Fake Off-White Air More Uptempos Go Viral: Should Nike Listen Up?

The Three Stripes have been slashing up Nike's bottom line this year with financiers estimating the brand has snatched a whopping 44 per cent of the Swoosh's hold on the sneaker market. Nike's saving grace this year has surely been Virgil Abloh's near-impossible-to-cop 'The Ten' collection.

It's already been confirmed that Nike and Off-White's collaboration will roll into 2018. And while we're unsure what the colab will bring, the internet has revealed exactly what the people want. Back in October, relatively unknown sneaker mock-up artist The Golden Shape shared some pics of what an Off-White x Nike Air More Uptempo might look like.

The mock-up's recently gone viral: you've likely seen it splashed all over Instagram and sneaker blogs. In fact, the demand for the shoe's been so high that a savvy factory in China took matters into their own hands and began selling physical pairs of the coveted counterfeits.

As the swarm of 'where can I buy these?' and 'must cop!' comments continue to flood these mock-up Uptempos, we have to wonder what Nike's next move will be. Will they turn a blind eye to the evidently massive consumer demand for an Off-White iteration of the Pippen classic? Or will this be the first time we see a sneaker brand add an IG mock-up to their release catalogue?

All the Swoosh have to do is rip off that Yeezy strap at the back and the cash will start rolling in. It's your move, Nike...