Nike SB Dunk History…Rise From The Underground to Mainstream

Misfits to Mainstream

Over the past few years, sneakerheads have seen a resurgence in Nike Dunks. Last year, we got colorways that included the Argon, Gym Red, and the ever-so-popular Panda. We even got collaborations from Lebron with the fruity pebbles and Union LA. This was not always the case with the dunk. In the early 2000’s Nike struggled to enter the growing skate scene.

Before there were skate parks and skateboarding in the summer Olympics. Skateboarding was thought to be for misfits and people wearing oversized jeans. Although skateboarding has been around since the 70s it was not until the early 2000’s that it became popular with the mainstream. That was the time when professional skateboarder Rob Dyrdek’s show premiered on MTV and was an instant hit.

Skateboarders such as Tony Hawk and Paul Rodriguez became household names. Tony Hawk has had success from this popularity with at least 20 video games starting in 1999. This also meant that skateboarding clothing became popular and brands like DC, Etnies, and Emerica saw an increase in sales. Not only were the clothes popular, but the sneakers were also popular.

Nike Enters the Skateboard Market

With skate sneaker sales increasing that meant there was an opportunity for Nike to get some of the market shares. Nike signed Bam Magera and released a series of skate shoes. The Choat, Schimp, and Snak. All three shoes were flops as they did not have what the skate community looked for in style and function. Magera disliked the shoe so much he would place the logo on other shoes when skating.

Nike came at the skate industry all wrong. They assumed that when riding a board any old shoe would work. That is where they were wrong. Skaters are constantly kicking, pushing, and manipulating the board with their feet. Even having the proper outsole to accommodate the grip tape is important. That is why many skaters chose the Jordan 1.

After an unsuccessful attempt to enter the skateboarding market. Nike went in another direction. In 2001 Nike brought in Sandy Boedecker. Before making his mark in the skateboarding world Bodecker began as a tester for Nike in the 80s. Prior to his SB movement, he worked on everything from soccer to running.

What Nike tried to do was create an entirely new shoe. What Sandy did was use what was already there. Since people like Mark Gonzales were already wearing Jordan 1s, Bodecker suggested they use a similar sneaker. The Nike Dunk was originally released in 1985 along with the Jordan 1. The Dunk was similar and would not require a complete redesign.

The Nike Dunk High was created for college basketball. That meant there was an endless number of colorways available. A few modifications were made such as a padding tongue for additional protection. The outsole was updated to complement the use of grip tape. The air technology was incorporated to provide all-day comfort.

The SB Dunk is Born

Sandy’s approach to making the dunk successful involved a few things. First Nike would not make the Dunks a general release. Releases would be kept to skate shops or small sneaker shops, with no corporate sporting goods stores. That is why today we do not see a lot of dunks being released at box sporting goods stores. Even stores like Footlocker do not see many releases.

Next, each Dunk would have a story behind it. This led to Nike collaborating with skaters such as Reese Forbes and Gino Lannucci. Each of these shoes was created by someone familiar to the target audience. Also, there was a story behind the creation. This sneaker was done in frayed worn denim representing what a skater’s jeans may look like.

Bodecker’s other approach was to partner with other skate shops such as Supreme, Zoo York, and Chocolate to create dunks. In 2002 Supreme and Nike created the Nike SB Dunk Low Supreme Black Cement. This was the first non-Jordan sneaker to feature the elephant print. This approach propelled Nike’s Dunk into an instant success not only with skaters but with sneakerheads.

Although Nike saw success with the Dunk by the mid-2000s the consumer’s attention turned. 2010 saw the rise of Air Max and Flyknit technology. This meant that skaters could pick up the dunks without the long lines or the fights. The Dunk craze is in full swing again after Nike and Travis Scott released a sneaker in 2020. For the foreseeable future, Dunks are back in the mainstream. Check out the first Jordan x Dunk collaboration in over 10 years in this article.