The First Colorway of Every adidas Yeezy
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By Stadium Goods |The First Colorway of Every adidas Yeezy
Cataloging the original look for every Yeezy sneaker. Because no one's memory is that good.
Matt DeSciora
In 2014, Kanye West promised adidas Yeezy sneakers would be available to anyone who wanted a pair. Through the first eight years of his partnership with adidas, he stayed true to his word by releasing an almost dizzying array of colorways… for the Yeezy Boost 350 V2 alone! Seriously, though. Have you ever stopped to think about how many 350 V2 releases there are? I tried counting them all myself one day and gave up. It was too much to bear.
All jokes aside, there are a lot of Yeezy sneakers. We’ve highlighted many of them at one point or another on social media and our Journal, but have never really given specific props to all the original colorways that play a vital role in the popularity of their respective silhouette. Until now.
What you’re about to read is a comprehensive list of the first colorway of every Yeezy sneaker that’s ever been released by adidas. In compiling this list, we are showing some love to the trailblazing colorways that have contributed to the success of Kanye’s signature shoe line. Because after all, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression, right?
These are the first colorways of every adidas Yeezy.
adidas Yeezy Boost 750 “Light Brown”
SKU: B35309
Release date: February 14, 2015
The original adidas Yeezy shoe is the Yeezy Boost 750 “Light Brown,” which was released on February 14, 2015. For whatever reason, the 750 was rolled out in only a few colorways, and in limited quantities, no less. Looking back, it seemed like only close friends and family of Kanye’s, including, memorably, Drake, were intended to wear the 750.
adidas Yeezy Boost 350 “Turtle Dove”
SKU: AQ4832
Release date: June 27, 2015
The Yeezy Boost 750 may have been ‘Ye’s first official shoe with adidas, but the Yeezy Boost 350 “Turtle Dove” is the model that effectively introduced the rapper’s collaboration with the German footwear brand to the masses. Released in slightly more quantities than the 750, the 350 “Turtle Dove” popularized the sock-like sneaker movement in the mid-to-late 2010s.
adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 “Beluga”
SKU: BB1826
Release date: September 24, 2016
The hype for the adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 “Beluga” was so great that it rivaled that of anything ‘Ye has ever released musically, and that’s no hyperbole. The “Beluga” introduced a slightly modified silhouette and sole compared to its predecessor, which eventually became somewhat of the standard design for many 350 V2s in the months and years after its release.
adidas Yeezy Boost 700 “Wave Runner”
SKU: B75571
Release date: November 1, 2017
Not only did the Yeezy Boost 700 “Wave Runner” look different from the first three adidas Yeezy silhouettes, it didn’t really look like anything on the sneaker market in 2017. There were some mixed feelings about the “Wave Runner’s” retro-meets-modern look, including its chunky sole and colorful accenting, but it’s safe to say people eventually came around to its vibe. After all, the shoe single handedly ushered in the “dad shoe” movement.
adidas Yeezy Boost 500 “Blush”
SKU: DB2908
Release date: February 19, 2018
A welcoming blend of old performance components and new design aesthetics helped make the adidas Yeezy 500 “Blush” a must-have in early 2018. The shoe’s Feet You Wear sole, derived from Kobe Bryant’s third signature basketball shoes with adidas, is a testament to the chunky footwear movement’s staying power in a post “Wave Runner” sneaker culture.
adidas Yeezy Boost 700 V2 “Static”
SKU: EF2829
Release date: December 29, 2018
With the adidas Yeezy Boost 700 V2 “Static” brought a slightly modified, more streamlined look for the retro “dad shoe.” The “Static” features the same sole unit as the “Wave Runner,” but introduces a new seamless, weave-shaped Three Stripes branding element to the sides.
adidas Yeezy Boost 380 “Alien”
SKU: FV3260
Release date: November 15, 2019
The adidas Yeezy Boost 380 “Alien” is the original colorway of the mid-top silhouette that draws design inspiration from the 350 V2. Once thought to be the 350 V3, the model was renamed the 380, and given a new digi-camo-like woven Primeknit upper that looks drastically different from the 350 V2
adidas Yeezy Slide “Desert Sand”
SKU: FW6344
Release date: December 6, 2019
By 2019, it seemed like all that was missing in the adidas Yeezy collection was a slip-on sandal for post-activity wear. The adidas Yeezy Slide “Desert Sand,” released in December 2019, filled the void, and effectively started the sandals-with-socks look that’s been dominating sneaker culture ever since.
