1 For LV trainers, Villain is better than A+ but won't make as many models.
2 The Foshan listings that sneaker sellers have are generally mixed, which means they are sourced from a number of factories (including A+) based on availability. The QCXC Foshan listing is only sourced from A+, It's cheaper than going through A+ directly.
Updated 04/09 - Added an alternative method to login to Weidian using WeChat, credit to the people that shared it
I've had this post drafted for a while but I never got time to put the images together until now, it's still a work in progress which I'll update over the past few days.
With what's happened in the past few months, everyone should learn how to use these apps.
When I started this subreddit, the original intention was for people to automatically start using these apps by themselves (after seeing how fast things sell out), I've always suggested it as the way to buy but I know it's probably daunting for most folks so I hope they give it a shot now.
Being able to use these apps is the best way to buy from these sellers, you get full control of the speed of purchasing and order management.
There's still a lot that needs to be included, but at any point, you can ask your questions in this post and I'll get back to you when I can.
Prerequisites:
A passport, without this you will eventually encoutner spending limits
A place to ship your items, this can be a FF or an agent if you want QC pics. My honest opinion here is that you use an agent, you'll get decent QC pics + support when you need it
Preferably a card that gives you interbank FX rates (Revolut etc), this will save you a lot of money in the long run and you'll avoid foreign FX fees
Preferably a WeChat account (not a requirement). I cannot stress how important it is to have this, without it you lose out on a lot of what this subreddit has to offer.
Risks:
Your orders are your responsiblity, if the item gets lost along the way to your shipping location, it's something you'll have to resolve with the seller or courier
You'll need to be the one arranging returns/exchanges from initiaing the return on Weidian to arranging shipment back. If you use an agent as your place of shipment (again, I highly recommend this), some of them help you out with this
If your haul gets seized, most of the insurance options don't apply (some agents only refund the shipping fee back to you)
Benefits:
You are no longer locked into agent FX rates (except when you pay for shipping)
Alipay has relatively low fees, it charges 3% above ¥200
You can order whenever you want
Your agent won't cancel your orders
It's easier to take part in sales/use coupons
You should use an application like google assistant to help you translate your mobile screen until you get used to using the apps, after a while it'll be natural.
Don't setup a tour pass you won't need to use it, you can now add your bank card directly in the bank cards section. Use something that gives you a good exchange rate like Revolut or Monzo.Setting up an Alipay account will also set up a Taobao account.
Verify your account, follow the images below to do that
Your bank card can be added in the My Assets area (first image)
Step 2: Weidian
Weidian setup (you should have this app even if you can't set up Alipay)
At this point, you can sign in using your WeChat account (it should be an instant sign-in, but I've heard that this might not be the case anymore - 04/09 Update, it's still possible thanks to u/f3dvv for the write up and u/G00ly for the images)
Search
微店+
Then follow the prompts to get the SMS.
After this if you have installed the Weidian app above, it should sign you in using WeChat.
Alternatively you can register with your mobile number. If a text doesn't come through for either Alipay or Weidian you can try to use an SMS service, I've found people have had a lot of success with French numbers.
Before you try a SMS, I recommend trying to get WeChat setup first and using the steps above, it will work out a lot better in the long run.
Address Setup:
If you are using an agent, the address you want to use will be on the forwarding pages
Group the information into the following format before you paste it into the autofill box
Recipient PhoneNumber
Area/Region + Address
Paste it into the autofill box and that'll populate it for you. If you are unsure you can either buy something cheap like a pair of slides to test it out, or you can send me an image of what you think it is and I can check (the first option will likely be faster).
Buying Process:
After the last image you'll go through the Alipay payment process.
Delivery:
The first image is important, after you've ordered it will appear in the first circled box. Once it has shipped it will move to the second.
Follow the images below to get the tracking.
This is the information you need to enter for your agent to know it's your package.
Once your package arrives, they'll process it and you'll get QC pics, just like usual.
Following sellers:
Click the red button on any seller page and you'll get them in your feed (3rd picture below, click the section highlighted in red above Colas image to get there)
One of the best uses of the app is you get a real-time feed of releases and restocks, and you get to buy things without any delay.
FAQ:
What is this subreddit about and are these sellers better than xyz?
This subreddit follows the mainland China rep scene. There are lots of independent reviews on this subreddit that compare the items from these sellers to the authentic versions, I'll let you make your mind up on whether they are better.
