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If you are a big fan of the Yeezy-Adidas collection and you are looking to cop a new pair of sneakers, then you should check out the Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Clay.
Released on March 2019, the Yeezy V2 Clay comes in a tan-colored Primeknit upper with orange accents and is designed with the unique features of the Yeezy 350 V2 line.
Because of the abundance of replicas of this colorway on the market, we have created this 12 steps legit check guide to help you differentiate between a fake and the real Yeezy V2 Clay.
The quickest way to check if you have a fake Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Clay is to inspect the size tag and the box labeling of the sneakers.
Check for inconsistencies in the quality of printing on the size tag and the box label, check the size code to see if it aligns with the version you have. Any inconsistencies with either of the two indicators is a good sign that you have a less than authentic pair.
While the size tag and the box label may be the two most obvious indicators when verifying the authenticity status of the V2 Clay, they are by no means the only indicators.
In this comparison guide, we have compiled 12 indicators along with image illustrations that can help you determine if your sneakers are fake or real.
At the end of this detailed guide, we will also provide a quick 12 step solution to identifying a fake pair of Yeezy V2 Clay.
Now, below are the steps to follow when authenticating your sneakers to ensure you are not wearing fake sneakers.
For the very first step of the authentication process, you will be required to scan the barcode on the box of the V2 Clay.
The barcode is such a great indicator of authenticity because it is typically ignored by the manufacturers of fake sneakers as they believe a lot of consumers do not pay attention to it.
Luckily for you, the lack of research and effort in duplicating the barcode can help you avoid being scammed out of your money. To scan the barcode of the Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Clay, we recommend using the Legit Check App.
The Legit Check App works by checking the scanned barcode against the unique barcode of other Yeezy sneakers online. Every Yeezy sneakers have a unique barcode that relates to a specific combination of:
First off, download and install the Legit Check App.
Next, tap on the barcode scan icon and focus in on the barcode on the box of your Yeezy V2 Clay.
From the results, you will want to look for matches that confirm the authenticity status of your Yeezy Boost V2 Clay.
If the results show a lot of confirmations on Google for that code like in the picture below, then you can be certain your box is real.
Now, it is important to note that a code can only match when the results align with the size-colorway combination on the box.
If either of the two matches, say the size matches but the colorway doesn’t or vice versa, then the box is not authentic.
The picture below shows an illustration of what a fake sneaker barcode scan looks like.
Remember, the barcode scan is not always a reliable tell of the authenticity of the sneakers because although the box might be authentic, the sneakers itself might have been swapped for fake ones by the fake manufacturers.
For the second step, you will need to inspect the details of the size tag. Now, it is pertinent to note that every colorway in the Yeezy 350 V2 line has unique misprints and inconsistencies on their size tag and as such, what might count as a discrepancy on one colorway might be genuine on another.
That said, as seen in the image below, there are 12 inconsistencies you are likely to encounter on the fake size tag of the Yeezy V2 Clay when comparing it against the authentic Adidas manufactured label.
The “Made In China” on the top row of the size tag indicates that the sneakers were produced in China.
On the fake size tag, you will notice that the text is significantly bolder and as a consequence of the thicker characters, some corners are rounded compared to the well defined and sharply printed edges on the authentic size tag. This is particularly noticeable in letters I and M.
Beyond the shape of the letters, you will also notice some inconsistencies in the text.
For instance, the leftmost leg of M and bottom right corner of D, you will notice some signs of ink pooling owing to the poor quality of printing associated with replicas.
The second row is the country indicator row where the US UK FR JP CHN text print is featured.
On the authentic size tag, you will notice that there’s more space between the US UK FR JP CHN row and the two lines bounding the text, above and below.
On the fake size tag, however, the text is almost touching both lines owing to the thicker and more substantial letters on the row.
The third row featuring the size number prints has some noticeable differences that can help you identify a fake from the real sneakers.
On the fake sneakers, you will notice that the structure of the ½ differs from one of the real labels. Also, as a result of the poor quality of printing, the text is significantly thicker on the fake size tag and you will also see more fuzzy lines on the letters than usual.
Please note that having either CLU, APE or EVN inscriptions here is fine. All these inscriptions can be found both on the replicas and the authentic tags, therefore we don’t consider this a reliable indicator when differentiating the real Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Clay from the fake one.
At the bottom left-hand corner of the size, the tag is the Adidas Logo. While the difference here may not be noticeable at first glance, it is there.
On the authentic size tag, you will notice that there is just one dot inscription above the logo.
