Discover: How the Nike SB Dunk Went From Skateboarding's Favourite Beater to a Streetwear Staple

There's a lot to be said when we think of the Nike SB Dunk, and for good reason. Few sneakers have garnered the same interest that the Nike SB Dunk has, and throughout its 20-year life, the silhouette has traversed both the skate and streetwear scenes to now find itself at the height of mainstream fashion.

Now, while we are here to talk about the SB version, it would be wrong of us to completely ignore just exactly where the silhouette came from, and with that, we take a trip back to 1985. The Dunk's first iteration launched onto the scene as basketball legends looked to tear it up on the hardwood. Its look was a grafted amalgamation formed of four earlier Nike models, including the Air Force 1, the Terminator, the Air Jordan 1 and the Legend. By borrowing subtle notes from each of these silhouettes, Peter C. Moore managed to create a fresh design simply oozing with its own unique charm.

Similar to many of its basketball counterparts of the same era, people quickly began to embrace the Dunk both on and off the court, and as a result, the shoe earned its place in mainstream fashion. Now, as many of us are aware, trends don't last forever, and by the turn of the early '90s, the Dunk went from being a B-ball favourite to falling out of favour. With increasing quantities of the silhouette being seen in bargain buckets at your local shoe store, the Dunk soon found itself adopted by an unlikely ally.

During the '90s, skateboarding was quickly becoming one of the most popular subcultural phenomenons, all fueled by a cheap, DIY, no-fucks-given energy at its core. Upon noticing Dunks selling for bargain prices, select groups of skaters began buying the shoes, not as a fashion statement, but instead just as their next pair of skatepark beaters soon to be destroyed by any fresh sheet of griptape.

The shoe's lightweight nylon elements combined with its robust and durable design made it a clear-cut choice for any skater looking for their next tight-fisted pair of kicks, that was of course until Nike caught wind of its new subcultural popularity. Now, what Nike didn't realise at the time was that skateboarders weren't too fond of giant corporations getting involved with their scene, so early attempts of marketing the shoe to the group were often met with both dismissal and ridicule.

In an attempt to profit from skateboarding's growing popularity, in '96 Nike launched the Choad (Yes, the Choad), the Snack, and the Schimp, three silhouettes aimed directly at skaters. Though Nike did their research and made the shoes somewhat suitable for board feel and control, the selection fell flat on its face when many skaters felt like it was a cash grab.

At this point, Nike's relationship with the skate scene was turbulent at best. No matter how many clichéd Bam Margera commercials the brand pumped out, skaters still weren't receptive to Nike's marketing attempts. Consolidation Skateboards owner Steve Guisinger even famously launched his own anti-Nike PR campaign by printing stickers complete with the slogan "Don't Do It."

It wasn't until two years later, in 1998, that Nike would begin to gain some footing within the skate scene, and this is due to its creation of the Pro B. The Pro B arrived with an enlarged padded mesh tongue, elastic straps, additional padding and the signature chunky laces we all recognise the SB Dunk for today. All of this, combined with the comfortable cupsole, made this iteration of the Dunk a hit amongst skateboarders.

A year later, the emergence of the internet forum NikeTalk helped the Dunk break its American constraints and instead become a revered silhouette on a global scale. For the first time, both skateboarders and sneaker fans alike were eager to get their hands on the latest Dunk models and colourways, and with Nike's e-commerce site now functional, the Dunk became more accessible than ever.

Following the turn of the millennium, Nike was ready for its second foray into skateboarding, one that came with the quiet purchase of a Portland, Oregon based sneaker/skate company by the name of Savier. Savier was still in its design stage, but because the company was skater ran and owned, it provided valuable insight to Nike. While the brand managed some success, for many, it just acted as the training wheels Nike needed before launching its own in-house skateboard division.

2002 saw the Beavertown brand take its conclusive leap into skateboarding as it officially launched Nike SB. With Sandy Bodecker, the division's general manager who had previously overseen Nike's foray into football at the helm, Nike SB set out to align its values with that of the skateboarding world and attempted to establish itself as an alternate presence within the industry.

Sandy Bodecker had previously noticed the potential of the Dunk amongst skateboarders during its short downfall, and as a result, the Nike SB Dunk project was born. Understanding the importance of authenticity within skateboarding, Bodecker decided to build a team with the same comprehension, so he brought in Kevin Imamura from Stance Magazine for marketing and Robbie Jeffers from Stüssy for management of the skate team.

