Die Anpflanzler [DA] » Nike Air Max Command Mujer

The NMD, adidas Originals’ new kid on the block, has quickly gained a very solid footing in the sneaker world.

Unveiled in December, the new silhouette’s general releases have been going like hotcakes at retail, causing YEEZY-like lineups, even reselling above their ticket price, all this without any real celebrity co-signs, and only a Nike Air Max 2015 Dames single collaborative issue alongside Nice Kicks.

The shoe’s design contains references to archival adidas models like the Micro Pacer, Rising Star and Boston Super, but it’s unlikely this really matters to sneakerheads today, as the NMD can easily stand on its own in the tech Adidas ZX Flux Damen footwear market. In short, it makes more sense that kids would be buying the NMD because its packed with modern tech, it’s comfortable, and the consensus is: it’s the sneaker of the moment.

Although in some ways surprising, the shoe’s success isn’t entirely unprecedented, as any Boost-imbued execution will easily garner attention, yet adidas has been able to keep up demand for the NMD, while releasing a staggering number of colorways. As a testament to the silhouette’s global staying power, we turned to some of our friends around the world to find out more.

I think the NMD is a lot more contemporary than the Ultra Boost, first and foremost because it doesn’t look like a performance shoe. The Ultra Boost blew up last year mainly because of how amazingly comfortable the shoe is, and the fact that Kanye West wore the Triple White on Nike Air Max 95 Donna stage a few times.

Mix in the fact that there wasn’t much out there in the market volume-wise, and once again there’s an [imbalanced] supply and demand situation occurring. The consumer is seeing the Ultra Boost technology in the sole on a more interesting, less sports-specific upper, so people are buying into that look.

Ultra Boost planted the seed for sure, however, I don’t think the past success of the style will have much bearing on how NMD succeeds.

Brandshop: The Ultra Boost is undoubtedly equipped with outstanding technology, but I think the NMD is so popular for more than just the Boost tech. The model itself ticks a lot of boxes, and adidas designers have shown their comprehension of the people’s needs.

2015, by any sort of standards, was a banner year for Adidas. From a business standpoint, sales boomed for the brand Adidas Stan Smith Femme with the three stripes, while culturally, the label was more prevalent than ever with both discerning sneakerheads and the athleisure-loving masses. High-profile collaborations with Pharrell and Pusha T helped and Yeezy—an entire brand of sneakers and apparel built from the ground up alongside perhaps the most influential man in street fashion alive today—opened the company up to new fashion frontiers. But even without celebrities driving home the idea that Adidas is the "it" sneaker label of the moment, the brand's own products have reach new levels of awesomeness. The insanely cool and comfortable Ultra Boost, deemed by Adidas when it first debuted as "the greatest running sneaker of all-time," can actually make a legitimate claim for that title. Futurecraft, Adidas's new line of concept shoes, was responsible for the world's Nike Air Max Command Mujer first running shoe with a usable 3-D printed sole.

But of course, Adidas's quest to be America's most beloved sportswear label (a title they're still a long way away from thanks to the ongoing popularity of Nike) is far from over. So, if 2015 was a great year for the label, 2016 is going to have to be even greater. And that starts with NMD, a new line of sneakers and apparel from Adidas Originals that is bringing the brand's premier technologies to new sneakers made with everyday living in mind.