Few sneaker stories move as fast or hit as hard as the adidas Yeezy line. When Kanye West – now known as Ye – parted ways with Nike in late 2013, the sneaker world held its breath. What came next reshaped the industry entirely. From the debut of the Yeezy Boost 750 in 2015 to the boundary-breaking Foam Runner and beyond, the adidas Yeezy catalogue stands as one of the most diverse and culturally significant in sneaker history.
Here’s every major adidas Yeezy model, broken down by year, with key designers and standout colourways.
2015: The adidas Era Begins
adidas Yeezy Boost 750 – February 2015
Designer: Kanye West (Ye)
Key Colourways: ‘Light Brown’, ‘Triple Black’, ‘Chocolate’
The shoe that started everything. The Yeezy Boost 750 dropped on Valentine’s Day 2015 during NBA All-Star Weekend, with fans reportedly camping out for days to get a pair. Inspired by basketball shoes and military boots, the 750 featured a premium suede upper, a side zip, and adidas’ then-new Boost technology in the sole. It set the tone for everything that followed. By 2016, the 750 had quietly disappeared, making every pair that much more coveted today.
adidas Yeezy Boost 350 – June 2015
Designer: Kanye West (Ye), with reported contributions from Virgil Abloh and Demna Gvasalia
Key Colourways: ‘Turtle Dove’, ‘Pirate Black’, ‘Moonrock’, ‘Oxford Tan’
Ask any sneakerhead what started the Yeezy craze, and they’ll say the 350. Ye’s first low-top silhouette – a streamlined, Primeknit runner – launched with the ‘Turtle Dove’ colourway in June 2015. Simple in construction, massive in impact. The 350 immediately redefined what a hyped sneaker could look like.
adidas Yeezy 950 – October 2015
Designer: Kanye West (Ye)
Key Colourways: ‘Pirate Black’, ‘Moonrock’, ‘Peyote’, ‘Turtle Dove’, ‘Chocolate’
Dropping at a steep £585 retail, the 950 was a full-on boot. Armoured, apocalyptic, and designed to complement Ye’s Yeezy Season clothing line. Five colourways dropped simultaneously. It remains one of the most unique and expensive Yeezy releases to this day.
2016: The V2 Takes Over
adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 – September 2016
Designer: Kanye West (Ye)
Key Colourways: ‘Beluga’, ‘Black/Red’, ‘Zebra’, ‘Oreo’
The 350 got a major redesign. The V2 arrived with coloured lateral stripes, the cryptic ‘SPLY-350’ branding, and a bold new Primeknit aesthetic. ‘Beluga’ was the first – and arguably still the most iconic – V2 drop. It set the groundwork for dozens of colourways over the next six years, cementing the 350 V2 as the defining Yeezy silhouette of its era.
2017: Dad Shoes and Classics
adidas Yeezy Boost 700 ‘Waverunner’ – November 2017
Designer: Kanye West (Ye) and Steven Smith
Key Colourways: ‘Waverunner’, ‘Muave’
First teased at Yeezy Season 5, the 700 ‘Waverunner’ practically invented the dad shoe trend. Steven Smith – the legendary designer behind some of New Balance’s most iconic silhouettes – co-designed this chunky, multi-material marvel. Leather, suede, and mesh came together in a dense, angular build unlike anything else on the market.
adidas Yeezy Powerphase Calabasas – March 2017
Designer: Kanye West (Ye)
Key Colourways: ‘Core White’, ‘Quiet Grey’
Ye went retro for this one, reviving the archival adidas Powerphase from the 1980s and adding ‘Calabasas’ branding to the side panel in a nod to his California hometown. Clean, classic, and surprisingly wearable. The Powerphase stuck around until 2019.
2018: Expanding the Family
adidas Yeezy 500 – February 2018
Designer: Kanye West (Ye)
Key Colourways: ‘Blush’, ‘Super Moon Yellow’, ‘Utility Black’, ‘Salt’
Nicknamed the “Desert Rat” before release, the 500 caused a stir. It was the first Yeezy silhouette without Boost technology, using adiPRENE soles instead. Its chunky, 90s-inspired outsole paired with a military-boot upper made it divisive at first, but undeniably popular. Four colourways dropped throughout the year.
adidas Yeezy Boost 700 V2 – December 2018
Designer: Kanye West (Ye) and Steven Smith
Key Colourways: ‘Static’, ‘Geode’, ‘Vanta’
Rather than replacing the original 700, adidas and Ye released the V2 alongside it. This second generation came with more reflective detailing and a cleaner, more modern profile. Both versions continued selling side by side – a testament to how strong demand was for the 700 series.
