Ye “venturing into the fashion industry” resulted in some of the most iconic designs in modern history. Stylistic variations and certain color palettes all became synonymous with the YEEZY brand. That said, there’s one category that he impacted above all else—shoes.
Yeezy footwear has become a staple in the shoe game, practically shaping a decade of designs that came after it, spawning various instantly recognizable (and widely mimicked) silhouettes. With the new Yeezy 800 around the corner, we decided to rank the Top 10 Yeezy shoe designs of all time, and give our reasons for each of them.
Note: We’re ranking the shoe itself here, rather than a specific colorway. However, we know damn well there are some classics that must be mentioned, and you’ll see them below.
Lastly, we left out the Yeezy Slide, even though it’s the most influential shoe ever made. The list is just about shoes in a more traditional sense.
10. Yeezy Foam Runner
And immediately, we lied… kinda. While 2020’s Yeezy Foam Runner is definitely in the lineage of the Yeezy Slide, it has just enough structure that we had to include it. With colorways like Ararat, Sand, and Onyx in its arsenal, it’s impossible to ignore this often-imitated innovation in footwear.
Best colorway: ‘Ararat’
9. Yeezy 500
This shoe being so low doesn’t mean it’s not incredible, as every shoe on this list has stood its ground in terms of design and impact. 2017’s Yeezy 500 hit the streets just as hard as some of the others on this list, and its alien-like, futuristic design is unlike almost anything out there.
You know, until other brands started biting the style. Nothing new.
Best colorway: ‘Soft Vision’
8. Nike Air Yeezy 1
Before the Adidas run, Ye already had an immaculate sneaker: The Nike Air Yeezy. Released in 2009, the shoe marked the first Nike signature shoe with someone who wasn’t an athlete, just proving how much star power Ye already had at the time.
They’re an absolutely fantastic shoe. With that in mind, the construction definitely looks more retro and changed the game less than some other shoes on this list. That said, the colorways? Especially the Blink colorway? Legendary. So much so that the color combination itself is effectively dubbed “Yeezy” across other clothing brands and shoe silhouettes.
Best colorway: ‘Blink’
7. Yeezy 700 V3
With 10 official colorways, the Yeezy 700 V3 could be the weirdest shoe in the lineup—and that’s far from an insult. Swapping out the Boost for an EVA foam midsole, the V3 is damn near an entirely different shoe from the base model.
Comfortable and unique, the shoe was yet another hit in the Yeezy collection. And many of the colorways were strikers. (Note: This shoe might actually age the best of them all. We’ll check back in 2040.)
Best colorway: ‘Azael’
6. Yeezy 700
Ye was on a ridiculous hot streak in 2017 when these hit the streets. Bulkier in structure, but just as modular and rounded in design detail, the Yeezy 700 was perfect for fans looking for a more “shoe” shoe.
Most of the color offerings are pretty solid. However, the Waverunner colorway stands so high above the rest—as one of the best Yeezy colorways ever—that the shoe can’t match up to the firepower higher up on this list.
Best Colorway: ‘Wave Runner’
5. Yeezy Boost 750
The ones that started it all. The Yeezy Boost 750 was the first shoe in the Adidas run, and kicked down the door for the majority of Ye’s legendary fashion career. As the first iteration of the Yeezy footwear brand, that context gives it a bit of a pass on the “colorways” argument seen throughout this list. Can’t drop a million colorways before knowing if the streets need em.
The colorway argument also gets a pass because the shoe was absurdly innovative. Full-length boost technology, the height, the seamlessness, the zipper—all of these things would eventually make their way into different iterations of the Yeezy forever. The Yeezy 750 came in 4 colorways, and all of them are cookbooks.
Best colorway: ‘Triple Black’
4. Yeezy Desert Boot
When you hear the words “Yeezy boots,” these are probably the ones that come to mind. Introduced in 2019, these boots combined a much bulkier starting point with Ye’s forward-thinking design philosophy, creating one of his most notable steps in footwear. And to this day, they still look innovative and new.
The biggest selling point for the Yeezy Desert Boot is the range of colors. While primarily earthtones and neutrals, all 8 colorways slot into your wardrobe with no issue. It’s a big contrast to our Nike Air Yeezy 1 entry, which is an insane high point, but feels like a 2010 shoe with fewer choices.
Best colorway: ‘Oil’
3. Nike Air Yeezy 2
“YEEZYs ALL ON YOUR SOFA! THESE THE RED OCTOBERS!” If this was a list of the best colorways ever, this would be #1, no questions asked. A single Yeezy started the trend of monochromatic red shoes across various brands and silhouettes, leaving their mark on the game forever.
The only things holding the Nike Air Yeezy 2 back are limited optionality and the fact that recent silhouettes changed the game even more. Every colorway goes crazy, but the word “every” here only refers to three choices. With two or three more colorways, they would probably top the list. Still, it’s a legendary shoe for a reason (and any lower would be blatantly disrespectful).
Best colorway: ‘Red October’
2. Yeezy 950
Hear us out. While the Yeezy 950 lacks a singular standout colorway like the 700’s Wave Runner or the Red Octobers, and doesn’t have as many colors as the 500, it more than makes up for it in design, impact, and stature. Ye is known for a huge boot, and he can be seen wearing boots in every era since the Yeezy brand started. Every single colorway, while simplistic, is a hitter. That is, if you can fit the boots into your wardrobe.
But if you can? You have a guaranteed staple piece. From the additional wraparound laces to the minimalistic neo-seamless construction, you have a headturner with four fantastic options. (My personal favorite is the Moonrock, and I still need them. Ye, hit me up.)
On top of design and concept, these boots also showcase Ye’s range in footwear. His run goes from some of the lightest, most comfortable shoes in the game, to some of the biggest boots in modern fashion—without sacrificing the signature Yeezy-ness of them all.
Best colorway: ‘Moonrock’
1. Yeezy Boost 350
The Yeezy Boost 350 is the quintessential Yeezy. From the boost and the seamless design to the variations in versions, it was nearly impossible to go out after 2015 without seeing a pair of these—real or knockoff. This shoe made Yeezy, definitively, the biggest household name in sneakers since Jordan.
We’re not separating these into versions, unlike the 700s, because the overall construction was incredibly similar (and their place on the list wouldn’t change). We’re NOT saying the versions are the same, but the resemblance is much more notable. And across all versions, there was an absurd number of colorways that went nuts. Breds, Turtle Doves, Belugas, Zebras, Blue Tints, take your time. We can go on.
The Yeezy Boost 350 is, without question, the best Yeezy of all time.
Best colorway: ‘Bred’
