Source: adidas NEWS STREAM : adidas Originals – Introducing the NMD_R2
Innovation seems to be at the forefront of every move that adidas is making. When they dropped the NMD it quickly shifted the market from Roshe and Jordan Brand as the go to for casual wear in the sneaker community and laid the foundation for the growth that adidas experienced this year. With new colorways of the R1 still dropping every week, why does adidas feel the need to drop a revised/updated version of their most successful running silhouette to date?
- When Nike dropped the Roshe and offered a low tech, simple alternative to Air, they stayed with the silhouette through what seemed like a thousand colorways and updates. Nike failed to innovate or do anything drastic to the shoe other than offer Flyknit and Hyperfuse, but those additions increased the pricepoint and the Roshe began to fail. Adidas obviously took note and instead of relying on the exact same model for an extended period of time, they’ve decided to develop NMD_R2 while the trend is still strong for the brand.
- Offering an alternative to the NMD_R1 is a smart move. For many casual wearers the lego styled blocks on the R1 was not an appealing look. The R2 drops the blocks on lateral side of the shoe in favor for stability with a larger medial “block”. This slight change enhances casual appeal, while also retaining the stability in the heel area of the medial. This captures adidas’ goal of functional style.
- The market is very fast. While the NMD and UltraBoost are popular now, one trend shift could put adidas back on the fence. Adidas is listening to its customer base and supplying them with a fresher option.
Do I think it’s a smart move? Yes. The current market is already saturated. Nike dominated the wall space of every footwear store in the biz. They did this because the product was in demand so much that if you had a store you had to take on products that were horrible. Adidas has now taken over the front of the store at Footaction and Kids Footlocker. Even at Finish line there are large NMD posters on the walls. Adidas is creating more product to increase their share of wall space. I haven’t taken a picture of a FootAction store, but Nike basketball is officially a back of the store product.
Check out more pics of the NMD_R2 by clicking the Source link.
