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Last week’s episode saw Nike walk us through the explosion of the Dunk and Nike’s approach to a new market. Taking a tactical approach worked excellently for the Swoosh, and this week we’re treated to the newest episode on collabs. This is where the Dunk approached levels that weren’t seen before for shoes, arguably giving it unmatched relatability for sneakerheads.
In the early 2000’s, the Dunk had already been around for a few years and had gained some notoriety. It found a home in a curated culture where connoisseurs thrived, and it was inevitable that Nike would start collaborating. They recognized the value that these story tellers could bring to their brand and the culture that came with collabs.
Highlighting a few of the most well legendary Dunks, Nike dug through their archives to describe the creative process. Many story tellers discuss their experience working with Nike to push a new, culturally creative side to the iconic brand. This move was pivotal to sneaker culture as pairs started releasing with special boxes & more enthralling stories.
Eclipsing the utility of a shoe, there was suddenly massive addition to the culture that surrounded sneakers. Nike expanded from being a very serious sporting giant to capturing more inspiration from their community in a brilliant way. Even still, collabs tend to hold more weight than standard releases and it seems this era of Dunk was crucial to that.
Let us know what your favorite Dunk collab is, and as always stay strapped into Nice Kicks for the latest!
