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Business Insider
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
I've collected and sold Nike sneakers for 20 years. Spotting fakes is harder than ever, but here's what I look for.
Shu Cheng has been collecting and selling high-end sneakers for over 20 years. He opened Queens' first sneaker consignment shop in 2011, where he deals with fakes regularly. Fakes are harder to spot now than ever, but some things he looks for are color, shape, and smell. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Shu Cheng, co-founder of New York City's sneaker consignment store .IMAGE. It has been edited for length and clarity. I've loved sneakers since I was in elementary school. In fifth grade, I begged my mom to get me these Air Jordan 13 "He Got Game" sneakers, but they were $100. She got me Filas instead. Years later, I saved up and bought the shoes myself. My two best friends and I would go around NYC collecting and selling sneakers. Then, in 2011, we opened Queens' first sneaker consignment shop, .IMAGE. Sometimes, when my mom mentions those Air Jordan 13s, I joke and say, "Listen, you didn't want to buy me those shoes. So I bought a whole shoe store instead." Fake sneakers used to be easier to spot My friends and I at .IMAGE have spent two decades buying, selling, and authenticating shoes. We've built a collection probably worth over $1 million. One of my favorites is this pair signed by Kobe Bryant, probably worth about $30,000. I've handled hundreds of thousands of sneakers — Jordans, Dunks, Air Forces — and I'd say about 20% of those are fake. Counterfeits used to be easier to spot, but these days, the fakes have gotten so much better. Sometimes the only way to know is to bring them into a buy-sell-trade shop like mine. Even then, we have to get really close and look at every detail. One of the most obvious giveaways is the color Take the Jordan 4 Retro Red Thunder, for example. I'd estimate that about 80% of the time this shoe comes into our store, it's fake. I have no idea why this specific model is so popular among counterfeiters. Right off the bat, you see that the tongue on the real pair is a darker red compared to the fake ones, which are a lighter red. However, it can be the opposite case where the fake pair has a darker color, like with these white Air Jordan 4s. The toe box coloring on the fake is darker than the real version. Shape and form are other clues You can also usually spot a fake by looking at the shape. For example, the tongue on this real Jordan 4 Retro Red Thunder is a little puffier than the fake one. The legit one looks like it would be cozier on your foot, too. Other times, the real shoe will have a sleeker look. Like this white Air Jordan 4, if you look at it from the side, you can see that the real one has a pointy shape and structure, whereas the fake looks bulkier. Smell, touch, and imperfections can be dead giveaways We even smell the shoes because the fake pairs often use a toxic glue that's easy to detect. Fakes also often use low-quality pleather, which feels stiffer. By comparison, the real pair feels soft and plush. Ironically, real pairs often have little imperfections from the factory, but fakes are almost too perfect. That's actually a red flag. If it looks too flawless, I start getting suspicious. Like these legit ones have a little glue mark that was a manufacturing mistake, but the fake ones don't. Look at the box Sometimes, it comes down to the box. For the example, the little dots on the real pair are more metallic silver than on the fake pair. The counterfeit is a little more solid gray. Even the color of the red Jumpman logo can look slightly different. It's darker on the fake one. Be wary of really popular models These are the Air Jordan and the Travis Scott collaboration. This is one of the most counterfeited shoes because it's the most valuable on the market right now. We have authentic pairs available to double-check any time this pair comes in. We make sure the threading is good and the sole color looks right. The fake market is always changing and we have to keep up We used to use black lights to catch where fake factories would mark the shoes for gluing or stitching, but the counterfeiters caught on and stopped using those markers. Now, black lights don't tell us anything. Nike tried adding RFID tags to help with authentication, but guess what? The fake company would copy those, too. Spotting a fake is not an exact science. Every day brings a new challenge. A new colorway hits shelves, and you have to relearn the signs. These fake companies are making sneakers that are so good, sometimes a one-to-one replication, that the general public doesn't even know how to tell them apart. So you've got to come to reputable shops like ours. We compare, cross-check, and trust our gut. We don't want any fakes to leak out and hit the shelves because if a customer buys it and finds out, then our reputation is tarnished. If I'm not sure if a sneaker is legit, I'll put it off to the side. I'm not even going to try and sell it. We've taken losses in the past to ensure our customers get a real product. This story was adapted from Shu Cheng's interview for Business Insider's " Big Business" series. Learn more about Cheng and the counterfeit industry businesses in the video below:
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Spike Lee names his Top 5 New York Knicks villains: "He rolled the dice and nobody did nothing"