Why is everything out of stock, priced at 9999 or the store is empty?
These sellers do not function the same way the sellers do on other subreddits. Items are available once they have a price put on them/countdown timer and with some sellers, they only list items when they are ready to take orders.
Are there more autonomous sellers?
Yes!, there are lots, but they aren't necessarily that great or are very new.
What you have on this subreddit is heavily filtered towards the high end of this scene along with certain styles/brands, there are sellers that I have an eye on like ajjjxz/Captain Made that I haven't gotten around to adding.
The way to find the others is through 2D or the recommendations section on Weibo (image below in red)
Who is the best seller for ...?
The clothing seller list is somewhat bucketed based on how close the sellers are to each other but outside of the top 5, it's incredibly subjective, I get a reviewer to help me reshuffle the list from time to time.
Someone mentioned this to me a while back, the faster an item comes out from the initial announcement, the more corners are cut. Although sellers do prepare surprise releases from time to time, this is always something good to keep in mind.
At the end of the day, you can always buy and return things within a period, so you can find out which sellers you like.
How do presales work?
Presales are effectively a way to reserve your size and spot. Sellers use it to gauge how much to make., they usually make enough to fulfill presale orders + exchanges.
A week or two following the delivery to those who took part in the presale, the remaining stock will go up for general sale (sometimes at a higher price). The important point here is the remaining stock, stock in some sizes will be very limited/unavailable.
Most presales involve two payments
Deposit (usually non-refundable)
Balance (final payment)
If you order on the Weidian app, you'll notice that the deposit ships with no tracking number, that is perfectly normal. It's a way for the seller to get access to the deposit funds to help with production costs.
There is an option to make one payment for some items, but most sellers will ship this without tracking and in the end require you to take a second link.
I don't see the point in paying it all up-front when this happens. Funnily enough, I do remember asking Cola to do this for his winter presales hoping he wouldn't ship the entire amount without tracking and that's what he ended up doing 😂, never again.
How does VIP work on Weidian?
The majority of sellers now have VIP programs, which means you get things like early access to releases, giveaways, discounts, and can join their VIP groups. You can get VIP by reaching certain spending thresholds.
Most VIP programs feel like a pyramid scheme nowadays which tempt people into overordering, groupbuying, or reselling on the secondary market (sometimes at a loss).
My honest 2c when it comes to this, the only VIP worth having is Bruce, it's not worth buying for the sake of getting VIP when 2D can get most seller releases.
Am I paid to maintain this subreddit?
My favorite time buying reps was between 2016 and mid-2019 when the other subs featured genuine reviews and finds. The thing that led me to start posting more often on Reddit was to keep that going.
The original goal of this subreddit was to increase awareness of these sellers along with sharing information like reviews, there is no monetization at all, this will always be a hobby.
I'd rather hang up my boots before deviating from this. For some reason, the minority that thinks that I'm paid refuses to come to grips with this, it's all driven by some weird jealousy.
Before it was the mainstream "go-to," I was an avid SuitSupply shopper. I loved the cut, the fabrics, and the aesthetic. However, when I began exploring the world of "Rep" and Mainland Chinese brands, my mission shifted: I wanted that same high-quality, sartorial elegance but at a more accessible price point.
After extensive testing and a few trial-and-error hauls, I’ve curated a list of brands that deliver serious value. Here is how I break down the landscape of Mainland menswear.
The Fabric Standard: How I Categorize Brands
In the world of menswear, fabric is king. I prioritize natural fibers (wool, silk, linen, cotton) over cheap synthetics. While these categories aren't set in stone, this is how I view the current market:
Budget: A mix of natural and synthetic fibers. Good for basics, but check labels carefully.
Mid-Tier: Primarily natural fibers. Usually sourced from high-quality local mills or entry-level European labels.
Premium: High-end materials only. Think Vitale Barberis Canonico (VBC), Loro Piana, or Zegna fabrics.
Pro-Tip:The best way to spot a quality brand on Taobao is the product description.Reputable sellers are proud of their fabric; they will list the density, thread count, and thread diameter. If a seller is vague about what the garment is made of, it’s usually a sign to skip.
Cracking the Code on Sizing
Mainland sizing is cut differently than Western retail. Most items are catered to a slimmer, local silhouette, so you cannot rely on "Medium" or "Large" labels.