2019: New Silhouettes and a Desert Revival
adidas Yeezy Desert Boot – April 2019
Designer: Kanye West (Ye)
Key Colourways: ‘Rock’, ‘Oil’, ‘Salt’
Boots returned to the Yeezy line for the first time since the 950, this time with a leaner, military-inspired silhouette closely related to the Yeezy 500. Earthy tones dominated, staying true to Ye’s tonal aesthetic.
adidas Yeezy Boost 380 – December 2019
Designer: Kanye West (Ye)
Key Colourways: ‘Alien’, ‘Mist’, ‘Pepper’
A close cousin to the 350 V2, the 380 featured a more open, futuristic Primeknit weave with a semi-transparent sole packed with Boost foam. It introduced a new lace system and a slightly chunkier profile. The ‘Alien’ – with its bold coloured midsole – made an immediate impression.
adidas Yeezy 700 V3 – December 2019
Designer: Kanye West (Ye)
Key Colourways: ‘Azael’, ‘Alvah’, ‘Kyanite’
The third generation of the 700 went in a new direction – lighter, more futuristic, and stripped of Boost technology in favour of an INERTIA sole. The woven upper was encased in a plastic cage, giving it an astronaut-ready silhouette. Same lace system as the 380.
adidas Yeezy Slide – December 2019
Designer: Kanye West (Ye)
Key Colourways: ‘Desert Sand’, ‘Bone’, ‘Resin’
Nobody expected a slide to become one of Yeezy’s most hyped products. Yet here we are. A single moulded foam construction, priced at a reasonable £55 at retail, and reselling for multiples of that in premium colourways. The Slide became a cultural phenomenon, and it’s never really stopped.
2020: Foam, Basketball, and the Future
adidas Yeezy Foam Runner – June 2020
Designer: Kanye West (Ye)
Key Colourways: ‘Ararat’, ‘Sand’, ‘MXT Moon Grey’, ‘Ochre’
No laces. No traditional materials. The Foam Runner was made from a single piece of pressure-injected foam, a proprietary blend of harvested algae and adidas EVA. Equal parts futuristic and polarising, it became one of Ye’s most talked-about designs. Love it or hate it, you couldn’t ignore it.
adidas Yeezy Boost 700 MNVN – February 2020
Designer: Kanye West (Ye)
Key Colourways: ‘Triple Black’, ‘Orange’, ‘Phosphor’, ‘Bone’
A bold reimagining of the 700, the MNVN stripped back the layered leather upper in favour of a tight synthetic material, with a massive ‘700’ logo printed on the side. Divisive among purists, but undeniably fresh.
adidas Yeezy QNTM – February 2020
Designer: Kanye West (Ye)
Key Colourways: ‘OG’, ‘Barium’, ‘Frozen Blue’, ‘Teal Blue’
Ye’s first proper basketball shoe. The QNTM (Quantum) launched during NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago, where Brandon Ingram of the New Orleans Pelicans wore the performance version on the court. A lifestyle version followed, making the QNTM accessible off the hardwood.
2021: Boots, Knits, and New Shapes
adidas Yeezy 450 – March 2021
Designer: Kanye West (Ye)
Key Colourways: ‘Cloud White’, ‘Dark Slate’, ‘Cinder’
First spotted outside a Yeezy Season 8 show in Paris, the 450 took the internet by storm with its extreme moulded-foam sole acting almost like an exoskeleton around the mesh upper. No Boost, no adiPRENE, just raw EVA foam. One of the most visually distinctive Yeezys ever made.
adidas Yeezy Knit Runner – September 2021
Designer: Kanye West (Ye)
Key Colourways: ‘Sulfur’, ‘Stone Carbon’
A full-knit upper that wraps around the foot like a sock, overlapping the sole at the edges. No adidas or Yeezy branding anywhere on the shoe. The Knit Runner was a quiet statement – a confidence move from a designer who didn’t need his name on the shoe to sell it.
adidas Yeezy NSLTD Boot – November 2021
Designer: Kanye West (Ye)
Key Colourways: ‘Khaki’
Massive, insulated, and lace-free. The NSLTD Boot looked more like outerwear than footwear, with a heavily padded upper that referenced down jackets and an enigmatic sole shape. Released exclusively through YeezySupply.
2022: A Year of Refinements
adidas Yeezy 350 V2 CMPCT – February 2022
Designer: Kanye West (Ye)
Key Colourways: ‘Slate Red’, ‘Slate Carbon’
A higher-collared, more ankle-hugging take on the iconic V2. The CMPCT ditched the traditional stripe for a sock-like woven pattern and swapped standard lacing for a looped lace system. Built on the same 350 sole that millions already trusted.
adidas Yeezy BSKTBL Knit – February 2022
Designer: Kanye West (Ye)
Key Colourways: ‘Energy Glow’, ‘Slate Azure’
Borrowing design elements from both the QNTM and the 350 V2 CMPCT, the BSKTBL Knit merged performance basketball function with Yeezy’s signature aesthetic. The sole referenced the QNTM; the Primeknit upper looked like a high-top CMPCT.
2023: The Post-Partnership Era
Even after adidas and Ye parted ways in late 2022, adidas continued releasing Yeezy stock from the existing catalogue. Notable additions included the Yeezy 450 Slide (August 2023) – a fusion of the 450’s wave-like sole and the Slide’s foam construction –and the Yeezy 500 Tactical Boot (also August 2023), a military-inspired high-top built from suede, mesh, and nubuck with an adiPRENE sole.
The Full Picture
From the 750’s debut in February 2015 to the releases that outlasted the partnership itself, the adidas Yeezy line covered enormous creative ground. Runners, boots, slides, basketball shoes, foam clogs – Ye explored virtually every footwear category, and often changed the conversation around what a sneaker could look like.
The 350 V2 remains the silhouette most synonymous with the line. But ask any serious collector, and they’ll tell you the whole catalogue tells a richer story built on restlessness, reinvention, and an appetite for pushing design somewhere new.
Explore the full range of Yeezy styles available now on KLEKT
