In December of 2015, Adidas Originals teased the release of the NMD shoe, which was designed in the school of athleisure to be an urban sportswear piece with performance technology. It’s a tune we’ve heard many times before, but in this case Adidas hit gold.
Packed with Adidas’ Boost midsole technology and lightweight Primeknit fabric, the NMD was marketed to a consumer that is “always on the move.”
As many of its Originals do, the shoe referenced a medley of progressive Adidas styles from yore, like the Micro Pacer, the Rising Star and the Boston Super, merging heritage with 2016 engineering the company was eager to release. Adidas marketed it as “a technical runner realized as a lifestyle sneaker.”
NMD was offered, exclusive for U.S. consumers, by reservation at select retail locations in New York City, Chicago and Las Angeles, via the APP app. Globally, the NMD would be offered two days later.
Now, some eight months later, Adidas is still riding high on the success of the NMD, which sells out within minutes once stocked online and in specialty footwear retailers.
Experts and consumers alike agree that it’s the silhouette that leverages the shoe’s mass appeal. Highsnobiety recently polled a selection of retailers to ask why the NMD has become so popular, and the responses traced the same line: modern and fashionable, but with technology that backs up the look.
Mid-August will be like Christmas for those consumers who have been waiting to join the NMD legion — along with loyal NMD-ers looking for different colorways — as Adidas released 20 new models. The buildup to August 18 was noted by every urban boutique footwear retailer and footwear/culture blog from here to the sun. Now that the day has hit, the airwaves are quiet as retailers get busy.
The NMD XR1 Glitch Pack, released August 18
The Adidas NMDs are sold at Finish Line, Eastbay, Adidas, Foot Locker, Champ Sports, Karmaloop and Villa to name a few, only prime locations. After calling some of the most popular Foot Locker locations in a few major cities, the main response was the busy signal. It may be that 2 p.m. is a popular time to call Foot Locker, but we assume the NMD release takes most of the credit.
One Foot Locker employee told SGB they have been getting lots of foot traffic thanks to the release and although they don’t expect to sell out by today, the NMDs won’t be on the shelf for long.
The much anticipated one-tonal red and black models will be available later in mid-September.
Photos courtesy Adidas
