FLOAT 100 · Sneakers · No. 94
adidas Yeezy Boost 350 'Pirate Black'
The second Yeezy Boost 350 was black, knit and easy to wear with anything, and adidas kept bringing it back, which is exactly why the 2015 original, with its own style code, is the pair collectors look for.
- Year
- 2015
- Maker
- adidas
- By price in sneakers
- 48 of 100
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Create a free account- Shoe
- adidas Yeezy Boost 350 'Pirate Black,' style AQ2659, colorway Pirate Black/Pirate Black-Pirate Black
- Released
- August 22, 2015
- Retail price
- $200
- Place in the line
- The second Yeezy Boost 350 colorway, after the 'Turtle Dove'
- Construction
- One-piece black and grey Primeknit upper, full-length Boost midsole, YZY embossed on leather on the inside, red stitching on the heel tab
- Sizing
- Offered in half sizes
- Reissues
- February 2016, and May 31, 2023 under style code BB5350
- How to tell the original
- The 2015 pair carries AQ2659; the 2023 restock carries BB5350
Black, after the Turtle Dove
Kanye West's adidas Yeezy line opened with the high-top Yeezy Boost 750 in February 2015, and the low-top Yeezy Boost 350 followed on June 27 with the grey-and-white 'Turtle Dove.' The black version came next.
The Pirate Black released on August 22, 2015, at $200. It used the same recipe as the first 350: a one-piece Primeknit upper, a full-length Boost midsole, canvas at the heel and 'YZY' embossed on leather on the inside of the shoe. The knit mixed black and grey, and red stitching ran along the heel pull tab.
Pre-release reports noted the shoe would come in half sizes. Available sources do not give a production figure.
The 350's first year
The 350 was the shoe that made the Yeezy name mainstream. It was first shown at West's Yeezy Season 1 presentation at New York Fashion Week on February 12, 2015, and in October 2015 Footwear News named it the year's Shoe of the Year.
Adidas spaced the early colorways across the year. After the Turtle Dove in June and the Pirate Black in August came the 'Moonrock' on November 14 and the 'Oxford Tan' on December 29, 2015.
Of the four, the Pirate Black was the most wearable. One shop describes it as perhaps the most popular colorway of the line's most popular silhouette, a shoe that could be dressed up or worn casually, and a sneaker magazine wrote that its versatility kept it among the most sought-after pairs nearly a decade later.
AQ2659 versus BB5350
Unlike the Turtle Dove, the Pirate Black's 2023 reissue came under a new style code, which makes the original easy to sort out. The 2015 pair is AQ2659. Adidas restocked the shoe in February 2016, and the 2023 restock carries BB5350. Sources do not agree on the code used for the 2016 pairs, so check it on any pair said to be from that year.
The shoe returned again on May 31, 2023, through the adidas Confirmed app, as style BB5350, colorway Pirate Black/Blue Graphite-Core Black. Reports differ on its price: one gives $200 and another $230. The 2023 pairs kept the black and grey Primeknit, red heel-tab stitching and black Boost sole of the original.
When buying, check the size tag first. A pair labeled AQ2659 is from the original 2015 run; a pair labeled BB5350 is a reissue, whatever the box says.
After the split
Adidas ended its partnership with West on October 25, 2022, after his public antisemitic statements, and was left with unsold Yeezy inventory. In February 2023 the two sides reached a deal to sell the remaining $500 million of Yeezy stock that year.
The 2023 Pirate Black restock was part of that sale. Adidas chief executive Bjorn Gulden said the company would donate proceeds to organizations working to combat discrimination and hate, including racism and antisemitism.
That history gives the 2015 AQ2659 pair a clear place: it is the first-year version of a shoe adidas later made in much larger numbers, from the season when the 350 was new.
The numbers
- Release date
- August 22, 2015
- Retail price
- $200
- Style code
- AQ2659 (2015); BB5350 (2023 restock)
- Colorway
- Pirate Black/Pirate Black-Pirate Black
- Production
- Not stated in available sources
- Restocks
- February 2016; May 31, 2023 ($200 or $230, reports differ)
Timeline
Adidas confirms a new shoe deal with Kanye West.
The 350 is unveiled at Yeezy Season 1 during New York Fashion Week.
The first 350, the 'Turtle Dove,' releases.
The Pirate Black releases at $200, style AQ2659.
Footwear News names the 350 its Shoe of the Year.
The 'Moonrock' 350 releases.
The Pirate Black is restocked.
Adidas ends its partnership with West.
Adidas and West agree to sell the remaining $500 million of Yeezy stock.
The Pirate Black returns through the Confirmed app as BB5350.
The world in 2015
The New England Patriots beat the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 in Super Bowl XLIX.
President Obama and Cuba's Raul Castro meet at the Summit of the Americas in Panama.
The Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers for the NBA title.
The Supreme Court rules 5-4 in Obergefell v. Hodges that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage.
Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis is jailed for contempt after refusing to issue marriage licenses.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens in the U.S.
Price record
| Date | Price | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 3, 2026 | $1,164 | Asking price, not a saleLowest listing at a U.S. sneaker shop for style AQ2659; prices vary by size. |
This is an asking price, not a sale. It is what a seller wanted on the date shown. Asking prices often sit above what buyers pay, but an ask is not a ceiling: a sale can land on either side of it. It is not a value.
By reference price, adidas Yeezy Boost 350 'Pirate Black' is number 48 of 100 in the sneakers entries of the FLOAT 100. 22 of those 100 rest on a realized sale; the rest carry an asking price or a guide value, and each page says which. Rank within the FLOAT 100 itself (94 here) is editorial: how much an object defines its field, not price alone.
Did you know
- The 2015 Pirate Black and its 2023 restock carry different style codes: AQ2659 and BB5350.
- It was the second Yeezy Boost 350 colorway, two months after the Turtle Dove.
- Its 'YZY' mark is embossed on a leather panel on the inside of the shoe, not the outside.
- Adidas said it would donate proceeds from the 2023 Yeezy stock sales to groups fighting hate and discrimination.
- The 350 was named Footwear News's Shoe of the Year in its first year.
How this page is made
- The figure
- One reference price, shown with its own kind. FLOAT does not average it with anything or adjust it for time.
- Realized or not
- A realized price is a completed sale. An asking price, an estimate and a price-guide value are not sales, and are labeled as such wherever they appear.
- The story
- Researched from published records and checked fact by fact. Updated Oct 3, 2026.
- Archive
- Oct 5, 2026