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Are your Yeezy Boost 350 V1 fake or real? This is a complete guide on how to legit check Kanye’s Adidas Yeezy sneakers, whether they’re the Turtle Dove, Pirate Black, Moonrock or the Oxford Tan colourway.
We’ve written hundreds of guides on fake vs real sneaker comparisons, and given how replicated the Yeezy 350 V1 is, we’re always updating this guide.
Here’s how to spot fake Yeezy Boost 350 V1 in 15 seconds: look at the suede patch — legit Yeezys have a hairy suede patch and one that’s smaller than the one found on fakes. Need pictures to understand the difference? See our fake vs real picture comparisons below.
We’ve structured this guide on how to spot fake Yeezy Boost 350 V1 sneakers this way:
Don’t worry, it’s easier than you think. Let’s begin the legit check guide.
The first thing we want to look out for when learning how to legit check fake vs real Yeezy 350 V1 is the suede patch.
It will be the #1 thing that will enable you to legit check the Yeezy Boost 350 easily.
We’ll start with a comparison of the Turtle Dove colourway, but everything you see below works as well for Pirate Black, Oxford Tan and the Moonrock versions.
Notice the distance between the suede patch and the sock liner. It’s a subtle difference but an important one nonetheless
Have a look at the fake Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 suede patch and notice how it’s visibly bigger than the authentic one.
If it’s not obvious by this point, don’t worry. We’ve got more real vs fake Yeezy Boost 350 V1 comparisons below.
Besides the difference in size, the suede patch is also rougher on legit Yeezy pairs and “scruffier”. It’s a bit hard to put it into words, but have a look at the fake vs real comparison below to understand.
Moving on to the next colourway of the guide on how to spot fake Yeezy Boost 350 V1 sneakers by the suede patch, we now have the fake vs real Yeezy Moonrocks.
Can you spot, first of all, the difference in size? Pay attention to the much more “hairy” suede patch on the real version of the Yeezy Boost 350 Oxford Tan and Moonrock.
There are a couple of caveats to this flaw:
1. The colour of the Yeezy 350 V1 patch may vary due to lightning
2. It’s harder to take this tell into account when assessing used pairs, as the patches get altered with wear.
Let’s have a look at a fake vs real Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 Oxford Tan comparison now. We’ll flip the shoes to the interior side.
In the example below, the patch is noticeably bigger on the fakes. Also, have a look at the difference in terms of not only texture differences but also colour.
The authentic suede patch has much more of an Oxford Tan shade than the almost brown one on the fake Adidas Yeezy pair.
Let’s flip this pair once again for a fake vs real YZY patch comparison.
I’m aware I just compared the colours above and pointed out how the fake suede patch was darker-coloured — at the same time, the authentic Yeezy patch has a darker shade now.
You might ask “Daniel, what’s going on? Is it about the colour actually or not?”
To which I’d reply: yes, even in bad lighting and when compared to a lighter-coloured fake Yeezy Boost 350 Oxford Tan pair, the authentic one is still not brown — it keeps the tan-coloured shade.
Below is a closer comparison.
Last but not least, let’s have a look at the suede patch on the Adidas Yeezy Pirate Black version. We wanted you to see all the 4 colourways of these Yeezy sneakers so you can resort to the comparison of your exact version in order to learn how to spot fake Yeezy Boost 350 V1.
It usually doesn’t make sense to do this for every single colourway, especially for some of our other complete guides series, like the Yeezy Boost 350 V2.
However, we understand that given there are only 4 colourways, we can do it here. Nonetheless, the fake vs real Yeezy Pirate Black comparison:
Once again, let’s explain it all. Hairy material on the authentic Yeezy 350 suede patch? Checked.
The difference in size between the fake and the real Pirate Blacks? Checked.
That’s ideally all you need to keep in mind when it comes to this.
And the reason why we’re insisting so much on the suede patch comparison is that’s where fake manufacturers have stumbled when replicating the Adidas Yeezy Boost 350.
One last thing to note: sometimes the logos on these suede patches might be slanted.
Ideally, you won’t need this to tell the difference given the two major callouts we’ve written above, but here it is, just for the sake of making this guide as deep as possible.
It goes without saying, this Adidas Originals logo found on the interior side of the Yeezy Boost 350 V1 is misplaced.
Coming up next is our very reliable barcode scan. We’ll boil down the basics here with barcode test examples for the Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V1, but we also recommend looking at our extensive barcode scan test guide on this matter.
Over there we’re explaining why this test can save a lot of time by instantly clearing out 95% of the fakes
What you want to do first is find the barcode on the box label of the Yeezys you’re checking. It will look like this:
After that, use our barcode scan function within our app. Find it here:
As soon as you point your camera on the barcode, a Google results page will pop up.
Alternatively, you can simply type in the number that appears below the barcode. The scanner simply copies the serial number for you, so using it in real life can save time.
While you can use the scanning function for a picture of the box label’s barcode, sometimes pics are not high-quality enough for it to work — that’s when you’ll have to type the number in yourself in a Google search.
