adidas Yeezy Boost 750 OG 'Light Brown/Gum'

West's first shoe after Nike

Kanye West left Nike in the fall of 2013, frustrated over how small Nike kept his releases and over royalties. On December 3, 2013, adidas confirmed a new shoe deal with him. More than a year of rumors and teasing followed before the first product arrived.

That product was the Yeezy Boost 750. It was a high-top, the opposite of the low, knit sneaker most people now picture when they hear 'Yeezy.' The upper was light brown suede with a perforated toe, held down by a wide strap across the midfoot, and a zipper on the side made it easy to slip on. Under the foot sat adidas's Boost foam, wrapped in a matching sole unit.

Adidas announced the name on February 8, 2015. That same night West performed his song 'Only One,' recorded with Paul McCartney, at the Grammy Awards, wearing the 750 with a red velvet adidas sweatsuit.

Ten minutes in New York

The 750 went on sale on Saturday, February 14, 2015, only in New York, timed to NBA All-Star Weekend and New York Fashion Week. One retrospective release list dates the drop to February 15; most accounts give the 14th. Retail was $350.

Adidas sold the shoe in a new way. Shoppers reserved pairs ahead of time on the adidas Confirmed app, a first-of-its-kind sneaker reservation app, for pickup at select adidas and partner stores and a Brooklyn pop-up. A few independent New York shops sold pairs outside the app. The first run was 9,000 pairs, and it sold out within 10 minutes.

Between February 21 and 28, more retailers received the Light Brown colorway. West, meanwhile, staged his first adidas clothing presentation at New York Fashion Week on February 12, two days before the shoes went on sale.

How to identify an OG pair

The 2015 shoe carries style code B35309. Look for the light brown suede upper, the perforated vamp, the wide strap across the midfoot, the zipper on the side panel and a matching sole unit over Boost foam.

Collectors call it the 'OG' to separate it from later 750s. In October 2016 adidas released a 'Chocolate' 750 in a darker brown suede under a different style code, BY2456, also at $350. The 2015 Light Brown is the original.

The start of a billion-dollar line

The 750 opened the door, and the low-top Yeezy Boost 350 walked through it later in 2015, starting with the 'Turtle Dove' on June 27. The 350 became the line's signature shoe. By 2020, Yeezy sneakers were bringing in nearly $1.7 billion a year, with $191 million in royalties to West, and the brand made up about a tenth of adidas's revenue.

The partnership ended badly. Adidas cut ties with West on October 25, 2022, warning of a short-term hit of up to $250 million. In February 2023 the two sides reached a deal to sell the remaining $500 million of Yeezy stock that year.

Through all of it, the Light Brown 750 stayed where it started: the first adidas Yeezy, made in a run of 9,000 pairs and sold out before most of New York knew it was there.

The numbers

Release date

February 14, 2015 (New York); wider release February 21-28, 2015

Retail price

$350

Style code

B35309

Production

9,000 pairs in the first release

Sell-out time

Within 10 minutes

Release method

Reservations on the adidas Confirmed app, plus select New York shops

Timeline

1. 2013

   West leaves Nike in the fall.

2. Dec 3, 2013

   Adidas confirms a new shoe deal with West.

3. Feb 8, 2015

   Adidas announces the Yeezy Boost 750; West wears it while performing 'Only One' at the Grammys.

4. Feb 12, 2015

   West shows his first adidas clothing at New York Fashion Week.

5. Feb 14, 2015

   The 750 releases in New York during All-Star Weekend: 9,000 pairs, sold out within 10 minutes.

6. Feb 21, 2015

   Wider retailer distribution of the Light Brown begins, running through February 28.

7. Jun 27, 2015

   The Yeezy Boost 350 'Turtle Dove' releases.

8. Oct 15, 2016

   Adidas releases the darker 'Chocolate' 750.

9. Oct 25, 2022

   Adidas ends its partnership with West.

10. Feb 2023

    Adidas and West agree to sell the remaining $500 million of Yeezy stock.

The world in 2015

• Feb 1, 2015

  The New England Patriots beat the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 in Super Bowl XLIX.

• Feb 8, 2015

  West performs 'Only One' at the Grammy Awards.

• Apr 11, 2015

  President Obama and Cuba's Raul Castro meet at the Summit of the Americas in Panama.

• Jun 16, 2015

  The Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers for the NBA title.

• Jun 26, 2015

  The Supreme Court rules 5-4 in Obergefell v. Hodges that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage.

• Dec 18, 2015

  Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens in the U.S.

Price record

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 750 OG 'Light Brown/Gum' is number 38 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 (93 here) is editorial: how much an object defines its field, not price alone.

Did you know

• The first adidas Yeezy was a high-top with a zipper, nothing like the low knit 350 that followed.
• West debuted the shoe on live TV at the Grammys, six days before it went on sale.
• The release introduced adidas's Confirmed app, a first-of-its-kind sneaker reservation app.
• The first 9,000 pairs sold out within 10 minutes.
• By 2020, the Yeezy line earned West $191 million in royalties in a year.
• Adidas was left with $500 million of unsold Yeezy stock after the 2022 split.