This is the ultimate, most in-depth Yeezy 350 (V1) legit check guide.
Let’s begin.
How to tell if Yeezy Boost 350 V1 are fake
You can tell if Yeezy Boost 350 V1 are fake by checking the suede patch and the size tag. The suede patch must be “hairy”, and the size tag should have thin inscriptions — replica manufacturers always flaw these little details!
1. Suede patch size
1.1. Turtle Dove
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.
The fake suede patch is also rougher on legit Yeezy pairs and “scruffier”.
Finding it too hard? Legit check your Yeezys with our experts:
1.2. Moonrock
The fake suede patch isn’t as textured as the real one.
The authentic suede patch is “hairier” compared to the fake Moonrock pair.
The colour of the Yeezy 350 V1 patch may vary due to lightning
It’s harder to take this tell into account when assessing used pairs, as the patches get altered with wear.
1.3. Oxford Tan
The fake 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:
1.4. Pirate Black
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.
Let’s see another comparison:
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.
Spot out the logo issue in this picture below:
It goes without saying, this Adidas Originals logo found on the interior side of the Yeezy Boost 350 V1 is misplaced.
It is not centred in the middle of the patch.
2. Barcode scan
We’ll boil down the basics here with barcode test examples for the 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:
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.
2.1. Interpret the results
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.
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 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.
As highlighted with the hand emoji, the fake Yeezy 350 has a “ghost boost dot” that shouldn’t be there.
Boost dots are too close on the fakes and less defined.
Authentic boost is visibly more defined.
Fake boost is made out of circular pellets, while the authentic boost is more “cut”.
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.
3.2. Newer fakes
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.
4. Size tag
Before we start explaining this point, it’s worth noting that the Yeezy Boost 350 Turtle Dove 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!
We recommend either sticking to our comparison above, especially to point number 6. A lot of legit checks stop at the ® flaw.
Notice how the characters here use a different font. Besides that, the fake size tag’s “0” character is too bolded at the top and at the bottom. Also worth noting is the fact that the “10” is not centred on the fake size tag.
Compare the “½” character in both size tags and you’ll notice the different bolding weights, especially on the slash.
Not only do both “4” characters use a different font than the authentic version, but both “4” characters on the fake size tag are different from each other. Besides, the gap in the character (in the middle of “4”) varies
Here, your size tag can have “APY” written — that’s totally fine, authentic size tags come with both “APE” and “APY” prints. Nonetheless, notice the bolder font on the fake size tag. Also worth noting is how the slash in “MALE/MÂLE is bolder, touching the APE font on the fake size tag. That does not happen on the authentic Yeezy 350 V1 size tag.
Once again, we can point out the bolder font on the fake size tag. Pay attention to the “Q” in this example and look as well at how the printing quality is lower on the fake Yeezy Boost 350 V1 size tag. The lines in “A” are fuzzier on the counterfeit tag.
This is the most important tell in my opinion and we’ll have a closer look at this below, in a separate picture. The ® character is hardly legible on the authentic size tag, but the fake Yeezy Boost 350 V1 size tag has a completely dark circle printed over there.
This code will vary but once again you’ll have to find inconsistencies with the print. Notice how the last characters on the fake tag (“00002”) are sinking or how the “4” at the beginning of this code is smaller than the “Q”. Authentic size tag is better printed in this regard.
The “8” character comes in a different shape.
Irregular print, one more time. Notice the bottom line of the “2” that’s too fat or the fuzzier print lines.
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 the lines are drawn.
4.1. Close-ups
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 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:
Notice the different fonts used: the “R” in “FR”, the “0” character
Notice the fuzzier lines on the fake size tag
Notice the “10” under “US” on the fake size tag — it’s not centred
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.
5. Canvas
Another flaw found in the fakes is that the pattern on the side doesn’t curve enough, proportionately to the sneaker’s canvas.
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:
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:
Using our Yeezy 350 authentication service where we’ll help you authenticate your sneakers by having a look at the pictures. Or even offer a letter stating publicly the status of the shoe — check the buttons at the end of the page
Sticking to the other points. The pattern comparison might just be a confirmation point for someone who has doubts about the authenticity of a pair, but the other guides should make it clear already, in most cases.
By the way, if all this information seems 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.
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 on the fake Yeezy 350.
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.
Here’s one last comparison for the sock liner:
Once again, the way the sock liner is cut is maybe too angular, too low or simply showing lower-quality craftsmanship.
7. Middle stitching
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:
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.
8. Insole
8.1. Rear
Authentic picture courtesy of Chris De Roy
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 the 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.
8.2. Front
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.
8.3. Serial number
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.
Shortlist: How to tell fake Yeezy 350 V1
Have a look at the suede patch, and check-in for the hairy material. If you know how to tell between the smaller suede patch found on the legit pairs and the bigger one found on the fakes, it’s even better.
Scan the barcode found on the box;s label of the V1s, so I can check if it matches other authentic pairs’ labels.
Look for the “ghost dot” on the boost sole, and see if it appears. And then I would analyze the shape of the boost pellets.
Pay attention to the size tag, and see if there are any fuzzy lines (or at least fuzzier than they should be) or any inconsistency
Check out the side pattern and see if it is curving properly
See the sock liner and understand if it is not too “cut” or too low.
Check the middle stitching, and see if there’s rich, high-quality stitching.
Look out for the insole text print, make sure it’s not too bold.
While the full guide is long, this is how I’d go about authenticating the Yeezy Pirate Black, Moonrock, Turtledove or Oxford Tan really quickly.
But hey, you don’t need to remember all this. 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.
Where can I buy an authentic Yeezy Boost 350 V1?
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:
Where can I find these resellers?
How can I trust them?
What extra measures should I take to trust a reseller and transact properly?
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
80+ Safest Places to Buy Items Online From
Want to avoid scams for your next sneaker, watch, designer item or bag? Enter your email address and we'll send the FREE guide over.
About the Author
Ch Daniel is the co-founder and co-CEO of Legit Check By Ch, one of the world's leading companies in product authentications. Daniel's experience: 8+ years in the luxury industry, 7+ years in the authentication industry, 10+ years of business development. Currently, Daniel is overseeing the development of new products of Legit Check By Ch.
