Defective Adidas Pharrell NMD Sold for S$42K in Thailand

Someone in Thailand made quite a handsome profit from a pair of defective Adidas Pharrell NMD sneakers.

One sneakerhead’s defective shoe is another sneakerhead’s collectors’ item.

It’s not often that you find a willing buyer for a defective item being sold at retail price – let alone for over a hundred times its retail price. Well, in the crazy world of sneakers, that just happened.

The defective sneaker in question is a pair of Adidas Pharrell NMD shoes that was auctioned off on a Thailand-based sneaker group (Sneakvibes) on Facebook and was sold at the final price of 1 million Baht (approx. S$42,000).

So what’s defective about the shoe? Here’s the breakdown.

The original inscribed texts on the Adidas Pharrell NMD Holi sneaker

In the original design, the right pair is inscribed with the word “Hu”, while the left pair sports Sanskrit letterings. In the defective pair, however, both sides of the shoe have the word “Hu” inscribed instead.

For a sneaker collector, a defect like that is a rare find and could possibly be the only pair produced in the world – a collector’s dream. As with most rare items, a hefty price tag is almost certain.

It’s not clear if the seller bought the shoes from Adidas or got it directly from a factory. If it were the former, then someone has done a bad job in the QC department – or a great job, of course, for the one who pocketed the S$42,000.

Would you spend that much on a defective (but rare) sneaker? Let us in on your thoughts in the comments below.

Featured image: Sneakvibes