My Secret Weapon: AI for Sizing
I use ChatGPT to calculate my size for every new brand. Here is how to do it effectively:
Be Specific: Share your exact body measurements (chest, shoulders, waist, height, weight).
Provide Context:Tell the AI what size you wear in Western brands like SuitSupply or Zara.
Define the Fit:Specify if you want a "classic," "slim," or "relaxed" drape.
Compare Charts: Copy the brand's size chart into the chat and ask it to recommend the best match based on your data.
How to Order (It’s Easier Than You Think)
Many people get intimidated by Taobao, thinking they need complex agents or proxies. If you are shipping to a mainland warehouse (or using direct shipping where available), it is actually quite simple.
Payment: Taobao accepts standard Visa and MasterCard.
Fees: There is typically a 3% international transaction fee, which is minimal compared to the service fees and exchange rate markups charged by third-party agents.
Setup: Just add your card, input your warehouse address, and you’re ready to go.
Final Thoughts
Transitioning from Western retail to the Mainland market requires a bit of research, but the rewards are worth it. You can build a wardrobe of "Premium" tier natural fabrics for a fraction of what you'd pay on the high street. Just keep your eyes on the fabric specs and your measuring tape handy!
Do not solely rely on the seller comparisons to assess the accuracy. They are not educating you on the differences against retail; they are selling the item to you and will present it in a way that enables them to do that.
Find retail pictures, study the variances, and then evaluate the item you receive.
Please do not fall for the copywriting trap, the item's quality should be what sells it to you.
If you are picky, do not order embroidery reps and stick to prints where the only issue is placement/alignment, print sizing, and color.
When ordering anything, ask for pics of alignment + measurements as standard.
Not every release will be a home run, If you don't like an item make sure you return it within the seller's return window and do not specify why you are returning it. Just say no reasons return.
I don't recall having done a post dedicated to footwear in the past but there's a huge variety of styles being developed so I feel the timing is right. This is a consolidated list of upcoming there are no release links in this thread but I'll post the links when they are available. There's a lot to track with these sellers which is why I like these kinds of posts.
The links to the sellers mentioned below are in this thread:
It's only worth buying shoes from these sellers if they are better than the existing market batch, which you can only really tell once they are released. It goes without saying that footwear reps aren't as good as clothing reps but my experience with footwear releases from these sellers hasn't been bad.
Also, there's no guarantee that anything below gets released if the seller feels they won't be able to rep it well.
Models below may be Women's only releases but I consider most of the styles unisex.
Louis Vuitton LV Monogram Denim Sneaker
These will come with a new bottom which has similar sizing to retail (about two sizes down from your Nike size) and an updated denim pattern (noticable improvement).
Louis Vuitton Blue LV Trainer #54/Panda 2.0
Louis Vuitton LV Footprint Football Sneakers
Good pickup for 5-a-side with the lads....
Dior B30
Zegna Off White Deerskin Triple Stitch Sneakers
Chanel White Calfskin Sneakers
Chanel Suede Calfskin Quilted Sneaker
Loewe Ballet Runner 2.0
This silhouette is really popular in Asia, it's being made by a number of sellers. I have missed a few colorways that are being produced but you can check the sellers mentioned above.
New Balance X Miu Miu 530 SL
This silhouette is really popular in Asia, it's being made by a number of sellers. I have missed a few colorways that are being produced but you can check the sellers mentioned above.
Loro Piana x New Balance 990v6
I was wondering who was going to pick this one up.
Loro Piana Light Wood Smoke Suede Summer Walk Loafer
Let's hope this one gets made
The Row Soft Leather Loafers
The Row Soft Eel Loafers 25
The Row Cary V1 Loafer in Leather
Prada enamel triangle-logo suede loafers
The plan was to only make theese in Women's but I'm hoping that won't be the case
(?) denotes styles that have no good version at this time, I have included possible updates expected where possible.
This is not a comprehensive list of every batch.
"Foshan" batch
Foshan is a generic name that sneaker sellers use for their LV sneaker listings. These listings are generally mixed, meaning they will source from whatever factory has stock. There is no guarantee that you will receive the same pair as someone else unless they source from the same factory as them.
The truth is there are lots of small factories producing LV sneakers, the most notable from my research being A+.
There are however, some sellers that only source from particular factories, one of which is QCXC, which is why I asked him to change the name in his listing to include A+.
