A few weeks ago, adidas announced the latest iteration of the YEEZY BOOST 700 range. With the extension of its partnership with Kanye West, the brand dropped a new colourway for one of its most popular YEEZY sneakers since its drop at Yeezy Season 5 fashion show in February 2017. The all-new YEEZY BOOST 700 Bright Blue brings a fresh take on the sneaker, with a standout colour palette, while keeping to it distinct features to give it its sought-after vibes.
YEEZY BOOST 700 Bright Blue Design and Build
In terms of the design, the sneaker is split into three segments. The upper, also split into two, and the bottom – the midsole.
For the upper, it’s crafted in full-grain leather above, with suede overlays on the mid-section, rear and forefoot. The darker sections are made of nubuck leather. All three materials offer a premium look and feel, making it stand out, even without the YEEZY tag.
The YEEZY BOOST 700 Bright Blue features bold, contrasting colours. This includes two shades of blue – the mesh materials are a lighter shade with the leather and suede in darker colours. The bottom section of the upper features black and dark green colours. Dark green is a surprising choice but works well.
Additionally, the sneaker has underlying reflective materials. There are three areas where it’s found. First, there are two “eyes” on both the lateral and medial sides. The second is less obvious, but still easily spotted on the rear. Lastly, there are the three stripes in the middle of the sneaker. It lies below a mesh covering but is visible when light is shone on it.
The midsole is housed within a sculpted casing. It may be known as Bright Blue but the orange colour stands out from the rest. The orange shell houses the BOOST midsole, which lies beneath. More on that later.
The outsole is made of charcoal-coloured rubber. It may be a lot more subtle than many of other elements, but when it gets dirty, it’ll be hard to notice. A wise choice.
Finally, we have the laces. The YEEZY BOOST 700 Bright Blue continues the theme of all-white laces, contrasted against the rest of the sneaker. The entire sneaker’s colours were made to be in contrast with one another. This is done well across the entire design.
YEEZY BOOST 700 Bright Blue Comfort
While one would assume that most of the elements focus solely on the design. But there’s quite a lot of function when it comes to the choice of materials to compliment the build. For starters, the materials are soft to touch. Not only does this make for a subtly appearance and feel, it’s quite stretchy. It provides quite a significant amount of support and are also very durable.
One of my first thoughts when unboxing the YEEZY BOOST 700 Bright Blue was how big it is. But there’s a reason for this. Well, at least in my opinion. There is quite a significant amount of cushioning on the inside of the sneaker by means of extra padding. The padding is found on the insole, the inside of the tongue, the collar, the heel and all the way down to the forefoot.
Despite its thickness as a result of the padding, the sneaker is quite breathable. It means your feet won’t overheat that quickly. It’s a great balance of form and function.
Switching to the midsole, at this point, we’re all familiar with the BOOST technology by now. While it may be covered by a casing, but the BOOST midsole still provides the cushioning and support you require. It’s lightweight in nature as well, which means that you won’t feel the stress on your feet after long periods wearing.
The Performance and Quality
With levels of comfort and function across all elements, the performance of the YEEZY BOOST 700 Bright Blue is second to none. With its underlying BOOST midsole, one could technically say that it can be used as a running shoe. But I wouldn’t guess anyone would be hitting the road in a pair of YEEZY sneakers. Instead, if offers this comfort and performance when walking about, or just standing around trying to look cool.
Below the sneaker lies the ever-present rubber gum sole. This provides great traction when needed. It’s quite sturdy and doesn’t flex all that easily. This is great news for sneakerheads who wouldn’t want to flex their sneakers in any case. We’ve all seen the videos where famous people bend their limited-edition sneakers, only to be the scorn of the sneaker community.
The quality of the sneaker is second-to-none. Every aspect of the YEEZY BOOST 700 Bright Blue feels in its place, finished off with quality materials. It looks good and it feels good in hand. There’s nothing more you need.
Final Thoughts
I’ve always wanted a pair of YEEZY sneakers. While I’m not a fan of the entire range, the 700 is definitely one of my favourites. So, when the YEEZY BOOST 700 Bright Blue became available, it was a must-have. Having beaten the ever-present and annoying bots, the excitement was palpable. Needless to say, the sneaker isn’t available at adidas store, or any other retail stores for that matter, as it was sold out on the day of release. If you’re going to be searching for a pair, you’ll need to fork out that little bit extra.
At a price of R4,999, the sneaker was not an easy purchase to make. That said, any sneakerhead would want a pair of YEEZY sneakers in their collection, and I finally managed to get my hands on a pair myself. Once unboxed, I could see what all the hype was about. The sneaker has a very premium look and feel and at no point did I regret my purchase.
The Review
YEEZY BOOST 700 Bright Blue
The YEEZY BOOST 700 Bright Blue may have a premium price, but it also has a premium design and build. It looks great, feels great, with quite a significant amount of functionality.
PROS
- Great contrasting colour palette
- Premium materials create a quality build
- Each element was designed with both design and function in mind
CONS
- Not always easy to get your hands on YEEZY sneakers