SKU: FW4968
Release date: December 14, 2019
The adidas Yeezy 500 High “Slate” is the launch colorway of the high-top version of the Yeezy 500. Like the original 500, the high-top variant is complete with the same Feet You Wear rubber sole, but introduces puffy neoprene on the upper in place of mesh.
SKU: FW4980
Release date: December 23, 2019
As you can see, adidas introduced several new Yeezy silhouettes in the signature collection in 2018 and 2019, and closed out 2019 with the Yeezy 700 V3 “Azael.” The shoe is noted for its mixture of performance and lifestyle design elements, and for its lack of Boost cushioning, a component of the Yeezy Boost 700 and 700 V2. Even without the popular technology, the 700 V3 is still among the most comfortable Yeezy models.
adidas Yeezy Boost 700 MNVN “Triple Black”
SKU: FV4440
Release date: February 9, 2020
No one is quite sure what the “MNVN” in the adidas Yeezy Boost 700 MNVN stands for, but it’s never negatively impacted the shoe’s popularity. Introduced in February 2020, the 700 MNVN debuted in “Triple Black” and is a progressive for the “dad shoe” in that it features no sewn overlays, a first for the 700 series.
SKU: Q46473
Release date: February 16, 2020
It’s hard to believe looking back, but the adidas Yeezy collection hadn’t actually featured a true performance shoe before the Yeezy QNTM “Quantum” was released in February 2020. The Yeezy 500 had the Feet You Wear sole, but the QNTM (or Quantum) was the line’s first breakthrough in the performance category with its extended, padded ankle collar, reinforced overlays, and Boost cushioning.
adidas Yeezy Foam Runner “Ararat”
SKU: G55486
Release date: June 26, 2020
To say that the release of the adidas Yeezy Foam Runner “Ararat” in June 2020 continued Kanye West’s exploration of slip-on-style shoes would be an understatement. Designed in Atlanta, the Foam Runner looked completely different from anything ‘Ye had ever designed before, and for good reason—its one-piece, lightweight EVA foam and harvested algae body features plenty of negative spaces that allow for maximum airflow.
adidas Yeezy 450 “Cloud White”
SKU: H68038
Release date: March 8, 2021
What’s a surefire way to create hype for an adidas Yeezy? Let Kanye wear the shoe in public for months—years, even—before releasing it at retail. The strategy worked wonderfully with the adidas Yeezy 450 “Cloud White,” a sock-like number that ‘Ye wore on and off from as far back as 2018 before it debuted in March 2021.
adidas Yeezy Knit Runner “Sulfur”
SKU: GW5353
Release date: September 23, 2021
Kanye’s fascination with cozy, slip-on shoes continued in September 2021 with the adidas Yeezy Knit Runner “Sulfur.” It’s starting to sound cliché, but the Knit Runner really did look unlike anything offered in sneakers when it dropped with its laceless, knitted body that sits atop a thin rubber outsole.
adidas Yeezy Knit Basketball “Slate Blue”
SKU: GV8294
Release date: December 18, 2021
The second-ever performance adidas Yeezy shoe (well, third, if you count the unreleased sample adidas Yeezy 350 V2 Cleat that was made for NFL player DeAndre Hopkins a few years ago), the Yeezy Knit Basketball “Slate Blue” expands on the performance principles of the Yeezy Quantum with an ultra high-top knit collar derived from the adidas N3XT L3V3L.