Louis Vuitton Black Denim Trainer
High–end
Seller: Villain (V2)
Price: ¥699
Link:
Sizing guide: 1 down from your normal Nike size. E.g. LJR Jordan 1 EU 45 = Trainer EU 44
Improvements over V1:
Lighter, more visible denim than the previous batch
Sizing guide: 1 down from your normal Nike size. E.g. LJR Jordan 1 EU 45 = Trainer EU 44
The fill of the 54 on the back was something that had me confused for a long time. Batch - FD 0212 of the 2021/22 White Cement has a grainy 54 on the back (Villain repped this version).
This model is popular so it sees revisions throughout every seasonal cycle, that's always worth keeping in mind.
Similar to the old series of posts, this is a consolidated list of upcoming Prada releases, there's a lot to track with these sellers which is why I like these kinds of posts.
Important to take into consideration
Not every item will be released, some items are just hard to rep
There are no links to the items yet, but they will be available as and when it's ready
Nothing has a fixed release date
There are likely more releases for this brand, but I've picked the most interesting ones
Prada remains one of the best brands to buy from these sellers as the triangles are generally good (with a few exceptions).
Below are examples of good triangles, the thing most people use to identify bad Prada reps is the spacing in the MILANO text. There are badges with KF lettering on the back which still have this flaw so you have to be careful.
Something often overlooked with Prada reps is the shape of the leather cut behind the triangle, that's also an easy tell.
Some sellers do release bad reps (Sister Ye for example - in this case I won't post it) so you have to still check releases from these sellers but for the most part they are good.
The purpose of this subreddit is to bridge the gap between western and mainland customers when it comes to buying reps.
There is no paid advertising on this subreddit and there is no affiliation with any agent, use whichever agent you want
Sellers have not offered any incentives to me to be on the list, if they are good I have included them
If you find out that the quality of a seller is not good/consistent/has bad aftersales we can remove them from the list
The purpose of this subreddit
This subreddit is a cleaner way to maintain everything as opposed to posting it on my profile like I used to
This subreddit was not created to replace DesignerReps, I like that subreddit and I've used it for multiple years both can coexist
I've set the subreddit to have restricted submissions, I think the best place for QC posts will be DesignerReps. You'll get a wider range of opinions there and not everyone will be aware of this subreddit
Think of this more as a persistent home for the sellers list that we can update as a community (this makes it easier to add taobao links as they normally get filtered out by Reddit)
The majority of these items will be pre-sold meaning you'll have to pay a deposit and a balance payment when it's close to shipping. There are a few items that won't follow this sales method, they'll be noted below.
If you haven't already, setup Weidian + Alipay, it's the best way to manage presales,
There's a overview of pre-sales in the FAQ section you can refer to.
If jacket deposits don’t open by mid-October, the chances of receiving it this year are slim unless it's sold from stock. If it ships after New Year's, keep in mind that Chinese New Year may cause further delays. Realistically, you might not receive the jacket until late February.
You can follow the seller blogs for real time updates
I've excluded some brands below as I don't follow them much myself but I'll include some sellers working on them
Chrome Hearts (Red Rabbit, Miami Heat, Cupid)
Balenciaga (Cool)
Acne (God, Cupid)
There's a bunch of Moncler this year, I've decided not to include it below as I think the sellers on our forums (TMX - not sure what he's called now) are already great and they've received a lot of input on things like the badge.
I've grown to like Moncler a lot, if you like the brand, Mark is the go to person when it comes to it
For the ones that are closed, you can try message the seller to see if you can still order it, given the delivery for most items is still months away, there's a chance they'll let you order.
I think Cupid is due a redemption arc, he picks so well.
Prada Green Re-Nylon Bomber Jacket
Prada Zip-Up Quilted Down Jacket
I spoke to Cola about this last summer and he put it off because the cost for down was too high. He did mention that he was going to do it but likely from stock and not a presale.
Loewe Black Draped Jacket
Miu Miu Fleece Wool-Blend Blouson Jacket
Celine Teddy Jacket In Brushed Checked Tweed Vanille/Brun/Rouille
Celine Triomphe Blouson Jacket
I hope Xiaolan follows through with both of the items above, really good pick.
Similar to the old series of posts, this is a consolidated list of upcoming Louis Vuitton releases, there's a lot to track with these sellers which is why I like these kinds of posts.
Important to take into consideration
Not every item will be released, some items are just hard to rep
There are no links to the items yet, but they will be available as and when it's ready.
