Limited edition fashionwear is quite a trend these days. For some, it is a matter of exclusivity. For some, it becomes a matter of pride to stay in the trend and be an influential statement amongst people, and some do it for better quality. But limited edition sneakers or clothes come at a very hefty price. Something very similar that we came across is the Adidas Yeezy Shoes.
Adidas Yeezy Shoes are expensive and classy as they belong to the Adidas family and are exclusively designed in collaboration with Kanye West. Well, who does not know Kanye West, and what a privilege it is to own a pair of shoes designed by the pop star.
These Yeezy sneakers are colorful, funky, and are a style statement on their own. They don’t come cheap and are quite hyped by youngsters and fans of the famous pop star.
Wonder how the Yeezy Shoes received such fame and hype? And what is the real story behind these shoes that makes them a classy and exquisite fashion statement?
We decided to go deep-rooted for all you fashion lovers and sneaker enthusiasts and extract some first-hand information about the Adidas Yeezy Shoes and what they actually signify. Read on to know.
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All About Adidas Yeezy Shoes
Adidas Yeezy shoe match with any attire, be it your gym gear or even for a casual outing. The mesh uppers are so airy, and the sneakers are incredibly comfortable and light on your feet. These sneakers have grabbed several eyeballs and attention amongst the youth.
Let’s take a sneak peek at what makes them so attention-worthy.
What Are Yeezy Shoes?
The Adidas Yeezy Shoes, as the name mentions, belongs to the German footwear brand Adidas that has collaborated with American pop star, rapper, designer, and entrepreneur Kanye West. The Yeezy shoes have become notably popular due to their limited-edition releases. The Yeezy collection also has some trendy and fashionable jackets, socks, women’s slippers, shoes, track pants, t-shirts, and gym wear under its umbrella. The first model under the Yeezy collection was the Boost 750. The Adidas Yeezy Boost 750 was released in February 2015.
There is a very controversial history associated with the making and designing of the Yeezy shoes. Kanye West initially started by designing shoes for Louis Vuitton and Giuseppe Zanotti. One of his most renowned collaborations was with Nike.
Together, Nike and Kanye have created the Air Yeezy 1, Air Yeezy 2, and Air Yeezy Red October Series. The Air Yeezy 1 was released in 2009, followed by Air Yeezy 2 that released in 2012. The most popular was the Red October Series that released in 2014. These sold out almost instantaneously as they were manufactured in limited quantities and are now available as a limited edition collection or resell shoes.
In 2013, Kanye West decided to quit Nike as they would not pay him royalties for his designs. After the debacle with Nike, there were rumors that the major competitors approached him, that is, Adidas.
Rumors turned true on 3rd December 2013, and it was official that Kanye West has now collaborated with the millennial sportswear brand: Adidas. Adidas claims that Kanye has helped the brand jump back in the race. Whereas, Kanye claims that Adidas has allowed him to build something and shed light on his creativity and designs.
In February 2015, Adidas, in collaboration with Kanye West, released the first Yeezy Season 1 sneakers. The designs were much anticipated by various famous celebrities and pop stars like Rihanna, Kim Kardashian (Kanye West’s wife), etc., who were also present for the showing. The Season 2 and Season 3 pair of Yeezys also garnered the same amount of attention and were very successful.
Together there were various versions of the Yeezy shoes that were released back to back on specific occasions. Moreover, Kanye West and Adidas both gained a lot of popularity over the release of these shoes. One of these sneakers’ unique aspects is that it uses very innovative materials that are comfortable to the next level.
A knit or mesh upper with a boost sole looks stylish, unique, and is exceptionally light. The mix and match blend of colors and contrasting patterns that these shoes serve the purpose, be it gymming or football, while making sure your style game remains UP and ABOVE.
People queued up at stores and created bots to purchase these shoes online before they were sold out completely. These shoes hold a value of around thousands of dollars in resale, thanks to Kanye West’s craze amongst the youth.
What Does Yeezy Mean?
According to the urban dictionary, Yeezy refers to rapper Kanye West. When people say, this is Yeezy’s new track, which means Kanye West is on the song charts. Kanye West needed a trendy, hip-hop-style name for his fashion label.
Inspired by his mentor Jay-z who named himself J-Hov or the Hebrew name for God, Kanye West chose to call himself Yeezus. Yeezus means high-level “God” of Rap. This sounds very similar to and is derived from the name Jesus who Christians strongly believe in. Yeezus was also the title of his studio album that hit the charts and was liked by many in 2013.
