Nike Dunk

The Nike Dunk is one of the most iconic sneakers of all time, period. Originally introduced in 1985, the Dunk was the label’s original team-colours shoe, and was released in famous renditions such as the Dunk “Kentucky”, “Michigan”, “Syracuse”, and “Brazil”, releases that remain classics today. Designed for basketball use, both high and low-top renditions of the Dunk became staple choices for basketballers of the era. It’s also well-worth noting that the design of the Dunk heavily inspired the cult-classic Air Jordan 1 that launched later that year, also designed by Peter Moore.

The original launch of the Dunk was pushed heavily by Nike, with the “Be True To Your School” campaign featured heavily throughout college basketball at the time. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the silhouette gained even more traction and became a popular choice for lifestyle wear and, more notably, for skateboarders. The sport was becoming more widely recognised, and skaters would opt for the Nike Dunk due to its heavily durable and well-padded leather uppers.

This was duly noted in 2002, when Nike launched its first ever skateboarding-centric range titled Nike SB. Skateboarders had been wearing Nike’s for a long time, however the label had finally realised that it could develop specially designed sneakers for skating, so it got high-profile skateboarders such as Eric Koston involved in Nike Skateboarding for the first time! Alongside other retro models such as the Blazer and the Bruin, the Dunk was one of the first ever silhouettes to receive the Nike SB treatment, and it’s safe to say that it launched with a bang!

What came next was the start of one of the most hype-frenzied periods in Nike history. The Nike SB Dunk became a hugely-popular silhouette for both skaters and sneakerheads, with the start of hype-culture arguably being this period. Releases such as the Nike SB x Jeff Staple “Pigeon” and Supreme x Nike SB Dunk Low sparked riot-like scenes during drops, with queues often extending for miles past the actual stores.

Throughout the majority of the 2000s, Dunk’s remained one of the most popular sneakers of choice for those in the scene due to the variety of the releases - check out our list of the 25 All-Time Best Nike SB Dunks!! Fast forward to 2020, and Nike Dunks, (both SB and non-SB) made a huge resurgence. The start of the year saw multiple high-profile celebrities wear the shoes, which quickly sparked a newfound hype. Next came new collaborations, with Virgil Abloh and Travis Scott (arguably the two most hyped collaborators) both releasing their own variants of the Dunk. They both launched to huge successes, with the Ben and Jerry’s x Nike SB Dunk Low following in their footsteps and garnering a huge amount of hype!

There’s no doubting that Nike Dunk is one of the best sneakers of all time, and here at The Sole Supplier we're huge fans. If you’re looking to purchase a pair of these classics, then you’re in the right place. Check out our Nike Dunk Size Guide for the best sizing and styling advice.

We’ve trawled the internet and rounded up all our favourites that are available from retailers across Europe, so you can find the perfect pair! Many current Dunk releases are only available via online raffles due to the highly limited nature, so make sure you’re clued up on this by checking out our Guide to the Nike SNKRS App.