Academy Award-winning film director Spike Lee first became a New York Knicks season ticket holder after the Knickerbockers drafted Patrick Ewing first overall in the 1985 NBA Draft. Since then, he's been a regular at The Garden and has seen every opponent the Kicks have faced at the Mecca. During a recent appearance on Carmelo Anthony's "7PM in Brooklyn" podcast, Lee enumerated his Top 5 all-time Knicks villains, and Spike's answers did not disappoint. Advertisement "You got Reggie Miller. You got Mike. You heard it. That double-nickel game, goddamn!" began Lee. He rolled the dice Miller's name coming out of Spike's mouth first was no surprise. It was toward Spike where Reggie made the iconic 'choke' gesture after dropping 25 points in the 4th quarter of a 1994 playoff game against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Then as he mentioned, MJ's double-nickel game is one of the best performances by an opponent at the Mecca. Spike also mentioned LeBron James and Kobe Bryant before seemingly running out of names. But when Melo and his co-host Kazeem Fayumide asked him about a current villain named Trae Young, who plays for the Atlanta Hawks, the "He Got Game" film director nodded in approval and became animated while recalling Young's celebration after the Hawks beat the Knicks in the quarterfinals of the 2024 In-Season Tournament. Advertisement "He's a villain ... and he plays into that," Lee told Anthony. "He rolled the dice and Nobody did nothing! ... You know what the Knicks said? They said 'We didn't see him do that.' I don't believe that ... No, that would not have happened with some other Knick teams. Xavier McDaniel? Oakley? Them guys? On the logo, at midcourt! Nobody did nothing!" It all started in the 2021 Playoffs Ice Trae first earned the ire of Knicks fans when his Hawks faced the Knicks in the 2021 NBA playoffs. In his first-ever playoff appearance in Game 1, Young scored 32 points, issued 10 assists, and grabbed 7 rebounds. He hit a running shot with 0.9 left in the game to beat the Knicks and then told the Garden crowd to 'be quiet' after they were chanting "Fu** Trae Young" throughout the game. Advertisement The beef between Knicks fans and Young continued throughout that series. But Trae had the last laugh when hit a 32-foot 3-pointer with 43 seconds left to ice the game. He bowed at center court and waved goodbyes to the stunned MSG crowd. The hostility continued after that but it wasn't until "Ice Trae" rolled the dice to signify his team advancing to the Las Vegas semifinals of the IST that Knicks fans like Spike rekindled the hate again. But as Lee said, it wasn't so much about Young disrespecting the Knicks logo but about the team doing nothing about it. It can be recalled that all Knicks captain Jalen Brunson had to say after the game was if they didn't want to see Trae do what he did, they should've won the game. That reply was politically correct. However, for die hard Knicks fans like Lee and Melo, the players shouldn't tolerate invaders trampling the 'flag of New York.' Related: Spike Lee got a hilarious answer from Michael Jordan when he asked MJ why he was chosen to do his breakout commercial: "Motherfu**** you were wearing my shoes"
Black America Web
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
Denzel Washington Has Heated Exchange With Cannes Film Festival Photographer, Social Media Salutes The Clapback
Source: Stephane Cardinale – Corbis / Getty Denzel Washington has been a leading man in Hollywood for decades, and the buzzing of overzealous photographers is still getting on his nerves. The actor was in France for the Cannes Film Festival to promote his latest Spike Lee-directed joint , Highest 2 Lowest . While walking the red carpet, he was sharing a laugh with Lee and his costar, A$AP Rocky, when a photographer interrupted the moment by grabbing his arm. Washington immediately points a finger in his face and appears to tell him to quit being so aggressive, as the photographer tries to laugh off the moment. 'If you ever put your hands on me again,' Washington appears to say. However, as he starts to walk away, the photographer wraps his arm around Washington's arm, and he responds by yanking away and repeatedly telling him to stop. Aside from the frustrating situation, Washington had a lot to celebrate that day. He was presented with an honorary Palme d'Or, the highest Cannes Film Festival honor given to those with impressive film resumes who had never received the award. When presented with the award, Washington was shocked, as the ceremony was a complete surprise, so it hit a little harder. 'This is a total surprise for me, so I'm a little emotional, but from the bottom of my heart, I thank you all,' he began, according to E! News . 'It was a great opportunity to collaborate with my brother once again — brother from another mother, Spike.' This marks the fifth time the legendary film stars and New York natives have collaborated, starting with musical comedy Mo' Better Blues in 1990. They quickly continued with 1992 's Malcolm X , He Got Game in 1998, and most recently in 2006 in the Jodie Foster-assisted Inside Man . Continuing on in his acceptance, he recognized how grateful everyone at the film festival should be for their successful careers in the film industry. 'We're a very privileged group in this room that we get to make movies and wear tuxedos and nice clothes and dress up and get paid for it as well,' Washington continued. 'You know, we're just blessed beyond measure, I'm blessed beyond measure, and from the bottom of my heart, I thank you all. Thank you.' See how social media reacted to Washington's heated moment with a photographer below. Denzel Washington Has Heated Exchange With Cannes Film Festival Photographer, Social Media Salutes The Clapback was originally published on Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Highest 2 Lowest' Teaser: Spike Lee And Denzel Reunite For Fifth 'Joint' Of Their Careers