Since he wanted a trendy name for his fashion label, he added “eezy” to his name and made it sound more trendy for a pair of shoes. Other pop stars have done something similar, like Lil Wayne, referred to as Weezy, or Eric Lynn Wright, called Eazy-E.
Since Kanye is now famous and associated with his fashion label, he is popularly known as “Kanyeezy,” and Yeezy is just shortening the nickname. This nickname was initially given to Kanye by Jay Z in his song Lucifer from the Black Album, released in 2003.
Meaning Behind Yeezy Colorway Names
Adidas Yeezy Colorways were initially available with names like Light Brown and Pirate Black. But these days, the colorway collection is coming up with some out-of-the-box names like Tephra, Antilla, etc., which may sound more than vague. However, they have some intense meanings associated with them, and the design more or less reflects the importance of these names in the real sense.
Every name may sound obscure and random to you. However, with Kanye West, each shoe has a meaning. For some of us, it may even get challenging to pronounce the names of these shoes. Therefore, we decided to help you decipher some of these vague colorway sneaker names’ meanings and pronunciations.
Yeezy 350 V1
Here is a list of the colorway sneakers that fall under the Yeezy 350 V1 series:
Turtle Dove
Look closely at these pairs of shoes. If you closely compare them to a European Turtle Dove, you will notice birds’ feather pattern on the shoes. Hence, the name Turtle Dove.
Pirate Black
For fans who like going all black, and if you are looking for a mix and match of black shades, then the Pirate Black is the one you are looking for.
Moonrock
Just like spots on the surface of the moon, imagine dipping your feet inside the moon and coming out with the color of the moon on your feet. That’s what the moonrock colorway sneakers look like, dipped inside the moon. Feels like walking in space, eh?
Yeezy 350 V2
The second edition Yeezy series from Adidas and Kanye’s collection; listed as below:
Beluga/Beluga 2.0
Ever seen a whale. The sneakers exactly match the color of a whale. And that is why it is called the Beluga, named behind the Beluga Whale that has a stark white color. One of the most genius variants of whales, maybe the shoes are equally a genius creation by the Creator Kanye himself.
Bred
It is a well-known fact that Kanye hails from Chicago. And all Chicago boys look up to the very own Micheal Jordan and his pair of Nike Air Jordans. This is why Kanye designed this one that has the bred signature over it.
Cream White
As pure white as a dove in an open sky, this is one of the most straightforward and sorted colorway sneaker names and one of the most basic designs to own in the Yeezy 350 V2 series.
Semi Frozen Yellow
A zebra print on a yellow upper body, these sneakers are fondly called the Yebras. The frozen Yellow is a Yeezy name for Volt, solely designed his way, the Kanye way.
Sesame
It makes a great alternative to the cream whites or Butter colorways, and it’s unknown where these colorways get their name from. Maybe, Kanye likes sesame seeds after all!!
Hyperspace
Hyperspace means a space of more than 3 dimensions. A vague name for a pair of sneakers, but this white and grey pair is a great combination.
Clay
From space, we jump to earthern shades now. The clay colorways are a toned shade, more like the color of clay. The name perfectly matches the design and has an earthly feel to it.
Synth
Synth is slang for synthesizers. We don’t know how that makes sense with the colorways, but is it Kanye’s love for music?
Antila
Back to space, Antilla is the name of a constellation of stars. In ancient Greek, it is called the pump. These sneakers were a tribute to the Nike Air Pump.
Lundmark
Another colorway from space, Lundmark, means a crater on the moon. Look closely at the shoes; you will know.
Citrin
Citrin means a gemstone, rightly known as Citrine. The color of the gemstone is very similar to the colorway sneakers. That is where it gets its name.
Yechiel
Yechiel is a bible inspired Yeezy name of shoes. The meaning of Yechiel is “May God Live.” Long live these sneakers.
Yeezreel
This name comes from Yizreel, and Yizreel means “God will Seed” in the Hebrew language.
Yeshaya
This one has a very holy meaning. It means “God is Salvation.”
Marsh
Look at these sneakers carefully. The color is like a land of swamp. Well, that’s what Marsh means, swamp.
Flax
This might look a little bland of a shade, but Flax means a plant that is used to make fabrics. The name is exciting, but the sneakers are not so much of a fad unless you are a crazy colorway fanatic.
Desert Sage
Now, these are some sneakers from the Yeezy 350 V2 series. Desert Sage is a shrub that grows in the deserts and has a very aromatic essence. It is used to make incense sticks, and the sneaker has a very soothing and calm look with a tinge of bright orange to it.
Cinder
Pale black, another shade in black. These sneakers look more like charcoal black. And who does not love black? These colorways are a hit.
