photos by Andy Hur

by Gerald Flores

Buy Now: End, adidas, Titolo, Caliroots, Sneakersnstuff, The Good Will Out, Overkill, Solebox, Hanon

It’s been a strong year for adidas. The Three Stripes had a massive hit with the Ultra Boost. It built on Tubular by introducing new styles to the line. And some guy named Kanye debuted a collection under the brand.

Building on that momentum, adidas is looking to end 2015 strong by launching a totally new style under its Originals wing. Dubbed the NMD, the new silhouette uses two of adidas’ most popular technologies — Primeknit and Boost — not for running or basketball, but for traveling the streets on a daily basis.

The sneaker is the brainchild of Nic Galway, a 16-year veteran at adidas and the man who helped developed the Yeezy Boost line with Kanye West. Here the adidas VP of Global Design breaks down what you need to know about adidas NMD.

The adidas Micro Pacer, Rising Star and Boston Super are all referenced in the design.

“What I really loved about the products in the mid-‘80s was it was a time where the future was the thing. No one had computers at home you know? We, as a German brand, were making this wearable technology when no one actually had the computers. It showed a real great pioneering spirit that they must of had at that time. I always feel my responsibility as creative director now is to say we don’t just look at how the shoes used to look in our archive, we also have to understand the spirit that they were made in...I wanted to pick up some of those memories and inject in the latest emotions of today.”