The Nike Dunk — A Sneaker That Bridges Basketball With Culture
Nike Dunk sneakers combine basketball and culture. Popular among celebrities like Travis Scott and Virgil Abloh.
Nike was at first uncertain how best to take advantage of skaters’ enthusiastic reception for this shoe, so they added a thicker tongue offering comfort, protection and performance benefits.
Origins
Nike’s Dunk sneaker was introduced as its inaugural sneaker designed to bridge basketball and skateboarding cultures in 1985, designed by Peter Moore (also responsible for creating Air Jordan 1). At that time, basketball had seen incredible popularity due to Michael Jordan’s success as an NBA superstar player, leading colleges around the country to flourish with new teams; Nike recognized this trend and provided shoes specifically tailored to major college basketball programs.
The initial seven colorways were designed specifically for some of America’s premier universities such as Michigan, Iowa, Kentucky, Georgetown and St John’s as part of the “Be True to Your School” campaign and intended to show team pride by both fans and students alike.
At the height of early skate scene’s boom, Nike released its Dunk sneaker as one of the most sought-after sneakers for both skaters and non-skaters alike. Legendary skate groups such as Z-Boys wore them and it even appeared in Spike Lee’s iconic pyjama party scene from School Daze film. Over time, its popularity continued to increase; Nike released high cut and low cut versions as well as various colorways and materials; which eventually garnered it the attention of rapper Travis Scott as well as Ben & Jerry’s Ice cream as well as designer Virgil Abloh among others.
Styles
The Dunk’s retro 80s basketball-inspired design and balanced color blocking creates an iconic sneaker aesthetic, made more so by its high-top and low-top options with classic colorways such as Atomic Pink, Hyper Cobalt with Black, OG White and Black and many others. Nike has even used The Dunk as an outlet to collaborate on creative projects with brands like COMME des GARCONS and Travis Scott — along with influential tastemakers such as Virgil Abloh.
Jeff Staple x Nike SB Dunk High Panda Pigeon remains one of the most iconic Dunks ever to release, inspiring many copies to come and remaining coveted until this day. Inspired by an imaginary ABA team called Roswell Rayguns, the mismatched pair features an alien as its mascot on its heel.
Recent revival of the Nike Dunk has seen its popularity skyrocket among skaters, leading to an explosion of new iterations and collaborations — from Cow-Print-Pantone-inspired colorways to low-tops with Hennessy branding, the shoe has found widespread acclaim with help from rapper Offset and Travis Scott and designer Virgil Abloh among others.
With such a vast array of styles and colorways to choose from, it can be challenging to narrow down which Nike Dunks to purchase for yourself. Our friends at luxury sneaker marketplace Stadium Goods are here to assist with their handy guide to the top Nike Dunks available now.
Colorways
Originally intended as a basketball shoe for college hoops, the Dunk has long been popular due to its versatile colorways. From classic OGs and bold collegiate colors, to an homage to Grateful Dead fans — its popularity remains undiminished today thanks to Nike SB’s dedication in pushing this silhouette through collaborations while its inherent cachet helps it ride fashion waves.
As part of its initial release, the Dunk was designed with seven colorways tailored specifically to Division I colleges as part of the “Be True to Your School” campaign. Teams like UNLV, Michigan, St. John’s University of Iowa and Syracuse received shoes that matched their teams’ uniforms — providing a great marketing strategy that helped introduce this silhouette to younger audiences. Check out a wide and trendy lineup of Nike Dunk.
Later, the Dunk saw several creative colorways from external collaborators. Stussy was responsible for the inaugural collaboration, designing two high-tops and one low-top to feature his Neapolitan Ice Cream theme; particularly popular was their pair featuring chocolate, strawberry and vanilla tones.
Stussy collabs aside, the Dunk saw several pairs from Nike ACG and Futura that are iconic 4/20 sneakers — like “Skunk”. Futura also released their “For Love or Money” design that features patterns created from different denominations of printed money — worth checking out as well.
Collaborations
First introduced as a way for college basketball fans to showcase their team colors, the Nike Dunk quickly became a favorite among skateboarders as soon as it hit shelves. Constructed with a thick tongue for comfort and extra protection against hitting tricks during trick attempts. According to luxury sneaker marketplace Stadium Goods’ Zack Schlemmer, this shoe was “a game-changer in footwear industry.”
Nike SB’s growing presence within streetwear culture led them to collaborate with various external entities in order to cement its place within culture. Stussy was its inaugural external collaborator and designed two low-top and two high-top renditions with an iconic Robin Egg Blue hue which caused chaos throughout cities on launch day.
Conversely, the company collaborated with graffiti artist Lance Mountain to produce signature variations. Each shoe featured tonal stenciling of caricatures drawn by Lance reminiscent of his work with Soul Artists of Zoo York graffiti crew.
Acclaimed underground rapper MF DOOM’s Dunk High shoe demonstrated this collaboration’s reach beyond streetwear into culture. The shoe featured several elements associated with his style, such as DOOM lettering on the lace flaps and metal lace locks; additionally, its wood grain appearance was inspired by his comic strip.