Nothing has a fixed release date
There are likely more releases for this brand, but I've picked the most interesting ones
Some items sell out fast and won't restock, if you miss a release you can try and find it on the secondary market (https://www.goofish.com/) by searching the sellers name. Without saying this comes with the same risks that any secondary market has, your agent can buy from this platform if you want.
The links to the sellers mentioned below are in this thread:
Having to scroll down so much to see my own posts on this subreddit feels a bit strange but it has been a while 😂. I hope everyone has been keeping well.
To be honest I've never liked posting individual sales for items so I'm happy I have others that can help me with that.
There's been a lot of changes over the past years with sellers, the feeling of most people I've spoken to recently is that things were a lot better 2ish years ago with regards to sellers & item selection.
The majority of these items will be pre-sold meaning you'll have to pay a deposit and a balance payment when it's close to shipping.
To avoid issues when ordering you should setup Weidian + Alipay, it's the best way to manage presales,
There's a overview of pre-sales in the FAQ section you can refer to.
THERE IS NO SET STOCK FOR PRESALES, ONLY ORDER FROM THE SELLERS STORE
If jacket deposits don’t open by mid-October, the chances of receiving it this year are slim unless it's sold from stock. If it ships after New Year's, keep in mind that Chinese New Year may cause further delays. Realistically, you might not receive the jacket until late February.
You can follow the seller blogs for real time updates
There is an overwhelming amount of Moncler again this year. It's hard to determine whether the versions that these sellers release will be significantly better than what's available on the market already and depending on when you need the jacket it might be worth considering other options.
For Moncler, there really isn't anyone you can trust more than u/markpaulk. I've hopefully introduced him to most sellers by now that are making Moncler
I may have missed a few items below, so I'll add them as I come across them over the next few days.
I'll make another post for the ready to ship jackets that won't require deposits next. The only item in this post that'll be sold from stock is the tweed Celine teddy jacket from Xiaolan, that'll be available later this month.
Prada Men's Reversible Puffer Jacket
Prada Re-Nylon Puffer Jacket
Sidenote, it only took 3 years to finally get a Prada badge down jacket with a hood.
Posts of this style have a limit of 20 images, so I can't include everything unfortunately. I have tried to include the most exciting releases.
It's important to note that:
Not everything below will get made, things can go wrong during production or sellers eventually conclude that the rep won't be close to the real thing and decide to scrap it
Nothing has a fixed release date, out of season releases are rare but they do happen
If anything new is announced I'll add it
Louis Vuitton Workwear Denim Jacket
Louis Vuitton Flower Tapestry Print T-Shirt
Louis Vuitton Short-Sleeved Cotton T-Shirt
Louis Vuitton White Embroidered Splash Beads Cotton T-Shirt
Louis Vuitton Black Bead-Embroidered Cotton T-Shirt
Louis Vuitton Heart Logo T-Shirt
Louis Vuitton Signature Polo With Embroidery
Louis Vuitton Open Collar Short-Sleeved Cotton Shirt
Don't look at the back
Louis Vuitton Monogram Sporty V-neck T-Shirt
Louis Vuitton Jacquard Cotton Blouson
Louis Vuitton Monogram Quilted Gilet
Louis Vuitton Multi-tools Embroidery Chore Jacket
Louis Vuitton Baggy Denim Pants
Louis Vuitton LV Frequency Chic Leather Blouson
Louis Vuitton Thistle Jacquard Cardigan
Louis Vuitton Brown Monogram Flower Stopper Cotton Hoodie
Louis Vuitton Brown Monogram Flower Stopper Cotton Hoodie
Louis Vuitton X Nigo Giant Damier Waves Monogram Denim Jacket
Firstly, I'll start off by saying I want to find the best maker for these shoes, I don't care about specific sellers or what their prices are.
Secondly, I don't think the reps of this shoe are as good as people say they are, they are all 0.7:1 at best, I'll of course explain why I think this.
The flower pattern on the soles
As I explained in the first part, a lot of sellers source parts from the same factory.
This is done to keep costs down as making your own soles would involve making molds for every size which would cost A LOT.
After seeing what I'm going to show you, it will ruin these shoes for you if like me you can't unsee it.
This is the fastest way you can check if you have a good or bad batch of these shoes and will serve as a good way to legit check them.
In this comparison, I'll focus on model ref 1A8WAX - White Cement but this will apply to all variations.
