The Nike SB Dunk has been one of the biggest sneakers of recent memory, serving as a little brother to the Air Jordan 1. It has received a vast amount of love in the past few years, especially in 2020, with the release of colorways such as “Grateful Dead” and “Veneer,” among others. With its elevated status in the sneaker community, it is important to know how the Nike SB Dunk got its footing.
Before it was flying off shelves into the hands of skaters, the Nike Dunk was a sneaker for basketball, being designed to be worn on hardwood. It was sketched and designed by Peter Moore, who initially dubbed it the College Color High. Moore gave it this name because, when it was released, the College Color High was marketed towards college basketball players with the Nike College Colors program. The Nike College Colors program featured 12 colorways for 12 different schools, being sold under the tagline “Be true to your school.” With the strategic release, the Nike Dunk quickly became one of the bigger sneakers in Nike’s arsenal. Due to its design being an amalgamation of different Nike sneakers at the time—such as the Nike Terminator and Air Jordan 1—it gave a sense of familiarity to wearers. With its massive success, the Nike Dunk became beloved among basketball players and casual wearers, alike. One group that was particularly fond of the sneaker was skaters, who gravitated towards the model in the ‘90s.
As skaters gravitated towards the Nike Dunk, it began to become associated with them, rather than basketball players. With Nike’s growing popularity among skaters, they decided to launch their Nike SB branch in 2002, and what better shoe to start off with than the Nike Dunk? With the launch of Nike SB, the Dunk was reworked to fit the needs of skaters, with the addition of a larger, padded tongue and a Nike Zoom airbag housed in the sock liner. This rework made the Nike Dunk, which was now known as the Nike SB Dunk, more comfortable for skaters, increasing the shoe’s market value. They further tapped into the skater market by collaborating with Supreme for a Dunk dressed in white, black and blue, topped off with an elephant print overlay. Nike’s strategy proved to work, leading to collaborations with skaters such as Danny Supa and Gino Iannucci. By 2004, SB Dunks were a global grail, with more collaborations that spanned to cities like London, Paris and Tokyo.
Another upgrade came to the Nike SB Dunks in 2009, when Nike SB signed skater Eric Koston. When Koston was brought aboard, he helped Nike with the Dunks by increasing the amount of cushioning in the back heel to prevent them from falling off. This upgrade, coupled with the initial ones in 2002, helped solidify the SB Dunk as a sneaker for skaters, as it was geared towards them in particular. While it can still be worn by casual sneakerheads, everything housed in the Dunk silhouette is a love letter to skaters, who are usually limited to lowkey sneakers such as Vans Old Skools.
Recently, Nike has once again capitalized on the success of the SB Dunks, especially in 2020. In the last year alone, they released renditions like the Travis Scott SB Dunks, the “Club 58” Dunks and the Ben and Jerry’s Dunks. Since the 2009 rework, Nike SB Dunks have been some of the biggest sneakers in the game, and for good reason. It’s a comfortable silhouette for both skaters and casual wearers alike and, with a price tag ranging from $90 USD to $110 USD, the shoe is also affordable.
Since 1985, the Nike Dunk has been one of the better sneakers in Nike’s catalog and, with its reworks in 2002 and 2009, it has become a beloved sneaker for skaters and casual wearers, alike. If you are a fan of the Nike SB Dunks, let us know in the comment section. If you want more music and style content in your life, make sure to check out our Instagram @audiblwav and YouTube channel. On our Instagram, we keep your feed fresh with concert videos, daily song suggestions, music/style news, and more. We also work to provide you with video content on our YouTube channel. Don’t miss out, tap the links above.