Adidas x Pharell's Xhosa kicks aren't available in SA, but here's how to get them & how much it'll cost

It's only a few hours until sneakerheads will be able to get their hands on the much-coveted latest edition of the Adidas NMB HU series, inspired by Xhosa culture, but you won't be able to pop down the road to get a pair.

The latest collaboration between the brand and musician Pharrell Williams is a clear aqua version with the Xhosa word for humanity, “uluntu”, written across the front.

It forms part of the Human Race collection and drops on Friday, May 14.

But it seems the country from which it gets its inspiration may have been left out of the party.

A search on Adidas SA's website reveals that the shoe is not available to order locally. A request for comment from Adidas SA on the reason for this were unanswered at the time of publishing.

Instead a previous edition in the series, in black with the words “Black Future”, is available for R3,799.

The 'Uluntu' range is available from both Adidas US and Adidas UK at a cost of $220 and £180 (R3,100 and R3,557) respectively.

A note on the website explains that the sneaker is available via the Adidas CONFIRMED app, urging users to download the app to order a pair.

However, the sites do not ship internationally.

“We currently do not ship from our adidas.com/us site or Adidas confirmed app site to anywhere outside the continental US. However, we do accept payment and billing from other countries,” a note on the Adidas US site reads.

SO IS THERE ANY WAY TO GET THESE SHOES IN SA?

You can try get one off an international shoe reseller and pay whatever rate they determine plus shipping.

Alternatively, if you have the time and money, you could order from Adidas US or UK and use a forwarding service.

Using one such service from the UK to SA costs anything from R1,100 for a six business-day wait to R2,700 for a two business-day wait.

This is in addition to the cost of the order from Adidas UK.

Which means you could end up paying between R4,657 and R6,257 for a pair.