FRESH KICKS: ADIDAS

The past few months have seen Pharrell Williams release a slew of new sneakers, including both a N.E.R.D.-inspired adidas Originals Hu NMD and a “New York Tennis” pack of the Tennis Hu silhouette. For his next collaborative shoe, it looks like Pharrell could also be working with French luxury fashion house Chanel on a joint adidas Originals Hu NMD Trail, with images of a potential sneaker recently leaking. This wouldn’t be the first time that Pharrell has worked with the brand, having appeared in a campaign video for Chanel’s Gabrielle bag earlier this year.
The collaboration takes on the previously-unreleased Hu NMD Trail silhouette, which comes with a BOOST midsole and a grooved outsole. According to the leak, the sneaker’s upper is all-black Primeknit, with the word “PHARRELL” embroidered down the left shoe and “CHANEL” down the length of the right. There aren’t many details on the release, but Yeezy Mafia confirmed that the sneakers were “coming soon” and that — though not friends and family — they would have an “expensive retail price.“
As well as working on his latest adidas Originals releases, Pharrell recently stepped out in a previously-unseen N.E.R.D. x HUMAN MADE jacket.

With news of a possible triple-threat with Pharell and Chanel leaking this morning, adidas Originals is now continuing its ongoing collaboration with Parley — this time dropping a PrimeKnit NMD model. The two companies first worked together back in June, resulting in several colorways of the UltraBOOST model.
The central point of the collaboration — focusing on Parley’s oceanic theme — remains the same, with a turquoise and blue PrimeKnit upper on this NMD. Elsewhere the shoe also has the BOOST midsole, as well as ‘FORTHEOCEANS’ written on its side. The adidas Originals x Parley NMD is rumoured to be released during the Spring 2018 season.


Fresh from teaming up with Parley on an ocean-themed NMD, adidas Originals has unveiled its next release in the NMD line. Shoe photographer @sneakerprophet_ has recently released images of a new Chinese-themed NMD R2 which is reportedly set to drop in the coming weeks.
The sneaker is predominantly white, with the Primeknit upper, BOOST midsole and heel tab all coming in the color. The mono-coloration is offset by flashes of red, including the adidas trefoil that appears on the tongue. The standout feature of the shoe, however, is the Chinese symbol for “double happiness” which appears in red on the heel and gold on the footbed. There’s been no official confirmation from adidas yet, but the sneaker is reportedly limited to only 600 pairs worldwide. Keep checking back for more information on when and where the “Double Happiness” NMD R2s will be dropping.

At the end of 2015, adidas charted the next stage of the evolution of the manufacturing process with the launch of the SPEEDFACTORY in Ansbach, Germany. In September of 2016, the public was introduced to the very first product to come out of the SPEEDFACTORY initiative; known as the Futurecraft M.F.G., the sneaker merged a Primeknit upper with a commitment to support, comfort and style. Now, the SPEEDFACTORY has cranked out another significant creation.
For the SPEEDFACTORY’s very first fully-formed project, adidas worked with a group of individuals who were in-tune with the specific needs of London’s talented runners. Focusing on what athletes need to thrive and excel at running on London streets, the adidas SPEEDFACTORY has come up with the AM4 series. Crafted exclusively for London, the AM4 is the end result of adidas’s quest to meet the demands of the London running scene. Along with this shoe, adidas will also be creating similar items that fulfill the wants and needs of athletes in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Shanghai and Tokyo. The mission statement of the SPEEDFACTORY is to “allow adidas to explore, test and co-create with consumers, as well as constantly invent and reinvent design and define the future of how the brand creates;” the AM4 is the first physical representation of that approach and a taste of what to expect in future athletic shoes from its manufacturer.
You can take a look at the adidas AM4 above, and check out a video about its creative and specific manufacturing processes below. Consumers can expect the Made for London AM4 4 to hit retailers on October 26.