Beginner’s Guide to Yeezy Shoes

Yeezy is Kanye “Ye” West’s fashion and lifestyle brand that rose to global prominence with adidas in 2015. West’s relationship with the Three Stripes can be traced back to 2006, when the two worked on a Rod Laver Vintage sneaker. The shoe would never see the light of day, only surfacing to public knowledge after former adidas Originals Global Director Ben Pruess shared images on Instagram.

After collaborating with Nike on Air Yeezy sneakers from 2009 to 2013, West left the Swoosh to form a long-term partnership with adidas. The inaugural Yeezy Season 1 show in 2015 featured both footwear and apparel, including the 750, West’s first official adidas sneaker. Early cultural adopters included the likes of Kim Kardashian West, Pharrell Williams and Kendall Jenner, helping turn Yeezys into some of the most sought-after footwear in the world.

Live events, sneaker releases and apparel collections continued to follow, including silhouettes such as the 350, 350 V2 and Yeezy Slides. Despite selling out instantly upon release, West promised to get Yeezys into the hands of anyone who wanted them. Production was subsequently increased and Yeezys continued to grow in relevance.

Due to a flurry of outspoken comments from West, adidas terminated the partnership in 2022.

In May 2023, a de facto Yeezy Season 10 show was unveiled, titled YZY FREE. Featuring models with shaved heads, the collection centered upon skin-tight clothing and provided a closer look at the YZY PODS sock shoe. In February 2024, the YZY PODS debuted as part of a YZY launch, which also included a selection of clothing that drew heavily upon the VULTURES album artwork. This followed a lo-fi 30-second Super Bowl LVIII commercial from West shot on an iPhone advertising the line.

Yeezy Sneaker Collaborations

West has worked with numerous luxury and sportswear brands on sneaker silhouettes. Below, a guide to some of the most groundbreaking. 

adidas x Yeezy

Kanye West and adidas’ creative partnership has been pivotal in defining the aesthetics of 21st-century sneaker culture. Characterized by muted color palettes and technologies such as Boost and Primeknit, key silhouettes include the Yeezy Boost 350, Yeezy Boost 750, Yeezy Boost 700, Yeezy Boost 350 V2 and the Yeezy Slides. From 2016, West worked closely with sneaker legend Steven Smith on innovative and influential designs.

Nike x Yeezy

Nike joined forces with Kanye West in 2009. The end product was the Nike Air Yeezy 1, a high-top, futuristic silhouette with basketball influences that West famously wore on stage during his ‘Glow in the Dark’ tour. The collaboration continued through 2013, yielding additional colorways of the Air Yeezy 1 and the subsequent Air Yeezy 2.

Louis Vuitton x Yeezy

The self-styled “Louis Vuitton don,” West teamed up with the French luxury house during the tenures of Paul Helbers and Marc Jacobs. Comprising boat shoes named after vocalist Mr Hudson, mid-tops inspired by manager Don C and high-tops for personal barber Ibn Jasper, each silhouette was constructed with luxurious materials and fabrics. Today, the designs are symbolic of high-fashion’s gradual merger with streetwear.

Reebok x Yeezy

Although West and Reebok never worked together in an official capacity, the two parties did come into each other's orbit in the early 2000s. In an Instagram post, footwear designer Xavier Jones shared two Reebok samples from around 2004 that the pair worked on. The lifestyle designs feature a mix of nubuck and suede, with a restrained visual language far removed from the experimentalism that has become a hallmark of the adidas Yeezy line.

BAPE x Yeezy

West teamed up with friend Nigo of BAPE in 2007 for a College Dropout-inspired remix of the Bapesta. The silhouette featured West’s Dropout Bear mascot at the heel of the shoe, complete with a brown, beige and red color palette.

Most Popular Yeezy silhouettes

Yeezy Boost 350 (2015)

In June 2015, the Yeezy Boost 350 heralded an aesthetic departure as West’s first low-top style. Using Primeknit technology for the first time on a Yeezy silhouette, the lifestyle runner employed muted tones on a two-note upper, underpinned by a Boost midsole. A V2 version was eventually released, becoming the cornerstone of the Yeezy line.

