Nike Dunk

In 1985, the Nike Dunk was introduced. Released in colorways matching seven of the best NCAA Division I teams in the country, Nike Dunk Highs were marketed with the legendary “Be True to Your School” Campaign.

It wasn’t until March of 2002 that Nike officially launched Nike SB, codifying the connection between skate culture and the Nike Dunk. The company enlisted Sandy Bodecker to manage the division, and under his leadership, the iconic Nike SB Dunk made its debut.

Nike smartly positioned the Nike SB Dunk as a shoe with street cred in the skateboarding community. Skater-friendly upgrades to the original Nike Dunk silhouette included a fat tongue, additional padding, elastic straps and Zoom Air soles, to name a few. The company was also strategic in its collaborative choices, working with individuals and brands that embodied the skate culture ethos, and dropping releases through local skate shops. The first Nike SB Dunks were released in partnership with the company’s inaugural skate team–Danny Supa, Gino Ianucci, Richard Mulder and Reese Forbes–each with their own signature colorway. Later that same year, the legendary first Nike SB Dunk collab with streetwear brand Supreme dropped, marking the first appearance of the Jordan 3 elephant print on another shoe. A string of buzzy releases followed throughout the aughts, including collabs with Futura, Diamond Supply Co., Chocolate, Zoo York and more. In 2005, the release of the Jeff Staple ‘Pigeon’ Nike Dunk SB catapulted sneakerhead culture into the mainstream. The iconic Nike Dunk Low was so hotly anticipated that police were called to manage the crowd outside Staples’ NYC storefront.

While the 2010’s saw a dip in the style’s popularity, Nike Dunks came back in a big way in 2020. Collabs with the likes of Travis Scott, Virgil Abloh and the Grateful Dead once again propelled the Nike SB Dunk into the spotlight to become the hottest silhouette of the year. Today, the Nike SB Dunk is without a doubt one of the most desirable silhouettes on the market.