While Nike might be firmly in its litigation era enough with its New Balance and Sketchers disputes , the Swoosh label could have yet another legal spat on its hands. This week, LA-based label Gallery Dept. has teamed up with Vault by Vans to reimagine the Rowley XLT. And let's just say things are looking a tad familiar.
Born to pay homage to the ’90s and early ’00s skate culture, these silhouettes are chunky and robust in their construction, firmly acknowledging that era of skateboarding's aesthetic. The problem, however, lies with the silhouette's colourways.
A total of four colourways have been produced, each almost directly a rip of previous Nike dunk designs. The “Blue Steel” shares the same colour blocking as the CO.JP “Samba” Dunk Low from 2001. The “Neapolitan” colourway mimics the "Stüssy Cherry." The “Multi” makes a slight adjustment to the colours found on the “Viotech” Dunk. Finally, the “Flame” colourway comes in black with flame graphics on the lateral walls, reminiscent of a kids-exclusive Dunk from back in 2004.
Now, we have no doubt in our mind this move was intentional, but whether or not it seeks to pay homage or plagiarise these previous designs is unclear. Given famed British skateboarder Geoff Rowley's involvement in the model, and 24-year tenure under the Vans banner, we'd likely give the Gallery Dept. x Vans Rowley XLT the benefit of the doubt and recognise the collection as a homage. Whether or not Nike will see it that way, though, is a different story.
For those looking to get their hands on any of these models, they are set to launch on the 11th of November via the Vans website. In other footwear news, adidas could write-off millions of pounds worth of remaining YEEZY stock .
