photos by Clarel
special thanks to Alex and his whole staff

The meet time was set for 10PM on a random Wednesday. The crew was all set to converge downtown for the much-anticipated, unexpected event taking place at the adidas Originals flagship store in Montreal. The invitation was headed with the tag of a shopping experience, so that took care of the unexpected portion to the lead-up. The excitement of the anticipation referred to the opportunity to have first crack at the adidas N M D _ designs, but also to the delivery of it all. I had never been to a brand company event held in a brand company store. My better instincts would suggest that I act in a proper and respectful manner in any brand led setting, but this whole night promised to be different. You see, I was asked to provide a small list of names and emails for any people who had an affinity for the Three Stripes in the city. What that meant to me was this event was truly set up for those who would appreciate adidas’ latest offering, those who have been down with the Trefoil since before off-beat became on trend. You’d assume the usual suspects at a sneaker event within a small community, but a good portion of the guest list was a gathering of non-supersneakerheads, you know, civilians. The vibe of the familiar, clean, white and grey set up of the store was nuanced by the semi-strobed red and blue lighting, and the entrancing bump coming from the wheels of steel under Jojo Flores command separated us from the outside dim of the night.

At the center of the room was the main display. An overwhelming lineup of 13 different colorways of the adidas NMD. Mesh, knit, runner-low and chukka-high all set atop the coveted, cozy Boost. The silhouette of the NMD is complete without trying too much, and poetry without being too quiet. You’ve been wanting this sleek, sharp, minimalist, versatile runner. Every iteration in front of us met those criteria. You also wanted to stand out from the crowd, look no further than the two blocks wedged at the midsole of every profile of every NMD. Those blocks. The first time I saw those blocks, they interrupted my examination of the shoe. They bothered me. Until I found myself needing to find the blocks, needing to find out how much of a contrast those blocks provided to the overall look of the shoe. They are so out of place and so perfectly part of the whole NMD experience. I found myself unable to imagine this shoe without them.

The time was around 11:30PM when I remembered we’d all have a chance to make our pick to purchase a pair of the NMD at midnight. Minutes ticked quickly as I was engaged in all sorts of sneaker talk with my crew, industry reps, and the dope adidas Originals store staff, all of whom were finely versed in all things adi. If this were a dream it would be such a dope one to remember: adidas sneakers, drinks, music, and a promise to be allowed to purchase said sneakers before anyone else. As the hour came near, I recognized the look in the eyes of the snekerheads in attendance. If I only have one to choose, which colorway would represent me best? If they only have certain amount, which staff member should I stand close to?

No one really had to worry, the adi-staff took care of everyone. Bringing us back to reality was the cavalcade of adidas fans lining up to complete their purchase. Immaculate blue and white boxes in hand and in tow, it was nothing but smiles and no bothers at the end of this NMD experience… Those blocks! Those blocks! Those blocks!