Wherea, on the fake size tag, you will see blots of dark ink all around this area, an indication of the poor quality printing from the fake manufacturers.
Now, proceed to inspect the Adidas text itself. When comparing the two text, pay attention to the dot on the letter “i”. You will notice that the dot on the I is longer on the fakes than it is on the authentic Yeezy V2 Clay size tag.
The longer dot is as a result of ink blotting owing to the poorer quality of printing usually found on replicas.
Besides the Adidas text is the ® character. If you have the fake sneakers, you will notice the ® touching the “s” on the “Adidas” as opposed to the spaced-out ® character which doesn’t touch the “Adidas” text below it on the authentic label.
As pointed out in the image, this is the text on the last row of the size tag. Here, owing to the poor quality of printing, you will notice ink pooling at the bottom of the letters on the fake size tag.
This ink pooling is especially obvious in the letter B and the letter J.
Whereas in the authentic size tag, the letters are finely printed with no signs of ink pooling.
Please note that this text will always vary, so do not consider this specific inscription as a way of spotting the fake.
On the fake size tag, this text is significantly bolder and more substantial than the thinner letters on the real Yeezy 350 Clay size tag.
The inconsistency in the printing, in this case, can easily be spotted by looking at the letter “E”
The next indicator to Inspect on the size tag is the MALE/MÂLE text. Here, you will notice that the extension of the slash found in the inscription above hits MALE/MÂLE in a different spot.
Also, as with the rest of the text on the fake size tag, the inscription appears to be bolder on the fakes and you will also observe inconsistent line widths in the pillars of M.
This text here indicates the month and year of production for that particular sneakers.
It is important to note that the production date text varies so we do not consider this to be a reliable tell when authenticating the Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Clay.
However, if the text print for the date of manufacture on your sneakers is bolder than it appears to be on the original size tag, then there are increased chances that your sneakers were not manufactured by Adidas.
For the last indicator of authenticity in the size tag, you will have to go back to the first row where the Made In China text is.
Here, pay attention to the variance in negative space in the letter “A”. On the fake size tag, space is smaller than the space on the real size tag as a consequence of the bolder letter in the text.
Once you are done with scanning the barcode and inspecting the size tag of your Yeezy V2 Clay for inconsistencies, the next step will be to check the box label of your sneakers.
When inspecting the label, there are two things you should look out for – the size and the serial number on the box.
To fully understand the discrepancy you should be looking out for on the label, you must first understand how the numbers on the label are presented.
First off, all sneakers in the Yeezy V2 line are released in two versions – the US version and the international version.
The US version features three sizes on the label – US, UK, and F. While the US size are in large print, the other two are in smaller prints under it.
The international version of the sneakers displays 6 countries (US, UK, F, D, J, and CHN) sizes and all 6 of them are in equal prints on the label.
Now regarding the serial number, if it is a US version, the serial number is supposed to end with a V02 or V03. However, the international (Canadian/European) versions end with a V10.
Any deviation from this pattern is an obvious sign that you are dealing with a fake product.
As seen in the image below, the authentic label which is an international version has a serial number that ends with V10 as opposed to the fake one which ends with a V10 despite being a US version.
For the full story of how to spot the fake box of the Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Clay, read see this article.
For the fourth step in the authentication process, you will inspect the lacing pattern of your V2 Clay.
All sneakers in the Yeezy-Adidas collection have one particular lacing pattern and if you notice any inconsistencies with the lacing style upon unboxing your sneakers for the first time, then you are most likely dealing with a fake product.
About the lacing style, it goes like this: on the left shoe, the left lace will go under the right lace and on the right shoe, the right lace will go under the left lace.
However, we do not consider this to be a foolproof indicator of authenticity. This is because the fake manufacturer can choose to relace their sneakers following the authentic pattern such that they look exactly alike which may trick unsuspecting buyers into believing a fake is original.
A quick look at the boost sole of your V2 Clay can help you determine if you are dealing with an authentic sneaker or a replica sneaker.
On the authentic pair, the boost is usually quite bubbly compared to the slightly stiffer boost on the sole of the fakes.
Also, there is less differentiation between the boost pellets on the genuine pair and the striped circles are more sharply-defined.
However, regarding the striped circles on the boost sole, if you are looking at a fake, you will notice that the replicas always have a “mathematical” pattern to the circles, compared to the more randomized pattern on the real sneakers.
Lastly, let’s see another fake Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Clay boost sole example.
For this comparison, we have included 2 pictures to give you a better view of the middle stitching.
For the first image, you will first need to flip the shoe to the other side. As you can see, the middle stitching is significantly thicker on the replicas, whereas on the authentic pairs, the structure is noticeably different.
