Adidas Is Bringing Back Yeezys, Starting With ‘Black Pirate’

• On May 19, Adidas announced that it would sell its $1.3 billion stockpile of Yeezy inventory.
• The decision was months in the making, and was preferred to donating and burning the inventory.
• Now, we know the Yeezy Boost 350 “Pirate Black” will be the first to come back on the market. 

Adidas is re-releasing a popular Yeezy from the past.

On May 19, Adidas announced that it would sell its $1.3 billion stockpile of Yeezy inventory and donate proceeds to organizations representing people who were hurt by Ye’s anti-Semitic comments last year. 

Now we know which Yeezy will be the first to come back on the market. 

The Yeezy Boost 350 “Pirate Black” is making its grand return on May 31, according to Hypebeast.

​​It’ll be the first time consumers can buy Yeezy items at retail since October when Adidas severed ties with Kanye West after a series of anti-Semitic rants by the rapper and designer now known as Ye. 

Adidas declined Insider’s request for additional comment.

The Yeezy Boost 350 “Pirate Black” was last released in 2016 during the peak of Adidas Yeezy hype. At the time, Adidas produced limited pairs of Yeezys, which fueled consumer demand for models like the Yeezy Boost 350 and Yeezy Boost 750. 

The coveted “Pirate Black” colorway will retail for $200, according to reports. The price tag is less than the $230 Adidas charged for Yeezy 350 and 350 V2 models in 2022 before the company terminated its deal with Ye. 

The decision was months in the making and was preferred to burning the inventory and donating it, the company said. 

“We believe this is the best solution as it respects the created designs and produced shoes, it works for our people, resolves an inventory problem, and will have a positive impact in our communities,” Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden said in a statement.

Gulden told analysts on a March earnings call that If the Yeezy sneakers were donated, “they will come back again,” referring to the resale value of the inventory. 

“The value of the product is not the physical value of the ingredients,” he said. “It’s a brand and merchandise that is sold at a high price.”

The “Pirate Black” Yeezy Boost 350 sneakers are one of many Yeezys coming back beginning at the end of May, according to Adidas. Others include popular colorways like the Yeezy 350 V2 “Zebra” and the Yeezy 500 “Utility Black.” Multiple Yeezy Slide and Foam RNNR options are also set to release.