed on it. As before, we’ll be referring to pictures to help us identify what sorts of things to look out for when trying to sniff out dodgy adidas kits. Many of these pictures have been provided by members of the community, so thanks to those who helped out and provided content!

These photos from a replica LAFC shirt show an application detail on the bottom right, and no authenticity tag on the left but the material type tag instead. The shirt is genuine, as confirmed by the details of the shirt, the product code and the original tags, so bear that in mind. As discussed, Arsenal have enjoyed each of the ‘big 3’ manufacturers over the years, and for any adidas, Nike or Puma Arsenal shirt you can use the brand logo as a reference point when deciding if something is fake or not. Always ask the buyer to see this label. The vast majority of fake Nike United shirts from the 2000s will not have this label at all. I process a large number of football shirts monthly and get used to seeing the fake codes. This code is still doing the rounds and I've recently seen it on a "new in bag" 2021/2022 Manchester United away shirt! Here’s an example of a real product code for a Club Universidad de Chile shirt. If you Google the code DP2644, you’ll see some results of the shirt. Because this particular shirt is relatively rare, there aren’t many pictures, but ultimately the main thing you want to avoid is pictures of another completely different adidas shirt.

The correct shirt for this code is the 2018 Columbia home and away shirt. The CW1526 code represents the shirt and the other number represent if it is home or away.

As a bonus point to end on, this fake Arsenal shirt is incredibly shiny! Colour and material integrity can be faked easier than other areas, but when fakers get it wrong they often get it really wrong. Depop has a counterfeit guarantee to cover buyers if you are sold a fake. You can also report them to Depop via the listings. Fake shirts are illegal and cannot be sold in the UK regardless of if you say they're fake. These shirts are mass-produced by cheap labour and have been linked to poor human rights and organised crime. It is not okay to buy them because they're cheaper. Enough gushing about Arsenal though, we’re here to talk about fake Arsenal shirts. How do you avoid buying a fake Arsenal football shirt, in what is becoming an increasingly difficult market to navigate. We’ve looked at fake shirts from various brands in the past, but this guide will focus exclusively on Arsenal covering shirts from different decades. NikeIn the 00s, Nike stole the show clothing the Invincibles and rolling out the red carpet in the form of the maroon Highbury tribute shirt. Although we can largely skip over the Puma era (nobody's perfect), adidas part 2 has already been a resounding success. Whatever happens, Arsenal have the best trio of shirts in the Premier League this season. For the first example, a shirt pretending to be the 2019 Ajax away shirt brings up a random selection of adidas kits and crucially, nothing Ajax related. The second code is on a label which is in itself a warning sign due to the fact it’s upside down on the collar, but a search for “CW1526” confirms suspicions with results for the Colombia 2018 shirt (a favourite for fake producers) instead of the Juventus shirt it’s supposed to be. Tags Whilst we’re on this photo, notice also the difference on the swing tags. We’ll cover them again in the next point, but see how the tags on the right shirt states a generic “ADIDAS JSY”, rather than any mention of Arsenal. Fake tags will always go down this generic route, so keep an eye out for that.

Like their rivals Nike, adidas do a good job of providing an easily accessible code across all their shirts. The code (also known as an International Article Number), found on a small tag usually on the inside of the collar, is 6 digits long consisting of 2 letters and 4 numbers. This is a trending fake code that is being commonly used across many fake shirts from the last few years and is still being used now. CW1526 Correct Adidas ShirtThere are some fakes that you will see regularly on counterfeit shirts, including Adidas code CW1526. I post any trending fakes on my blog. Spotting Fake Manchester Nike Adidas Shirts In a continuation of our brand specific fake guide, we’re turning our attention to German giants adidas.