On sneakers
I realized some of you might have been a bit lost with regards to some of my shoe references in the last post. So... let's do a crash course today!
Unless you've been living in a bubble here in sunny Singapore, or if you never look down at people's feet, you probably would have noticed the overwhelming numbers of these on the streets...
With the Stan Smiths there's nothing much to say because they are a staple pair of sneakers not unlike those Chuck Taylors from Converse. Personally I'll never get a pair because they are common af and I prefer to stay out of the mainstream. Now, as for the other pair, -you know, the one with those lego bricks- they're also getting more common but the difference is that THERE ARE SO MANY COLORWAYS OMG I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN. *breathes deeply* Okay, for starters, they're called NMDs which stand for Nomad. It's this marketing slogan(?) by adidas to appeal to "the urban nomad", or in simple English, people who walk around in the city a lot. That's me. Haha. No kidding, but half the time it's because I decide to get adventurous and end up lost/walking in circles.
So, NMDs. Regardless of the colorway, they come in three main forms: R1s, XR1s, and R2s. Those in the pictures up there are R1s. Now wait for it...
The 'lego' bricks on XR1s are much less pronounced, which gives it that sleeker look. Featured here is the Triple White iteration for men.
One might also notice the funny Styrofoam lookalike sole on the NMDs. It's called Boost, and adidas claims that it returns you more energy in each step you take + it's comfortable to stand on. I'm a convert. Ever since I began wearing Boost (shout-out to fam who inducted me), I've never felt as good wearing other kinds of soles like EVA or Lunarlon. Nike's Air Max designs look cool but dang the sole is hard and just not as comfy. Granted, I've not walked in them a whole day to test out the comfort level (and perhaps they need some breaking in to reach their potential) but I've never had to break in my NMDs.
Since we're on the topic, I might as well share about the two breeds of NMDs, namely Mesh and Primeknit. Mesh is your typical sports shoe upper material. It's porous, kind of inflexible, and unsightly if not done right. It's the kind of material which signals to people around you "hey, I'm wearing sports shoes". Modern sports shoes need to look like they can be carried off on the streets, in casual wear. Enter Primeknit (PK). It's a knitted sock-like material, and NMDs have it as a one-piece upper to reduce waste during manufacturing. Honestly, this article does a much better job at describing NMDS than I can. Nike has its own version of knitted uppers too, termed Flyknit. But after feeling both up, I'd say that PK has more appeal. Its level of elasticity varies from the toebox to the heel-area, being more firm at the latter.
Wow this post took me longer than I thought. And that's barely scratching the surface. There's still so much more to be covered: collaborations (think Kanye and Rihanna, streetwear brands in the UK and Japan, sneaker boutiques everywhere), other models worthy of mention... I'll save it for next time, and if I get positive feedback on this one. Hit me up if you'd like me to write about other topics like the latest brands and trends I'm following or opinions on the upcoming sneaker drops (drop = release, cop = buy). There are always captions on Instagram going "cop or drop", and countless other variations in street-wear talk that never fails to amuse me. Then again, I'm easily amused.
Unless you've been living in a bubble here in sunny Singapore, or if you never look down at people's feet, you probably would have noticed the overwhelming numbers of these on the streets...
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| Stan Smiths in Original (OG) Green |
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| Same, but I prefer this blue version |
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| At the same time, you might also see these shoes with the 'lego' bricks on the lateral... Just kidding, this particular pair is so rare people be paying at least $450 to get their feet in it. |
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| And here are some designs more easily spotted on the streets, namely the top right, bottom left/right/middle. |
So, NMDs. Regardless of the colorway, they come in three main forms: R1s, XR1s, and R2s. Those in the pictures up there are R1s. Now wait for it...
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| These ones with the cool cage on the side are dope-ass XR1s. |
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| The women's iteration. Notice the stripey upper and polka dotted laces, giving it that extra detailing which adidas thought females would be more appreciative of. No wrong guesses there. |
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| However, this pair screamed "REGINE" more than all the others. Pink heel tab, nice grey accents in that prime-knit upper, 3M reflective laces, dat cage... What's not to love?! |
Since we're on the topic, I might as well share about the two breeds of NMDs, namely Mesh and Primeknit. Mesh is your typical sports shoe upper material. It's porous, kind of inflexible, and unsightly if not done right. It's the kind of material which signals to people around you "hey, I'm wearing sports shoes". Modern sports shoes need to look like they can be carried off on the streets, in casual wear. Enter Primeknit (PK). It's a knitted sock-like material, and NMDs have it as a one-piece upper to reduce waste during manufacturing. Honestly, this article does a much better job at describing NMDS than I can. Nike has its own version of knitted uppers too, termed Flyknit. But after feeling both up, I'd say that PK has more appeal. Its level of elasticity varies from the toebox to the heel-area, being more firm at the latter.
By principle, since I'm already paying that kind of money, I will not settle for anything that's not PK. The $20~30 premium is so worth it 👌 Yes, this means that not all NMDs are made with PK. Beware of the mesh hahaha.
Moving on to the newest addition to the family.
This design has been criticized by some on the online community to look like some dude jizzed all over the shoe. You gotta admit, there's somee resemblance... |
| Example being the very gorgeous "Pink/Grey" pack initially exclusive to Office UK. Comes with Boost, but no PK. Not copping. |
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| NMD R2s. 'Lego' bricks have been incorporated into the Boost if I'm not wrong. Most noticeable change in design: the inclusion of random stripes all over the Primeknit upper to resemble the look on the sock-collar. |
Wow this post took me longer than I thought. And that's barely scratching the surface. There's still so much more to be covered: collaborations (think Kanye and Rihanna, streetwear brands in the UK and Japan, sneaker boutiques everywhere), other models worthy of mention... I'll save it for next time, and if I get positive feedback on this one. Hit me up if you'd like me to write about other topics like the latest brands and trends I'm following or opinions on the upcoming sneaker drops (drop = release, cop = buy). There are always captions on Instagram going "cop or drop", and countless other variations in street-wear talk that never fails to amuse me. Then again, I'm easily amused.
