The NMD S1 RYAT: an outdoor−inspired boot, by adidas Originals and Pharrell Williams’ Humanrace™, geared for new terrains

Building on the design language of the NMD S1, and the original NMD before it, adidas Originals and Humanrace™ unveil the NMD S1 RYAT, a hiking-inspired boot stemming from Pharrell Williams’ renewed love and appreciation for the outdoors.

When the design of the NMD S1 RYAT commenced, people were discovering and adjusting to new ways of living. While the shoe was created through a series of 3D prototypes, the design process also sought to reflect the complexities of our present-day reality, incorporating multiple, occasionally contradictory, ideas: material realities and imagined futures, objects of beauty, and tools for performance. The result is a shoe that is sensitive to culture’s ever-shifting tectonic plates, straddling the past and future, individual and community, mountain and metropolis. This is the new performance criteria.

“The RYAT is a cultural artifact and an object for humans pushing forward on our planet,” says Williams of the intent of the shoe.

The NMD S1 RYAT offers functional design, made from durable materials, in which every element and detail serves a purpose. The shoe’s upper is constructed from a mix of premium suede and leather overlays, while a rubberized TPU mudguard and toecap add to the shoe’s sense of utility. The design is completed with a Boost midsole for ultimate underfoot cushioning and a rugged outsole featuring Trefoil-shaped grip. A predominantly white colorway imagines the idea of future utopias, presented via a frictionless combination of the urban and outdoors.

To accompany the shoe’s release, renowned illustrator Gangbox has offered an interpretation of the design in his signature maximalist style, creating a character who is seemingly equipped for every possibility. Similarly, the visual identity of the NMD S1 RYAT channels the idea of rugged terrain.