Source: adidas Originals NMD Shadow Knit Season 2
I wore the NMD for an entire year. It was my favorite shoe and it took a new entry to finally take the model off of my feet. As a retailer the adidas was a model that originally was so coveted GRs demanded above retail prices.
| Adidas NMD_R1 (Wool Pack) | 1,620 | 0.33% | 2,014 | 0.32% | 3% | 12 | 0.74% | $2,279.88 | 12 |
The NMD Wool retailed at 130.00 and I sold them at 189.99 a pair (which did establish that people would buy the shoe at a premium price but that’s a bit deceptive). It wasn’t just the wool that garnered these numbers, it was almost every NMD at 130. When the NMD was hitting it’s stride adidas introduced the NMD R2 and I thought it was a smart move initially, but the shoe featured Primeknit and was redesigned drastically. The PK sent the price from 130 to 150 and 170. The R2 sat. adidas then dropped Primeknit on almost every release after and the NMD began to sit on shelves. The NMD is now on sale in every store chain. Certain models were reduced as low as 69.99 and they are still sitting.
Enter Shadowknit Technology… a new process of weaving the knit so that at different angles the shoe can reflect different colors. Think of it as XENO knit for lack of a better comparison. The new models featuring this tech will drop on March 15th. If adidas holds true to form the models will cost between 170 to 220 dollars. This price combined with the familiarity of the silhouette may not be the best thing for the NMD line. I wrote this article last year:
adidas Running Price Increases Will Slow Its Momentum | Compare & Contrast with Nike Running
To discuss the increasing prices of adidas footwear as sales increased for the brand. In comparison the latest model from Nike, the Epic React (which replaced my NMDs) released with Flyknit at 150. The Air Max 270 line also released at 150. The latest Under Armour model featuring HOVR released at 110 and 130.
adidas is at a point where they should take a step back and reevaluate the pricing structure of the NMD and the material options. I think a more classic build of the shoe and releasing the R1 without Primeknit may be a better option in the short term. Dope colorways go a long way and it seems that the brand is forgetting this.