Given the fact that pro teams are often an integral part of skate companies, Robbie Jeffers made it his mission to ensure the squad lineup was full of "timeless skaters", and as a result, Gino Iannucci, Richard Mulder, Reese Forbes and Danny Supa all joined the ranks as Nike SB team pros.

By March of 2002, the Nike SB Dunk was ready for launch, with several key differences separating it from its basketball predecessor. The wide tongue and elastic straps of the Dunk Low Pro B were featured in addition to a Poron foam bed and a Zoom Air Unit in the heel. Both comfort and performance were considered and delivered with this latest model, and for the first time, Nike had succeeded in creating a shoe with skating truly at its core.

The "Colors By" series marked the launch of the Nike SB Dunk, and featured four styles representing each pro team member. Included, we saw the Gino Ianucci Long Island New York Dunk, the Richard Mulder Los Angeles Dunk, the Danny Supa Los Angeles Dunk and the Reese Forbes Wheat Dunk.

To give back to the community, Nike decided to distribute the SB Dunk to skate stores instead of opting for its wider release method of the past, and as a result, both skateboarders and sneakerheads alike worked themselves into a frenzy attempting to buy the shoes. According to reports, some people even found themselves camping for days in an endeavour to cop these limited models.

Later that year, Nike decided to team up with New York streetwear imprint Supreme for the first time for a collaborative SB Dunk. Emblazoned with a bold elephant print exterior, the Levi's would later go on to be one of the most esteemed Supreme pieces, with OG models currently selling for upwards of £8,000.

While it has always been somewhat simple to draw parallels between skateboarding and streetwear, early collaboration with the likes of Supreme helped fuel the fire when it came to the SB Dunk being a top choice amongst sneakerheads and not just skateboarders. As the years rolled by, the SB Dunk solidified itself as a firm favourite amongst both parties, with collaborations and fresh colourways dropping in abundance.

Following further collaborations with the likes of Stussy, Chocolate, undefined, Jeff Staple and many others over the years, The SB Dunk managed to establish itself as a fan-favourite. You could even argue the silhouette played a big part in igniting the resell and camp out culture we experience today due to its limited quantities.

Naturally, as time went by and trends moved on, the SB Dunk found itself creeping towards the same bargain-bucket landscape its predecessor had inhabited during the early '90s. The market was simply saturated with a million SB Dunk iterations, and as a result, the sneaker became somewhat stale to those who had previously championed it above all. Given the popularity of the silhouette now, you might assume this was only a brief stint, but in reality, it took nearly six years for the shoe to find a foothold towards regaining its previous popularity.

The first step in reclaiming its former glory came in 2015 when Nike re-released the “Be True to Your School Pack” to celebrate the OG Dunk's 30th anniversary. Though this was a tough sell at the time, this pack gradually started to win back a lot of the sneaker community's admiration for the silhouette. Following this, Nike started to branch out with collaborations alongside Dover Street Market and CDG Homme Plus, with both following in quick succession.

Over the next few years, both the Dunk and the Dunk SB saw a gradual rise in interest, with each subsequently catching an increase in search volume. However, It wouldn't be until January 2020 that the Dunk hype would begin on its upward trajectory towards where it is today. Rumours of a collaboration between rap superstar Travis Scott and Nike began to circulate when the rapper wore an unseen pair of SB Dunks in his ''JACKBOYS' music video. Naturally, it didn't take long for internet sleuths to secure leaked photos of the shoes, and as a result, the hype for the Travis Scott x Nike SB Dunk Low "Cactus Jack" went into overdrive.

Decked out in a bandana print atop a denim material, the "Cactus Jack" quickly garnered the attention of the sneaker community due to its unique design and irrefutable style. Before we knew it, the SB Dunk was once again the silhouette that everyone needed within their rotation, and those OG pairs that one time graced the discount section of your local store soared in value and desire.

Fast forward to 2022, and both the Dunk and SB Dunk remain as some of the most sought after silhouettes on the market. Nowadays, buyers are considered lucky to be able to cop any hyped Dunk model for retail prices, and resale fees often command a hearty sum.

With that said, It's impossible to predict just exactly what the future holds for the SB Dunk. If the last twenty years have taught us anything, it's that trends will continue to come and go, but the Nike SB Dunk will stay resilient to whatever is thrown at it. With Dunk fever currently at a high, we think it's going to be quite some time before we notice a decline in interest, and even if it does happen, we’re willing to bet skaters everywhere will jump at the chance to cop the shoe at discounted prices just like the old days.

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