The Nike Dunk is Going Mainstream and That’s Fine

There’s absolutely no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Nike Dunk is the most hyped silhouette right now. A shoe that has somehow made its way to every single sneakerhead’s collection even if they’ve been hardcore Three Stripes fans for the past five years, there’s just something about it that makes it so great. While it’s pretty clear that the sneaker has gone pretty mainstream as of late, we think that’s fine - and here’s why.

Over the past year or two, the Dunk has totally transformed the industry for good. If you’re new to the game then you’d probably think that it’s a pretty new model that’s only just been released, but if you’re an OG then you’d know that that statement couldn’t be more wrong. Hands down a true Swoosh classic, it was first introduced all the way back in 1985 and was designed specifically for college basketball players. If you’re a big fan of dates, then you’d probably know that’s just three years after the debut of the Air Jordan 1.

Over the past 36 years, the Dunk has transcended a plethora of sports and subcultures and spawned thousands of must-have colourways across a multitude of iterations. In fact, there’s so many types that we even wrote a handy guide about them all. While it has seen sharp peaks in popularity over the past four decades, the basketball shoe really came into the mainstream on the dawn of its 35th birthday in 2020.

To put this into perspective, 2018 saw Nike release around 57 pairs, while in 2019 they launched a total of 60 pairs. One year later, this number increased by a whopping 78% with a total of 107 colourways dropping in 2020 alone. What’s more insane is the fact that this quantity isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Back in January 2020 only four pairs dropped, while January 2021 birthed three times this amount, not including grade school and kid’s versions. While all these numbers sound pretty crazy, it’s definitely not a bad thing.

According to a recent poll that we put out on Twitter, 59% of those surveyed only started liking Nike Dunks in the past year. This might not be too surprise considering more and more people are getting into sneakers everyday, but it’s truly mind-blowing to see that the basketball shoe has seen such a rise in popularity all of a sudden. While this data may seem a bit random, there’s a pretty good reason why this is happening, and that’s because of collaborations.

You see, back in 2018, only three of the ten most valuable Dunks were collaborations, namely those from Concepts and Diamond Supply Co. In 2019, this number doubled to six including the legendary Off-White x Nike collection that is still extremely sought-after even today. In 2020, on the other hand, collaborations hit an all time high, with 90% of the most valuable pairs being partnerships with an stores, designers, and artists such as Sean Cliver and Travis Scott. With all that said, it’s pretty safe to assume that collaborative releases like these are a huge reason why the Dunk is as popular as it is. But at the end of the day, not everyone can afford them, leading us to our next section.

In another Twitter poll, over 63% of you think that Nike should drop more colourways. This massive percentage represents a large chunk of the community who haven’t been fortunate enough to cop collabs but want the full Dunk experience. In fact, “GR” pairs like the “Coast” and the “University Red” are playing a huge role in the industry this year, constantly ranking as one of Europe’s most-bought sneakers. While many of you on the Tweet did say that the Beaverton brand should keep it a lot more exclusive, that’s just not how the game works. Take Yeezy for example. Launched all the way back in 2015, the Yeezy Boost 750 quickly became one of the most limited sneakers ever made. After seeing the disappointment from those who weren’t able to cop, Kanye West vowed that one day everyone who wants a pair will be able to get one without having to pay an extortionate amount.

Six years later, it has become quite apparent that Ye has lived up to his promise. With 350s and 700s dropping left, right, and centre, every man and their dog can finally grab a pair without a hitch. While it’s evident that hype surrounding the brand has dropped, it’s still a win-win situation for all parties: adidas take in more cash and in return, sneakerheads get the colourways they want. It’s simple economics.

This is exactly what’s happening with the Dunk at the moment. While it’s definitely not a bulletproof strategy and may bomb just like the NMD if not done right, it’s also worth noting that the Air Jordan 1 has been around for a similar amount of time and continues to reign as one of the most popular silhouettes in the history of mankind. To put this into perspective, the Michael Jordan brand earned its first $1 billion quarter at the end of 2019, and they didn’t achieve this by drip feeding their fans ultra limited colourways.

That takes us to our third and final Twitter poll. Earlier this year, we asked our Twitter followers if they personally think that the Dunk is going to mainstream. Unsurprisingly, over 70% of you agreed. Some of you raised some pretty interesting points though. For example, @Mr_Deal86 said, “Dunks were always going to come back for every GR release in JD, ASOS and Office you’ll get the Russet and Curry’s which are great. SB Dunk’s are a different beast and remain with skateshops” while @hedoesitforfree stated “It is, but As long as more interesting and limited collabs/designs come up who cares!” This clearly shows that even though they are definitely more accessible than ever, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

There’s no doubt that the Nike Dunk will always be a classic, and that’s just another reason why everyone should be able to buy them. While they definitely aren’t as hyped as they were a few years ago, the love and appreciation for the legendary basketball shoe is stronger than ever, and those are the only two things that matter at the end of the day.

Love and appreciation.