Linen
Linen is a cloth fabric that is made from the flax plant. Does that mean it is associated with the Flax colorways? Well, only Kanye knows.
Zyon
Zyon in Hebrew means a hill on a temple which was made in Jerusalem. These sneakers take you back to the holy roots.
Israfil
This has a very religious meaning. Israfil means an angel who blows a horn to signal the Day of Judgement.
Asriel
Weird Yeezy names that do not fail to include some Kanye religiousness into them. Asriel means the archangel of death. These are also called the Yeezy Carbon Colorways, and the design was a total hit!
Yeezy 500
Tyrian
These colorways hail from the Lebanese city of Tyre. These are a shade of purple that Tyrians wore, which is why the name. The shape is a bit weird, but the design’s funky and fabulous.
Yeezy 700
Vanta
This one is a tricky colorway name but has an exciting meaning behind it. Vanta is an acronym for Vertically Aligned Nanotube Arrays. Vanta is one of the most blackest pair of shoes that exists around the globe.
Tephra
Tephra is a rock that is made of volcanic eruptions. The name is earthy, and so is the design of the shoe.
Azael
Azael is a Hebrew name. The meaning of Azael is helped by God. This is one of the first pairs of the Yeezy 700 V3 series.
Alvah
Alvah means sublime. The shoes aren’t all that sublime in terms of style, after all.
Arzareth
Arzareth in Hebrew means those who are set apart. This sneaker is definitely to make you stand apart with all the coloring and cool style.
Safflower
Probably one sneaker that matches right to its name. The name comes from the Safflower plant that is yellowish-orange in color. The sneakers have the same color at the uppers.
How To Tell If Your Adidas Yeezy 350 Boosts Are Real or Fake
The Adidas Yeezy 350 Boosts are so popular; everyone wants to own them. And for those who want them, fake ones are doing the rounds too. However, if you’re going to invest in the real ones, how do you detect if they are real or fake.
Here are a few tips you could consider before getting your hands on your pair of Yeezy Boosts.
Heel Tab
If you notice the heel tab, the real shoes have the heel tab situated close to the collar, whereas the fake ones have it stitched very far from the collar. Now you catch them red-handed.
Toe Stitching
If you notice at the front section, the stitching that runs across the middle section to the midsole, the fake ones have no pattern. The real sneakers have an ‘X’ followed by a Box and again an ‘X.’ This pattern keeps repeating.
Insoles
Check the insoles. Original ones would have the words written in black, whereas the fake ones have it in white, which runs in the wrong direction.
Bottom of Insoles
The insoles’ bottom will look very different from the original ones with the Adidas logo engraved correctly in it with a distinguishable pattern.
YZY Font
Check the font on the uppers of the shoe. The size would be too large on the fake ones. The real ones have a smaller font.
Footbed
When you remove the insoles, notice the stitching on the footbed. The real ones have a black strip surrounded by stitches which is not quite the case with the fake ones.
The bottom line
For a sneaker fan, nothing sounds better than a pair of Adidas Yeezy Sneakers, originally designed by the very own Kanyeezy, Kanye West. He is famous for his fashion label and particularly for his Colorway series of Sneakers in collaboration with Adidas. There goes a long story behind his collaboration and exclusive designs, but more intriguing is the unique and vague names given to each pair release.
Therefore, we decided to take a dig at the Adidas Yeezy Sneaker collection and understand what makes them stand apart from the rest. They are available at a hefty price as they are limited edition and very comfortable. The materials used in the making are very innovative, and the designs and names have an identity of their own.
There is a color, design, name for every sneakerhead. From earthy, Godly, Jewish, and names related to space, these sneakers are all over the universe. We tried to decipher the meaning behind these colorway shoe names. Alongside, we also help you figure out how to detect whether the sneakers are real or fake.
Read our article above, and tell us which is your favorite Adidas Yeezy shoe of all, in the comments section below.
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Brandon R. Katz is a registered professional nurse who has been instrumental in providing us with an informed opinion on the medical aspects of footwear. He graduated from NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and currently provides his services at a non-federal long-term care hospital in Brooklyn, NY.
Brandon proves to be the champion in the group of expert writers with his in-depth knowledge in foot health, how to take care of it adequately, and what shoes, socks, or insoles will be supreme for you. He has previously worked with hospitals where he has foreseen both inpatient and outpatient departments and has been a practicing nurse since 2009.
Brandon hails from Jersey City, NY, and has a loving family of four with a small popper called Rozo. His decision to become a nurse arises from the desire to be in the position of helping and rehabilitating people.
