Authentic or Replica?

Price, obviously, is the big factor. Adidas MLS Shirts, authentic, have the second layer (dri-fit?) and are all screened. The replicas dont have the second layer and have the badge "embroidered". I believe the same is true of Nike, at least the US away shirt from WC 2002.

 

Nope and Nope. That may have been the case in the past but this year also introduces us to some different fabrics, so the layer set up which was in place due to possible rainy season from the last cup isn't a factor. Fabrics that breath and allow one to sweat have improved big time and they will be showcased at this summer's tournament. The new Italy jersey from Puma is a great example. It has a weird almost paper like texture. The easiest way to find out is to ask a good rep from either Adidas or Nike. Badges were embroidered on the previous jerseys. You are on the mark about pricing. Usually, replicas are dirt cheap unless they're the Thai specials then I honestly believe these are the real deal at near cost, providing you buy the right one.

 

Thanks for the correction, I havent seen the new shirts for 06 up close.

 

Anyone received their authentic MLS kits yet? Curious for a quality report.

 

Hello.

A confusing query, since, for example, Arsenal jerseys in the mid-90's that were manufactured by Nike for fan-sales have a sewn-on tag identifying them as an "Authentic Replica".

Establishing authentic (defined here as a kitroom or player-ready shirt) from replica (a shirt made by the official kit supplier specifically for sale to fans) is a complicated business, since the technology and research involved in athletic wear has advanced so much in a relatively short amount of time. Where 30-or-so years ago, shirts were usually made of cotton or cotton-poly blends and badges were sewn on or embroidered and numbers were screen-printed or frequently sewn on, now shirts are made of various types of polyester weaves and subliminated designs and/or heat transfers are usually the norm. And the changeovers did not occur at the same time with all teams and manufacturers.

For instance, my team, the Minnesota Thunder, a FIFA Division II level team, used Umbro kits for their first four years of existance. The Umbro logo was embroidered while the names, numbers, team crest and shirt sponsors were silk-screened onto the shirts.

In 1995, they switched to Nike for the next 10 years. In '95 the Nike swoosh was embroidered, as it would remain throughout the decade. But the names, numbers, et al, gradually changed from silk-screened to heat-transfered "decals". The official USL league patch changed from sewn-on to heat-transfer in '03 or '04. The adidas kits they have used the last two seasons are all heat-transfers, including the adidas logo.

So, in regard to older shirts, it can be very difficult to tell what was an official replica for sale to fans and what was a "kitroom" or un-issued and unprepared game jersey. Some, like the above-mentioned Arsenal shirts, had a specific "replica" label. Many did not. For most smaller teams, and teams who use kits from small local manufacturers, they were and are probably the same, since demand for those teams' jerseys tend to be small and localised, making a seperately manufactured shirt run economically unfeasable. For the Thunder, they still are practically the same. (USA Soccer, the official kit preparer for the team, tends to leave off the league patch and alter their on-shirt sponsor logo for most fan-sales jerseys. Otherwise, it's the same shirt the players wear.)

To add to the confusion, some clubs offer "official" fan jerseys which are liscensed by the club, but are not made by the team's kit manufacturer. You'll just have to do a little archive research to try to find game photos with the jersey in question that are clear enough to show details like the manufacturer's logo.

It is a little easier to tell with recent jerseys, since enquiries can usually be made with the kit makers and authorised retailers.

Here's a quick reply on a similar question (involving newer Nike and adidas shirts) from Subside Sports, a leading online retailer of official national team and club jerseys and equipment:

"The kitroom release are the jerseys from that team's kitroom, usually released by somebody within the club at the end of the season. These are also called 'Code 7's'. The 'player' version is the same as the 'authentic' version. These jerseys are dual layered, the material is called 'clima-cool' which is thinner. They also have printed badges as opposed to the embroidered badges of the replica shirts. 2nd Tier jerseys are like training jerseys, and are usually worn by the clubs for friendlies. Official replicas are the normal jerseys which you would find in most sports shops.

Phil
Subside Sports"

As for how to tell the difference between "authentic replicas" and the far east knock-offs, well, without the little cardboard tags (and even sometimes with them), your guess would be as good as mine.

Sorry I could not give you more definitive answers, but this type of question hadn't come up until the sports memorabilia collectors' (and forgery) boom of the 90's and the literature on it is practically nonexistant. I'll try dashing off a few e-mails to some of the manufacturers and try to get some more responses.

Not a knock-off, I remain

That little old jersey collector

Me

 

Hello~

This topic is indeed quite confusing and there's actually much to talk about, in my opinion

This is a subject personally that consumes my mind, whenever i go to buy a footie shirt. i am a authentic snob, and i usually will try to go buy the most authentic shirt possible

i like Nike kits and i have found out that they have what's called Code-7 kits. These are the ones that the players themselves will actually wear out on the pitch and are generally never released on sale during its current season (well, they usually aren't on sale PERIOD). Subside Sports in England usually is the best source to getting leftover Code-7 Manchester United and Arsenal shirts

The differences were covered in great detail by our master collector here on BigSoccer, so there's no need to elaborate on that...

My particular favourite kinds of footie shirts are the NT (national team) shirts and i especially am wanting to get my hands on Code-7s. These are even more hard to come by. In Korea, it used to be where from last year to maybe January of this year, it was really fortunate for someone to get their hands on a Code-7 KNT shirt. This was especially true for the Aways and any long-sleeve ones. Then a few months later, the Korean football federation decides to release all of their remaining Code-7s to the public. As expected, all Korean shirt collectors went on a frenzy to get their hands and as of now, there are pretty much no more M or L sizes left. Thankfully, my mom is in Korea right now and i have asked her to get me four of these (Home/Away and short/long sleeves)

Back in the 02-04 season, it was more easier to "tell" if it was authentic or a replica. Nike had their Cool Motion undershirt in their authentics... and they also had their Code-7s. The only difference between those authentics and the Code-7 was the tag. The shirt was basically the same exact thing

Now, with all the major kit suppliers changing all of their designs and what not, i have no idea how to differentiate the subtle nuances between the authentic and replica shirts. i'm waiting to see how different the new Nike Code-7s will be... haha

In my experience, i guess the more you look at the differences between the shirts and finding out every detail between the authentics, replicas and fakes... you'd probably get a good "feel" on what is real and what is not. It's somewhat frustrating, but i guess it's worth to know if you like getting the real McCoys

 

huge difference with the MLS. I have a half dozen Gamers from 2006 and dozens from other years. The 2006 run smaller in size (thinner and slightly shorter. They also have the word "FORMOTION" on the lower left front instead of the climacool logo. You will also not find any neck tags on the long sleeved shirts and one very small white tag on the short sleeved gamers. When you put the two side by side you will know what is the real dea. The Authentics are very nice pieces.

Tony

 

Related Article you may find useful about the differences between Originals & AAAs (though this is for Nike):
https://www.facebook.com/notes/myjerseycornersg/case-study-original-vs-aaa-jersey/438980522880311

 

The 2016 new year, you can buy more good sale soccer jerseys for cheap on www.Bestcheapsoccer.com
Enjoy the shopping and see the recommended article on here.
https://bestcheapsoccerblog.wordpress.com/2016/01/05/162/

 

Actually,it is difficult to know the difference between the replica and authentic cause the replica is so close to the authentic even if in some details.Keep the same.If you want to buy authentic jersey,just go to the official website like WorldSoccerShop.If you want to buy replica jerseys,take a look on Soccer777 which is a replica website with good review