One of the first things you notice about the NMD is the 'blocking' on the sides of the outsole.
The blocks stabilize the foot while also looking super cool.
"I think it's important to couple technology and innovation with something familiar because it gives a design a context and something the wearer can connect with," Galway tells Tech Insider.
'We talk a lot about collective memory at Adidas,' Galway says.
The NMD brings back elements from running shoes that first got big when the 1980s were grasping at the future, like the adidas Micro Pacer (which originally had a built-in pedometer!) and the Boston Super.
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The NMD makes use of Adidas's popular 'Boost' cushioning.
The cushioning technology is made of individual foam pellets that Adidas calls "energy capsules." The individual pallets are soft and springy, providing a lot of what shoe people call "energy return" — essentially, there's more bounceback to your foot.
The Boost technology premiered in 2013, marketed toward the dedicated urban runner. With the NMD, the material is going further into fashion.
"It differs from normal foams used in sneakers as each individual boost pellet acts independently to each other," Galway says. "Teamed with the midsole plugs in the NMD, you also have that stability which creates a really great experience for the wearer."
At Adidas, it's not about sketching designs. It's about building them.
"I think designers can sometimes get hung up on perfecting drawings and getting lost in the details," Galway says. "Sketching is important, but I always encourage my design team to sit down and physically make things – what I call design studies."
Galways says that he uses the midsole or another part of the shoe to start building a model, sometimes using materials offcut from other designs, from the hardware store, or from the trash bin in the office.
"Through doing this you can work in three dimensions and really get an understanding of the shoe from all angles and discover design elements which would never be possible through sketching alone," he says.
Galway's most famous collaboration is with the rapper-designer-auteur Kanye West.
West moved from Nike to Adidas in 2013.
His line of Yeezy Boosts are the darlings of the sneaker world, selling out in minutes and going for thousands of dollars in the secondary market. They've helped elevate the Boost as a brand unto itself, like the Nike Free and Nike Air before it.
"The thing that many people fail to realize about him however is what a hard worker [Kanye] is," Galways says. He is 100% committed to the project and when we are together we will often work through the night making things and working through ideas."
"Kanye is a person who has a very distinct idea of what he wants to create and achieve with a design. " he says. "At times this can be challenging but as a brand we like to be challenged and to design without compromise. Working with him is a terrific honor."
Like Kanye has said, sweatshirts are important because they're super comfortable and look great. It's the same with sneakers.