What you will want to look out for are confirmation points.
By confirmation points, we mean this: other websites are confirming the fact that the barcode you’re analyzing is indeed paired with the correct size and colourway.
Here’s why the barcode scan test is so important. For every size and colourway combination, there’s one specific code.
For instance, there is one certain barcode for Yeezy Boost 350, Oxford Tan colourway, size US10.
Then, there’s another barcode for the same Yeezy Boost 350 Oxford Tan, size US11. And so on. All these serial numbers are unique.
Think of it this way: fake manufacturers will not waste time and money (especially money) on buying every single size of the shoe they replicate.
They would do that if they would want to get this unique code right for every fake they produce.
What they do, in fact, is they probably buy a few authentic pairs and focus on the shoe rather than the box. At the end of the day, people wear the product, not the box.
To conclude, once you’ve got enough confirmation points (at least 4 in my opinion, and from reputable sources), you’re good to go: the box is authentic.
Make sure you read our guide article where we explain more about the barcode scan test.
Although checking the boost sole used to be the go-to detail you’d check, nowadays it’s just harder (but not impossible) to legit check the Yeezy Boost 350 V1 by looking at it.
We’ve identified four main flags when spotting fake vs real Adidas Yeezy Boost 350.
Bear in mind: because it’s been years since Kanye’s sneaker was produced, the boost sole should have some yellowing due to oxidation, if we’re talking about a deadstock (unworn) pair.
As fake Yeezy Boost 350 are delivered fresh out of the factory, they’ll come with a whiter, virtually non-oxidated shade of colour.
In this photo above you can notice that as well, but the white balance/light conditions of the photo could play a role when spotting fake and real Yeezy Boost 350.
There’s another batch of fakes on the market which doesn’t have the “ghost dot” flaw but uses pellets that are bigger than the ones found on authentic pairs. Keep this in mind when legit checking the Yeezy 350.
Moreover, spacing between the boost dots conglomerates still isn’t as it should be. The spacing between these dots varies — have a second look at the fake vs real comparison above to understand better.
Before we start explaining this point, it’s worth noting that the Yeezy Boost 350 Turtle Dove version only comes in full US sizes.
If you see something like a pair sized US 9.5, US 10.5 and so on — that’s an instant tell for a fake, but this only applies on the Turtle Dove colourway!
What we need to look out for here is any misprint, inconsistency or anomaly on the size tag, when legit checking the Yeezy Boost 350 V1.
In other words, spot the difference between the higher quality printing machines Adidas used and the lower quality machines the fake manufacturers have used.
We’ll take you through the inconsistencies one can find on this specific Yeezy Boost 350 Turtle Dove tag, but inconsistencies can vary.
With that being said, we recommend either sticking to our comparison above, especially to point number 6. A lot of legit checks stop at the ® flaw.
Nonetheless, it’s also very easy to notice the printing quality: straight lines are usually fuzzier on fake pairs, given the lower-quality factory equipment used.
Even in the lower-light comparison above, one can spot a fake from a real Yeezy Boost 350 V1 Turtle Dove, Pirate Black, Moonrock or Oxford Tan by looking at the way lines are drawn.
Let’s take a closer look at the differences in the printing quality — this way we can emphasise really up-close what we mean by “inconsistencies on the fake size tag”.
As we mentioned above, the first thing I would personally look at when authenticating the 350 V1 is the ® character above the “Adidas” print.
Unlike the Yeezy Boost 350 V2 where this ® character should not be touching the “Adidas” print, here the situation is a different. The fakes mistakenly fill this character, making it look like a black circle.
Once again, another detail that stands as proof for our statement: fake manufacturers will always use lower quality factory equipment.
Because we’ve covered a bit the US UK FR JP CHN row on the Yeezy Boost 350 V1 size tag comparison above, we wanted to re-attach it here.
Just to highlight a couple of differences here:
The differences may vary on the fake size tag. What you see above is purely what we’ve found on the multiple versions of fake size tags we’ve compared — and we’ve compared authentic Yeezy 350 V1 size tags with the best replicas of this model.
We’re trying to teach you the mechanics behind how we can tell a lower-quality size tag so you can judge for yourself.
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This way of legit checking the Yeezy Boost 350 V1 may seem exaggerated, but it’s definitely a sure way to spot a fake from a real pair.
Another flaw found in the fakes is that the pattern on the side doesn’t curve enough, proportionately to the sneaker’s canvas.
Pictured below is a comparison between one of the best fakes out there and the authentic version of the Yeezy Boost 350 Turtle Dove.
Have a look at the right column where additional (red) lines are used to highlight the pattern difference.
Maybe it’s hard to notice in the above example but below’s a comparison between the authentic and an older batch of fakes. It’s easier to notice here the straighter pattern found on fakes.
Once again, this might seem like too much but it’s been one of the most reliable ways to tell the difference between an authentic version and a replica.
