Stadium Guides: Evolution of the adidas Yeezy 350
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By Stadium Goods |Stadium Guides: Evolution of the adidas Yeezy 350
Learn the evolution and landmarks of the Yeezy 350's design details.
Matt DeSciora
Learn the evolution and landmarks of the Yeezy 350's design details.
Being a fan and consumer of Kanye West’s work can be frustrating and rewarding. On some occasions, both at the same time.
If you’re into his music, his album delays are a byproduct of his perfectionist mentality. If you're a collector of his adidas sneakers, his restless creative spirit and his need to tinker with the most minute of details has led to multiple variations of the collection’s most popular model: the Yeezy Boost 350.
Since bursting onto the scene in 2015, the Yeezy Boost 350 has undergone several design changes. Some have been minor, some have been major—all have helped progress the supremely comfortable low-top to new heights of sneaker popularity.
Keeping track of every update, subtle or sizable, isn’t the easiest task, but that’s where we come into the picture.
In honor of the new Yeezy Boost 350 V2 “Mono Pack” we’re taking a look back at the evolution of the 350 by covering every one of the model’s milestones, from its debut “Turtledove” colorway to the first regional exclusive release(s), and more.
This is the evolution of the adidas Yeezy Boost 350.
adidas Yeezy Boost 350 “Turtledove”
First adidas Yeezy Boost 350
Released: June 27, 2015
Debuting roughly a year after ‘Ye jumped ship from Nike to adidas, the Yeezy Boost 350 “Turtledove” was the 350’s launch colorway and the shoe that effectively introduced West’s partnership with adidas to the masses. Beyond that, the “Turtledove’s” one-piece, black-and-grey woven Primeknit upper and Boost cushioned midsole made sock-like sneakers the hottest trend in footwear in the middle of the 2010s. If the Nike Roshe Run cracked open the door to sock sneakers in 2012 and 2013, the Yeezy Boost 350 kicked it down and jumped on it until it was reduced to shards.
adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 “Beluga”
First V2, First adidas Yeezy with branding, First Yeezy 350 without heel tab
Released: September 24, 2016
The adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 “Beluga” was a game changer. Not only was it the first-ever 350 V2 colorway, it was also the first adidas Yeezy shoe to feature branding (the adidas Yeezy Boost 750 and original Yeezy Boost 350 did not display so much as a single adidas logo.) But wait, there’s more to the “Beluga.” It was the first 350 V2 without a heel tab, an off-and-on design trait of the 350 V2.
adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 “Bred”
First to reverse the “SPLY” branding
Released: February 11, 2017
One of the most popular adidas Yeezy Boost 350s, the 350 V2 “Bred” was the first design in the collection to reverse the “SPLY-350” branding found on the lateral side when it originally dropped on Black Friday in 2017.
adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 “Triple White”
1 Million Pairs released
Released: September 21, 2018
On September 21, 2018, Kanye delivered on perhaps the boldest promise he’d ever made: Everyone who wanted Yeezys would eventually be able to get their hands on a pair. That day, adidas re-released a rumored 1,000,000 pairs of the Yeezy Boost 350 V2 “Triple White” globally. The release is believed to have been the largest for any Yeezy shoe.
adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 “Static”
First with translucent side stripes and new Primeknit weave, First with reflective variant
Released: December 27, 2018
The Yeezy Boost 350 V2 “Static” is a shoe of “firsts” as it pertains to the adidas Yeezy collection. It was the first to feature clear monofilament side stripes, which would then become standard on most 350 V2s thereafter. It was also the first 350 V2 to be released in a reflective alternate version.
adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 “Clay,” “Hyperspace,” and True Form”
First regionally released 350s
Released: March 30, 2019
Adidas switched up its Yeezy Boost 350 V2 release cycle in March 2019, dropping three regional-exclusive colorways, the “Clay,” “Hyperspace” and “True Form” in North America; Asia, the Middle East and Africa; and Europe and Russia, respectively. This marked the first time adidas had created country-specific Yeezy 350s.
adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 “Glow in the Dark”
First glow-in-the-dark adidas Yeezy
Released: May 25, 2019
If you’ll recall, glow-in-the-dark detailing was a core design component of Kanye’s former signature line with Nike. The semi-translucent rubber outsoles of both the Air Yeezy 1 and 2 were treated to the attention-grabbing accenting and, in May 2019, the Yeezy Boost 350 V2 “Glow in the Dark” became the first adidas Yeezy to don the look.
adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 “Mono Pack”
First with translucent mesh upper
Released: June 21, 2021
As mentioned in the introduction, the adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 “Mono Pack” is a completely new vibe for the popular lifestyle shoe. The collection’s “Mono Ice,” “Mono Clay,” “Mono Mist,” and “Mono Cinder” uppers are constructed from a one-piece translucent mesh material—a deviation from the woven Primeknit design of every 350 that came before it.
Watch our Stadium Guides episode on the evolution of the Yeezy 350 below.