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Before the Nike SB Dunk was getting love from the Swoosh’s most notable influencers, the line was seeing a resurgence in more simple form.
Take the classic low tops, re-release them as high tops.
Five years ago today, exactly this happened with the launch of the Nike SB Dunk High “Cali” as an ode to the Golden State.
Riffing off the 2004 low top launch, this pair packed the same brown, green and red tones as the OG with tumbled leather and red star embroidery paying homage to the flag.
This same recipe was a go-to in the mid 2000s with classic Dunks like the Tiffany and De La Souls switching heights to appease OG collectors but revive some much needed nostalgia.
Was it the same? No. Was it appreciated? Yes, and probably underrated or too early in hindsight.
When looking at resale rates for the “Cali” Dunks, it’s night and day for the OGs and the high tops. The lows from ’04 run over $1K while the Highs from 2014 go for just about retail.
Hype aside, this was a cool concept by Nike SB that was likely ahead of its time. For the “Cali” Highs, it was five years ago today.