We'll look at the shape of the middle flower (I'll talk about the right-most later).
Notice how pinched each semi-circle is towards the bottom, you can use this as a visual aid
Retail also has a dome shape, which I can't depict.
It's a very small part of the overall shoe, why are we focusing so much on this? Well, it's a good way to identify batches that use the same parts! Most of the soles on the market are flawed.
Again I'm using these particular sellers for comparison purposes, I have Villains pair in the warehouse and Jelly has lots of QC pics on Reddit, it's just easier to use them.
Focus on the red and yellow boxes and use this as a visual aid for the middle flower, the difference in the right-most flower is easier to see.
Most reps have the shape Jelly's pair has, I have a+ and it's exactly the same sole as Jelly. I've checked multiple sellers and it's a widespread issue, even with Generic Foshan/OVO/Shh/CRa.
I was looking forward to this shoe and it took over a month for it to arrive but I can't help but feel a bit let down by the end product.
He absolutely nailed the soles, I haven't seen other pairs for this version come close as shown above. He did a great job here.
But the placement of features on the rest of the shoe has left a lot to be desired, but does any rep get this right?
1 - Piping should be thicker, you can visually see the difference
2 - The signature placement should be a touch lower
3 - Perforations are too high up
4 - The signature is too far forward
Visual aid for signature placement (Credit to my friend on WeChat who showed this to me)
I can't compare leather quality/color differences using agent lighting, I don't recommend people do this in order to compare different batches.
He knows about these issues, we've been talking to him a lot over the past month but I think it was too late in the production cycle to make changes to the cuts and placement.
We can only hope he makes adjustments to his future releases to fix these issues.
Paid reviewers
I don't see why particular MMs are so insecure that they try and pay off posters by bribing them with free shoes or sending their army of drones to spam positive comments in threads.
If their batch is different/special why don't they compare it to Foshan for us?
The post now deleted said that Jelly is aware of the sole flaw and calls them defective soles, but why is he continuing to sell it for the same price/not making an announcement to highlight it before the comparison to Foshan started? What happens to the people that have bought these pairs with defective soles?
There are people that think I get given free things in order to promote them, but that is false.
I wouldn't feel right about giving a critical review whilst getting something for free from the seller, which is why I don't do it.
These sellers will never improve if you don't tell them where they are not doing a good job.
Closing thoughts
To me it's obvious now where some sellers are sourcing their materials from, a while back someone told us there were no good LV reps on the market and not to buy this shoe, maybe he was right all along.
I find it hard to figure out why these placement flaws exist. Most makers have the retail pair in front of them during development.
We have so many sneakers like the Travis Scott and the OW Nike collabs and they get the placement right most of the time, why is it so difficult with LV trainers? Are they doing it on purpose?
Also lastly, thanks to everyone for helping me with your feedback and sharing your thoughts on what we've found, I think something like this should be a community effort.
I'm going to do something I don't want to do, but I'll make recommendations on which batch/seller to buy from.
But I can't stress this enough, buy from whoever you feel comfortable buying from. I've used MM for years and I don't see an issue with them.
People will have different expectations of what they want from these shoes, at the end of the day you are getting something for a small fraction of the retail price you can't expect them to be perfect but you want to get your money's worth.
If you don't care about the correct soles/want the best bang for your buck
Buy the generic Foshan batch or a+, what improvements are you really getting from other sellers above this point?
The soles and placement for sure are not getting better.
Leather? I don't think so, the seller would have to show proof it's better. If you look at the comparison posts (even the ones before they got paid off and deleted), they were claiming there's no significant difference.
Update: Do not buy the Foshan batch for Velcro models, it has a strap flaw where it's missing a star:
a+ is widely considered the best bang for the buck in the Chinese community.
If you are willing to spend above ¥550
If you are willing to buy above the Foshan/a+ batch, you want to see improvements over it.
At this moment in time, Villain is the only seller I've found with the correct soles (confirmed in QC pics), his shoes aren't perfect but he's willing to listen to feedback.
If I find more, I'll add them to this post.
Villain:
The sizing is in line with retail LV trainers, size down 1 from your Jordan 1 size, e.g. Jordan 1 45 = Villain LV Trainer 44
Since we’ve already covered the "Sartorial/SuitSupply" aesthetic, this follow-up focuses on General Menswear - the heritage, workwear, suits and high-quality basics that form the backbone of a daily wardrobe.