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways After over a year of updates, Spike Lee has dropped the first teaser for his upcoming film Highest 2 Lowest, starring Denzel Washington. The teaser stresses the epic reunion between Lee and Washington, as the pair have worked on classics Mo'Better Blues, Malcolm X, He Got Game, and Inside Man. 'I Know U Have Been Waiting 'HELLA LONG' And Here Is DA TEASER TRAILER (Finally) For Da 5th Return Of D And LEE- HIGHEST 2 LOWEST,' Lee, 68, captioned his Instagram post of the clip. 'And Dat's Da WASHINGTONS/LEES FAMILY TRUTH,RUTH. YA-DIG? SHO-NUFF. STRAIGHT UP!' Denzel Washington and Spike Lee in publicity portrait for the film 'Mo' Better Blues', 1990. (Photo) Highest 2 Lowest finds Washington, 70, playing a record executive with the 'best ears in the business' who is then targeted in a ransom plot. While many questioned the casting of rappers A$AP Rocky and Ice Spice, Washington's role reveal makes sense of the casting choices. Additional co-stars include Jeffrey Wright and Ilfenesh Hadera. The upcoming film is an English-language reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 crime thriller, High and Low, which was based on Evan Hunter's (Ed McBain) 1959 novel, King's Ransom. The film is set to debut at this month's Cannes Film Festival before being released in select theaters by A24 on Aug. 22. It will then stream exclusively on Apple TV+ beginning Sept. 5. Check out the teaser above. Denzel Washington, Spike Lee at The Entertainment Community Fund Gala at Marriott Marquis on April 21, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images) More from Sign up for Vibe's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Denzel Washington, Spike Lee Reunite in Highest 2 Lowest Trailer: ‘Can You Handle It'?
Spike Lee and Denzel Washington team up again for Highest 2 Lowest, a crime thriller that puts the partners on Mo Better Blues, Malcolm X, He Got Game and Inside Man back in familiar territory: a jumpy, vibrant New York City. The A24 film, which arrives in select theaters August 22 and Apple TV+ on September 5, finds Washington monoluging about money and modern life over the swaggering sounds of James Brown's "The Big Payback." The stellar cast also includes Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, and A$AP Rocky. The film is about a titan music mogul (Denzel Washington), who is widely known for having the 'best ears in the business.' Related Headlines 7 Stars of Cancelled TV Shows Who Went on to Bigger Success 12 Animal House Stories We Bet You Haven't Heard 11 Actors Who Have Switched Political Sides The creative partnership between Spike Lee and Denzel Washington is so strong that the A24 release calls them "brothers", noting "Brothers Denzel Washington and Spike Lee reunite for the 5th in their long working relationship for a reinterpretation of the great filmmaker Akira Kurosawa's crime thriller High and Low, now played out on the mean streets of modern day New York City." The tagline: "All $$ Ain't Good $$." Here's the poster: The visuals are fabulous: We see Denzel Washington in a suit, strolling past gold and platinum records, wearing gold headphones as he looks out a skyscraper window, and walking hurriedly through a parking garage. We also see A$AP Rocky's character walking into a courtroom, past demonstrators, in a moment that eerily recalls the rapper's recent legal travails: He was found not guilty in February on two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. After a three-week trial, jurors deliberated just three hours before reachign the verdict for Rocky, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers. In the Highest 2 Lowest trailer, A$AP Rocky's character enters the courtroom as fans hold signs that read "Free Yung Felon" and "Justice 4 Yung Felon." Other striking visuals include a Puerto Rican Day parade, cop cars with sirens blaring, a bag changing hands, and some subway action. Washington's fast-paced monologue in the Highest 2 Lowest trailer recalls Spike Lee movie monologues at their best, including Ed Norton's rip-roaring tirade against his fellow New Yorkers in Lee's masterful 2022 film The 25th Hour. It culminates in Washington's character asking: "Can you handle the mayhem, can you handle the money, can you handle the success, can you handle the failure, can you handle the lovers, can you handle the memes, can you handle anything that there is in-between? "That's the question I have for you: Can you handle it?" Denzel Washington and Spike Lee first collaborated on Lee's 1990 Mo' Better Blues, and had their most iconic collaboration in 1992's Malcolm X, which earned Washington a Best Actor Oscar. Their most recent collaboration was 2006's Inside Man. Main image: Denzel Washington in Highest 2 Lowest, directed by Spike Lee. A24. Related Headlines 7 Stars of Cancelled TV Shows Who Went on to Bigger Success 12 Animal House Stories We Bet You Haven't Heard 11 Actors Who Have Switched Political Sides