Yeezy Boost 700 (2017)

The Yeezy Boost 700 signaled another sea change for the direction of adidas Yeezy designs. The silhouette was more bulbous in its construction than what had come previously, while maintaining the same Boost tooling. According to designer Steven Smith, the shoe “broke the rules of what Yeezy is,” with West comparing it to a new-age New Balance shoe.

Yeezy Slides (2018)

Introduced in 2018, Slides quickly became a fixture in the Yeezy product catalog. Since the silhouette’s debut, the minimalist footwear design has been optioned in numerous colorways, while materials have mostly been limited to EVA foam.

Yeezy Foam Runner (2020)

The Yeezy Foam Runner is one of the most provocative designs in the Yeezy footwear program, omitting laces for a slip-on style. The one-piece upper employs a sustainable foam derived from algae, with a porous construction aiding ventilation.

Popular Yeezy Colorways

Yeezy is associated with muted color palettes, but has evolved to include more animated tones. Below, a guide to some of the most notable.

Graphite

The blacked-out ‘Graphite’ colorway appeared on the Desert Boot from Yeezy Season 6, as well as the Fleece Slipper from Yeezy Season 7.

Onyx

The stealthy ‘Onyx’ palette is another exercise in restraint. The colorway has dressed the Yeezy Boost 350 V2, as well as the Foam Runner and Yeezy Slide.

Sand Taupe

The ‘Sand Taupe’ colorway, found on the Yeezy Boost 350 V2, was originally known as ‘Eliada’ before the name was changed.

Oil

The ‘Oil’ colorway appeared on the Desert Boot, mixing shades of dark brown and black.

Resin

A green-beige huge that first appeared on the Yeezy Slides, ‘Resin’ appeared again on the Yeezy 450.

Bone

‘Bone,’ effectively Yeezy’s version of white, is one of the line’s most versatile tones, appearing on the Yeezy Boost 350 V2 and Yeezy 500.

Sulfur

Landing between light brown and olive green, the ‘Sulfur’ colorway was a well-received addition to the Yeezy Boost 350 V2 line.

Yeezy Sneaker Technology

West experimented with various footwear technologies throughout his relationship with adidas, serving both a practical and aesthetic purpose. These include:

Primeknit

Most Yeezy sneakers are constructed with a Primeknit upper. The proprietary adidas fabric forgoes paneling in favor of a single, continuous woven piece that offers a sock-like fit while aiding ventilation.

Boost

West had been a longtime admirer of Boost tooling, having regularly worn the adidas Ultra Boost prior to the formation of Yeezy. The cushioning had been adapted to most Yeezy footwear until more recent models in the franchise opted for adiPrene and PU-encapsulated EVA midsoles.

EVA

EVA, short for ethylene vinyl acetate, is a foam that is usually injected into the midsole for better cushioning and comfort. The Foam Runner employs the foam to form the whole structure of the shoe, from the one-piece upper to the sole.

adiPrene

adiPrene is an elastic cushioning material that has appeared on notable adidas shoes such as the Ozweego. The updated adiPrene+ technology debuted on the Yeezy line via the Yeezy 500.

How to Style Yeezy Shoes 

Yeezys are versatile shoes that can be worn with jeans, hoodies, sweatpants and tees. They can also be paired with more elevated styles to bring a casual touch to formalwear. This also applies to the slides, which can be worn by the pool or on city streets.

Brands Similar to Yeezy Shoes

adidas shoes such as the Ultra Boost and NMD are constructed with the same Ultra Boost and Primeknit technology used on Yeezy silhouettes such as the 350. Other Three Stripe designs that feature visual similarities to the Yeezy aesthetic include the Ozweego, Oznova, Ozelia, Alphabounce, Tubular Shadow and Ozrah. 

Crocs, particularly Salehe Bembury’s ongoing affiliation, are from the same category of amphibious footwear as the Yeezy Foam Runner, while the adilette 22 Slides are rendered in the same earth-toned colorways as the Yeezy Slides.

Yeezy Shoes FAQs

Related Articles: Beginner's Guide to Yeezy Boost 350, Beginner's Guide to adidas Sneakers, Beginner's Guide to Nike Dunks, Beginner's Guide to New Balance, Beginner's Guide to adidas NMD.