Why the adidas NMD is not worthy of the letter OG

Originating from the street gangs to the underground culture, people only use the word OG for monuments, for something that represents their traditions and roots. But what EACHSHOES is about to discuss in this article are the sneakers.

Back in the 80s when Michael Jordan’s first shoe was introduced to the public, it set the first milestone for Air Jordan culture. To this day, when referring to the Air Jordan 1 “Bred” 1985, shoe lovers still call them “OG one” (Air Jordan 1 “Bred” OG). These Air Jordan pairs invisibly wrote a separate chapter of underground culture, a chapter devoted only to items that lie on the ground.

By the end of 2015, when adidas officially shifted the focus of the game by releasing the “card” NMD_R1. The sneaker world is reversed with shoes designed beyond any one framework. The introduction of NMD can be said to be an explosion, quickly bringing the name of adidas back to the sneakerhead map, bringing its revenue above Under Armor to capture the second largest market share in the US.

But there’s nothing worth mentioning, not even this article if adidas has stopped their ambitions of remaking the first pair of NMD. In January 2017 when the “3 Stripe” house announced that they would re-launch the NMD OG – the name they gave themselves to their shoes.

It is possible that adidas had succeeded when the shoes went out quickly on the first day of release, sold out all over the world but it was too early to claim they deserved the OG name – a name unique to the real monument. Besides, with a life span of less than 2 years, NMD is still just a rookie of the adidas family. NMD has yet to pass the most important test – time. Is it that after 30 or 40 years, the shoes will still be popular like Nike Air Force 1 (born 1982), Air Jordan 1 (born 1985) or adidas Originals Stan Smith (born 1965)? Compared to the achievements of sneaker culture, it is too early to call the first version of the NMD OG. It is for the demanding elderly, who have entered the game from day one.

But to 2017 has changed slightly, adidas NMD still brings some bright spots. As the sneaker was more well received, ushering in a new generation of sneakerheads, the generation of “Boost Collectors”, they did not see history as an issue worth discussing. There is even a growing Boost collection community exponentially, such as BoostVIBES, Boostheaven … which brings together players with a full investment from quality to quality. An active rivalry between fans of the two brands, between the rookie guy and the aging soldiers. And then these newcomers will continue to own other NMD pairs, buy other adidas Boosts and also 30 years from now they will prefer to wear Ultra Boost over Air Max 1. By then people are confident again. said that they had a pair of adidas NMD OG in their hands.

Every culture changes to adapt at the same time, so whoever reacts the most is always in the lead. NMD is still quite young and the game still has many surprises ahead. Will the NMD pair be worthy for you to call them OG in the next few decades? A shoe that has made a new page in sneaker culture? Let’s see!

*Bài viết tham khảo từ Highsnobiety và có thêm ý kiến của SNKR Việt Nam

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