Nike Dunk High as basketball shoes
Many great sneakers trace their origins to basketball. The Dunk High, which debuted in 1985, is another example of this tradition. At that time, college basketball was enjoying its golden age.
Nike skillfully blended elements of models such as the Air Force 1, the Nike Terminator and the Jordan 1 High to create the Dunk High. Peter Moore and his team were at the helm of the project. It's thanks to them that the Dunk High came to be.
When college basketball competition reached its peak, Nike decided to seize the moment by presenting 12 unique colors for the top universities in the US.
The shoes were introduced under the slogan "Be True to Your School." The idea was that college sports fans should proudly wear their school's colors, supporting it during competition. Interestingly, the original name of this model was "College Color High."
From the court to the street
The Dunk High made its way from the basketball court to city sidewalks. It became popular thanks to music culture. In 1987, the cover of the Beat Brigade album featured the Dunk High front and center.
The Dunk High reached peak popularity in the late ’90s, when skateboarding was gaining more and more traction. Not only athletes but skaters too fell in love with these shoes.
In 2002, Nike launched the SB (Skateboarding) line and made the Dunk its star. The first four Dunk SB Low colorways were released, and a collaboration with Supreme was formed as well.
The real madness happened in New York, when the Pigeon Dunk premiered in 2005. Riots broke out in front of the Reed Space store and the police had to step in. After that incident came a wave of numerous collaborations, which are sought after by collectors today and hard to find.
Top collaborations on the Nike Dunk
In the following years, the Dunk became an important player on the global athletic footwear scene, taking part in numerous collaborations with brands such as Supreme, Stüssy and Diamond Supply. It also received many special colorways, including the Viotech and Heineken Dunk.
However, around 2010 interest in the model noticeably declined as running shoes such as the Air Max 1 began to gain popularity. Interest in the Dunk was revived in 2017, when new versions appeared, such as Jeff Staple's SB Dunk.
In 2020, celebrating 35 years since its launch, the Dunk returned to the top, and the collaboration with designer Virgil Abloh became a huge hit. Later versions, such as the Ben & Jerry’s Dunk or the classic Dunk Brazil and Dunk Kentucky, won over sneaker fans around the world.
See also: Nike Dunk, Nike Dunk Low, Nike SB Dunk, Nike Air Jordan 1 High, Nike