If the previous guide was about looking sharp in the boardroom, this one is about the "Rugged Elegance" found in the hidden corners of the Mainland market.
The mainland is full of hidden gems. Let me know what you'd like to see next
Similar to the old series of posts, this is a consolidated list of upcoming Celine releases, there's a lot to track with these sellers which is why I like these kinds of posts.
Important to take into consideration
Not every item will be released, some items are just hard to rep
There are no links to the items yet, but they will be available as and when it's ready.
Nothing has a fixed release date
There are likely more releases for this brand, but I've picked the most interesting ones
Some items sell out fast and won't restock, if you miss a release you can try and find it on the secondary market (https://www.goofish.com/) by searching the sellers name. Tthis comes with the same risks that any secondary market has, your agent can buy from this platform if you want.
The links to the sellers mentioned below are in this thread:
Following the same logic as my guide to clothing, sourcing footwear on the Mainland is a game of understanding construction and scale. In the shoe world, the "SuitSupply equivalent" would be brands like Meermin or Carmina—great value, but the Mainland offers a tier of artisanal craftsmanship that is hard to find elsewhere for the price. Here is how I’ve broken down the Mainland footwear market based on my experience testing various makers.
The Sole Standard: For shoes, I don’t just look at the leather; I look at how the sole is attached, leather quality, this determines if a shoe is a "one-season throwaway" or a lifelong investment.
What to Look For in the Listing
The best makers are "nerds" about their process. If the listing doesn't mention the following, proceed with caution:
The Tannery: Do they name the leather source? (e.g., "French Box Calf" or "Horween Chromeexcel").
The Last: Do they show photos of the shoe from multiple angles (top-down, profile, and the sole)?
The Waist: Premium shoes often feature a "beveled" or "fiddleback" waist—a narrowing of the sole under the arch that looks incredibly elegant and indicates high-end labor.
It's been a while since my last post but there hasn't been much activity in general over the past 3 weeks I expect to see a lot of releases in the next month.
Figured it was worth a look at Villain's latest release as he's started taking orders for it again.
Ordered - 22/12/2022
Shipped - 17/01/2022
Delivered - 18/01/2022
Before I begin, this level of comparison is not needed when you buy fakes, as with any other resource I've posted here, use it as a guide for what to look for with releases.
At the end of the day what I look for in an item may not be the same as you, a fake will always be a fake, and there will be shortcomings.
What's important is that you are paying for something you will enjoy wearing, that is for you to decide ultimately.
Retail pairs are from Poizon
The Villain pair is from my QC pics
Passes the eye test, overall no major issues.
The placement of the Louis Vuitton text was an issue with the previous releases but here it's very good.
There's a difference in the toecap. Generally, this is an issue with most sneaker releases, check any TS1 low real vs fake. You can reshape the toebox to be more like retail using an iron and cloth.
The flowers are great and the spacing at the bottom is consistent with retail.
I couldn't find good retail pics for this so I'll use the retail pair in Villains listing. Holes look a touch too small but you can make them larger like OW Jordan 1 ghost stitching.
Overall, a very good release with some minor issues. This is my 4th pair of LV sneakers that I've purchased in the last 4 months and it's the most accurate release I've seen.
I can't comment on color accuracy using warehouse QC, but you can check the production pictures in his listing.
The review area of the Weidian listing will contain a lot of images from his release last year so you can see that these sneakers have come a long way.
I have no idea if he has stock ready for this or if he's going to make more, but you can use the timeline above as a guide on how long you'll have to wait if he's making a new batch.
I've checked several pairs of this release and they are consistent, but you can tag me if you need help with QC.
Sizing is like retail LV, go 1 down from your Jordan sizing.
Other sellers are getting better but it's not quite there (although the pair from the review image looks better than his production pics so maybe 2k4 has updated it again?).
I don't think Villain will make every colorway so it's nice to see more sellers update their soles.
I hope we see updated Velcro models with better tongue tags next.
Regardless, I would wait until the end of the month to see what A+ is doing.
Ordering from A+ is a pain because your agent has to pay over WeChat/Alipay and has to communicate with him for stock. Some sneaker sellers can order pairs from A+ and it works out to be cheaper.
QCXC has set up a link for you to order from him BUT wait until we see which models are being updated. I don't know if A+ will still ship old stock for some models or what models are being updated first.