For the second picture which is a front view of the middle stitching, you can see the same flaw that was displayed at the back of the sneakers is here albeit present to a lesser degree.
Once again, the stitching is weaker and less dense on the fake sneaker.
The toe box of the V2 Clay is a good indicator of authenticity because of how it is structured in the real and fake sneakers.
On the replica of the Yeezy 350 V2 Clay, as shown in the picture below, the toe box is more “inflated”, thus leading to a different structure of the sneaker.
Whereas on the authentic sneakers, the toe box sits “flatter” and as you can see, the angle between the sole and the ground is significantly lower.
Pay attention to this as it’s a blatant flaw that can be easily noticed with the naked eye.
We’ve attached two comparison images to give you both the side and front views of how the toe box looks on the original and fake sneakers.
All the sneakers in the Yeezy Boost 350 collection have one unique shape and while it may be difficult to tell a replica from a fake at first glance, the difference is definitely there.
On the fake pair of the V2 Clay, this difference can be spotted in the opening. The opening is wider on fakes and the authentic pairs appear to have a different structure.
So if your sneakers appear to have a wider opening than normal, then you could be looking at a fake.
Next, you will need to inspect the gum sole of your sneakers. The indicator to pay attention to in this case is the color of the sneakers.
As you can see in the first picture, the gum sole on the fake sneakers has a more vibrant/bright color shade to it than the authentic one.
In the second picture which we have inserted to help the comparison, apart from the color difference on the fake sole, you will also notice a difference in the way the gradient of these colors is applied.
The pull tab stitching might seem like a very minor detail but it can be a reliable tell when you need to confirm the authenticity status of your Yeezy V2 Clay.
Here, pay attention to how the stitching on the authentic pull tab is denser, stronger and brightly-colored. On the other hand, the stitching on replicas will appear less dense and not as neatly done as the one on the authentic pair.
The difference can also be spotted on the rear side of the pull tab, where the brightly colored stitching outline is missing on the fake.
For this step, you will need to ensure that the lighting is bright enough if you want accurate results.
As seen in the picture, you will notice that the fake V2 Clay has a less transparent sole compared to the almost translucent sole on the genuine sneakers.
As such, if the “window” into the boost of your sneakers is more opaque than it is supposed to be, then your sneakers is most likely a replica of the original.
The insole of the Yeezy V2 Clay features three indicators with small details which can help you confirm the authenticity status of your sneakers.
On the rear of the insole is the Adidas Trefoil logo. Here, you should be looking to spot any differences between the Adidas Trefoil logo and the outline emboss of the logo.
You will notice that the print is significantly deeper on the authentic insole, this is especially evident in the way shadows create depth in the picture.
Also, you will spot an exaggerated distance between the “Adidas” text and the outline on the fake sneakers, whereas the outline and the text are more closely embossed in the authentic logo.
Still, in the text, the characters in “Adidas” are thicker on the fake insole than it appears to be on the real sneakers.
The Adidas trefoil logo stripes are also thicker while the ® engraving is currently smaller on the fake insole.
This time on the inside of the insole, you will notice that the text is thinner on the fake insole, this indicator is highlighted on the second letter Y which is visibly bigger than what is on the insole of the original pair of the sneakers.
As a result of the bolder letters, the space between the letters on the fake insole is shorter compared to the more even spacing on the real insole.
On the side of the Yeezy V2 Clay insole is a serial number. On the fakes, the text is considerably thicker than it appears to be on the original and as a consequence, there’s less space between letters. This is especially evident in the dash character between 5 and 9.
We understand how it might be difficult for you to spot some of these differences without having a fake and real pair next to each other.
That is we recommend that you download our app, where we organized all this information (along with other fake vs real guides for streetwear items) properly so that you will be able to pull up this visual comparison fast.
You will not always have the time or patience to go through all 12 detailed authentication steps when you need to authenticate your V2 Clay.
That is why we have compiled this quick 60 seconds solution to authenticating your sneakers. Below are the top 12 indicators that can help you determine if you have a fake pair of sneakers or the real deal.
If you need help with the authentication of your Yeezy Boost V2 Clay, we’ve got you covered.
All you have to do is send us high-quality pictures of your V2 Clay and we will get back to you with the results within 24 to 48 hours. The results will also come with a report on why we believe your sneakers are fake or authentic.
That brings us to the end of our real vs fake Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Clay guide. We will continue to update this article as better and newer comparisons are put out.
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Thank you for reading this,
Ch Daniel and Ch David
