r/repweidiansneakers

AJ4 Fear LJR B-grade
I'm totally new to sneaker reps but I needed new shoes and I felt the retail prices were a rip off for the low quality, plus when you do find good quality it costs too much if you're on a budget and I am going to use these almost daily. I used DHL pre-paid economy and they arrived in Sweden in 15 days to my door.

I really fell in love with multiple colorways of the AJ4s, especially the Fear. It is a B-grade so I was a bit worried what the condition would be, but it seems like these had at most some wrinkles at the sides, and a bit of dirt at the ankle but it seems like it's easy to just brush off so nothing permanent. I have worn them for 2 days so on my pics they are a bit dirty and scratched. They have a smell of leather and the material feels high quality. They feel TTS. I didn't notice any bad stiches or any significant defects in the construction. I wore them in rain the 2nd day and accidentally stepped into a water puddle but no water leaked inside.

Check the pics for yourself. Here is the link to buy it on superbuy:
https://s.spblk.com/hsrj

W2C: https://weidian.com/item.html?
itemID=7842033674

GL or RL?

This is just for informational purposes. Just my personal opinion based on the pair I received. I’m not a professional authenticator or seller — I just like to collect sneakers and these are for personal use.

Quality;

I dont get a lot of J6 but I had to grab these. The nubuck which comprises the entire upper feels good quality, its soft with some nice movement. The tongue is made of a durable canvas which has been well constructed. The overall shape looks great. The soles glow like they are supposed to. The logos and embroidery along the heels, tongue and inside the pocket is well done. I don't see any big flaws and overall im really satisfied.

Colorway;

I love this olive type color on anything. Easy to style and just looks great. The hits of red go well with it, and the glow in the dark sole is just an extra cool point. Came with 2 other color laces which were black or yellow. I stuck with the olive laces I feel like it goes best. The shade of the nubuck is a little lighter which doesnt matter to me but you could use some mink oil to darken it up, bonus you get some water proofing.

Comfort/Fit;

I got these TTS. They do fit well, but i think I could have actually gone .5 down personally. But they are comfortable.

✅ W2C: TMF

📱 Telegram: +86 137 3542 8664

💰 Price: ¥420 + shipping

https:// shop1853468411.v.weidian.com/item.html?itemID=7733251106&spider_token=c95a

W2C: https://shop1853468411.v.weidian.com/item.html?itemID=7730339863&spider\_token=0097

W2C here https://shop1648171445.v.weidian.com/item.html?itemID=7314854422&spider\_token=5af7

Saw that RN batch has updated their Union Storm Blue. Gonna try it out.

A couple of days ago, I visited the SF Factory and got a closer look at their development work on the Travis Scott x Nike Air Force 1 Low ’07 “Ice Blue”. Here’s the latest update

The Upper Material Is the Main Challenge 🐘

One of the most important parts of this project is the upper material. The retail pair uses a very specific ostrich-textured leather. At first glance, it might look like simple embossed leather, but reproducing the actual surface effect is much more difficult than it seems. Several details affect how close the material looks to retail:

• Grain size
• Texture density
• Texture depth
• Softness
• Flexibility
• Thickness
• How the surface reflects light

Even small differences in these characteristics can make the final shoe look noticeably different from retail.

⸻

SF’s Initial Material Testing 🔬

SF initially tested locally available leather in China, but the results weren’t close enough to the retail pair. The biggest issue was the texture. It might look relatively similar when the leather is flat, but once the material is cut, shaped and stretched during production, the texture changes and becomes noticeably different from retail. Because of this, SF decided not to simply use a “close enough” domestic substitute.

⸻

New Leather Has Been Ordered 🧪

SF has now ordered custom leather made to match the retail material specification as closely as possible.

The goal isn’t just to reproduce the visible ostrich-style texture.
They are also trying to match:

Texture + hand feel + flexibility + thickness + overall surface finish

Basically, the goal is to get the material behaving and looking as close to the retail pair as possible, rather than just copying the appearance from photos.

⸻

Why the Material Matters So Much 👀

This is one of the more interesting parts of factory development.
When looking at a replica from photos, people usually focus on:

Shape → Stitching → Colors → Details

But with a shoe like this, the material itself can make a huge difference. Even if the overall shape is accurate, incorrect leather texture can immediately make the shoe look different from retail. If the grain, depth or surface finish is wrong, the difference becomes especially noticeable under different lighting.

⸻

Current Development Reference 📸

The pair shown in the photos is the retail reference pair currently being used by SF during development. Once the new leather arrives and the next sample is completed, I’ll take a closer look at:

- Material texture
- Color Panel shape
- Overall finish
- Texture under different lighting

I’ll also compare the new sample directly against the retail pair.

⸻

Final Thoughts 📋

For this project, I think the leather choice will be one of the biggest factors determining how close the final product can get to retail. The shape and construction are obviously important, but on this specific Air Force 1, getting the upper material right is a major part of making the shoe look correct. I’ll post another update once the new leather arrives and the next sample is finished.

got these recently thought i'd post some pics since i haven't seen much about this batch

stitching looks clean on mine and i haven't noticed any glue marks or loose threads so far leather looks pretty nice in hand too

not an expert on these so lmk what you guys think

w2c https://shop1857909246.v.weidian.com/item.html?itemID=7754318201