Note 1: If you question the sizing buy your regular size. Too tight buy Dr. Scholls ultra thin insoles for dress shoes, adds like .5-ish. Too loose buy thicker insole or a heel wedge/spacer thing-a-ma-bob. (And of course sock thickness is a small factor)…plus now you can keep your co-branded...
Regarding bumpy toe boxes:
991, has a stiff reinforced toe box/mudguard…the bumps are from the over laying fabrics (usually from the toe box structural straps on top of the toe box material and under the toe cap/mudguard)
997/998 bumpy due to a more unstructured toe box, and when different...
I was talking in general but any new color locking or trying new materials is considered R&D…flying for design meetings, fabric sampling etc. all R&D and Product Developement.
Even if it costs $20 to physically make the shoe…there are a hundred behind the scenes costs that are absorbed as well. And then the mark up at 3rd patty retailers…because unlike Nikes new customer direct statagy a majority of sneakers are sold from 3rd party stores who are also a business, and...