If you have any doubts, we recommend either:
By the way, if all this information seems like too much, we recommend downloading our app, the Legit Check App.
Over there, we’re curating all this information into small, quicker-to-digest pieces. Whether you’ll be in a face-to-face meeting with a seller or at home, you can easily tap into the size tag comparison or the boost sole comparison — whatever you’ll need.
Make sure you download it!
Have a look at the shape and the height of the sock liner.
By sock liner, I mean the distance between the sole and the place where your ankle is exposed. Notice how the cut is deeper and different shape-wise.
Some people claim that authentic Yeezy Boost 350 pairs may have the sock liner shaped low as well.
In order to be sure, make sure you also check the boost guide – a low sock liner on a pair that shows other fake confirmation points is just the cherry on the cake.
Here are two other examples of fake vs real Yeezy Boost 350 Turtle Dove and Oxford Tan comparisons. Notice the different shapes of the sock liners.
Once again, the way the sock liner is cut is maybe too angular, too low or simply showing lower quality craftsmanship.
This point of our legit check guide is yet another way to spot the fake Yeezy Boost 350 V1 by comparing the manufacturing quality.
As stated in many of our articles, fake manufacturers will always tend to use cheaper factory equipment so they can earn more per pair — as opposed to Adidas equipment, which more or less aims at creating high-quality sneakers.
Notice the way the middle stitching looks on both shoes. On this authentic Yeezy Boost 350 V1 Oxford Tan, the stitching is visibly higher in terms of quality and also denser.
In other words, more threads are being used to create this middle stitching.
Another way to spot fake Yeezy Boost 350 V1 is to have a look from above — the bird’s eye view. Let’s see an example of a counterfeit vs authentic Pirate Black Yeezy comparison.
As it can be seen in the comparison above, the middle stitching should curve a little bit on the exterior side of each sneaker.
Careful though! The highlighted fake Yeezy 350 is indeed curving, but the other fake sneaker has a perfectly straight line. Besides, the middle stitching of the fake shoe seems to be too random, going on both sides.
Once again, the insole of the Adidas YZY 350 V1 is a detail that yields possible tell for spotting fakes.
Because the insoles are a detail that does not matter as much in the mission of convincing people to buy counterfeit YZYs, they’re overlooked in some cases. Let’s look at the authentic vs replica comparison below.
We’ve highlighted the “®” on the authentic pair to point out that fake sometimes comes with a poorly manufactured character. It is the case with the pair above, though it may be hard to spot it.
Nonetheless, zooming in will reveal it. Besides this detail, we’ve highlighted those dots found on the Adidas trefoil logo.
Please note that some authentic insoles come with these dots, however, it is the case that fake Yeezy 350 V1 comes with more of these dots. Sometimes, in irregular positions.
For instance, the dot found on one of the two stripes (highlighted next to the ® character) should never be there on an authentic pair.
The verdict? Some dots can come with authentic pairs, but never too many. And never in weird places like on the stripes of the trefoil Adidas logo.
Flipping over the insole, we need to analyse the text that comes printed. As you can see, the fake Yeezy 350 V1 insole’s text is bolded, thus revealing the lower quality factory equipment that fake manufacturers use.
Anything that looks bolder than what you see on the left side in the example above should be deemed as a counterfeit Yeezy.
Note: this text (the one that gets in touch with the heel when wearing these sneakers) tends to peel away quickly, on both authentic and fake pairs. It’s true, it peels away at a quicker rate on fake pairs, but nonetheless missing this text on a worn pair of 350 V1s is not (necessarily) a bad sign.
As a last tell for the fake insole, have a look at the side print. Over here, a code and a size interval are embossed.
However, something like this should never happen: having this text slashed or not fully printed.
This is only happening on fake pairs. Top-tier replica pairs get this right, so it’s not the most reliable tell, but as soon as something like this is noticed, you can surely deem the pair as fake.
While the full guide is long, here’s how I’d go about authenticating the Yeezy Pirate Black, Moonrock, Turtledove or Oxford Tan really quick. I would:
But hey, you don’t need to remember all these. We’ve organised all this information pretty nicely in the Legit Check App. Make sure you head over to legitcheck.app to download it!
Over there you’ll also find many more guides for a lot of items — we’re going as deep as we can in our replica vs authentic comparisons.
We understand how difficult it might be to buy the Adidas Yeezy 350 V1 since they’re sold out everywhere.
The best way to buy these sneakers is to resort to a third-party reseller who has been stocking (i.e. storing these shoes unworn) this model.
Because of this, we’ve written a guide on how to buy safely online without getting scammed.
We’re answering their multiple questions such as:
Find the guide we’ve written on buying streetwear safely online here.
It’s one of the services we offer.
We’re putting out all these guides which will be free forever, but if for some reason you still have doubts, we’re happy to have a look for you.
The process is simple: send us pictures of the pair you want authenticated and we’ll come back with a verdict in 24 to 48 hours (sometimes even faster).
Thank you for reading this,
Ch Daniel and Ch David
