Check out the Slam Nike SB Dunk Top 10 list, some of our favourite dunks from over the years. We have been involved with Nike SB here at Slam since their first drop of shoes, we have seen each release and watched them develop. One constant from the very beginning has been the inclusion of the Dunk in each season. This existing style was the first to be given an SB once over as it lent itself to skateboarding off the bat.
This shoe has caused quite a stir on numerous occasions, brought us new customers and taught us a little bit about crowd control. With a big release on the cards we felt it apt to refresh your memories with this list of some of our favourite Dunks.
Nike SB ‘Futura’ Dunk Low (2003)
The Futura Dunk was one of the first four silver boxes we ever received. These shoes didn’t last long at all once word got out that we had stock of them. This one still stands up as one of the best, the Futura chosen colourway and choice materials really set a benchmark for what could be done.
Nike SB ‘Hunter Reese Forbes’ Dunk Low (2004)
Designed by one of the original riders Reese Forbes, this Hunter Dunk proved popular. This was another design to make the most of materials. Camouflaged toe and heel detailing is visibly stitched onto a burlap upper with an orange sole and Swoosh.
Nike SB ‘Melvins’ Dunk High (2005)
We received the Melvins dunk high and it sold the same day. There was a black leather version but these white canvas ones were the winners. They are offset with a blood stain print and a black sole and Swoosh. On one side of the heel is the Chinese character for blood and the Melvins logo appears embroidered on the other side.
Nike SB ‘De La Soul’ Dunk High (2005)
Covering another edge of the musical spectrum were the De La Soul Dunk Highs. There was a low version which came out a month before but it was the high top which drew the biggest crowd. This was another shoe which benefited from making use of the wealth of materials to hand with a surrounded green cement print on the toe and around the laces. Most interesting on this shoe was the use of the 3 Feet High and Rising album artwork on the heel in hologram form.
Nike SB ‘Stussy’ Dunk Low (2005)
This Stussy Dunk Low was released as part of the team manager’s pack. Interest in this was slightly overshadowed by the Diamond release which was part of the same pack, more about that later. These were designed by Stussy team manager Robbie Jeffers. Neapolitan ice cream flavours strawberry, chocolate and vanilla inspired the colourway, all finished off with a cherry on top, on the tongue anyway.
Nike SB ‘Homer’ Dunk Low (2004)
News of the Simpsons “Homer” Dunk got out there ahead of time and we were inundated with phone calls. The funniest story from this particular release was a phone call which reached Jagger who was our warehouse manager of the time. An enthusiastic customer opened the conversation with no greeting simply the question “is Homer there?” They asked a silly question and got a silly answer. “No mate, he’s in Springfield!” These shoes were based on the colours of our favourite nuclear power plant employee and sold out instantly.
Nike SB ‘Unlucky’ Dunk High (2004)
In 2004 Nike SB released the ‘Lucky’ and ‘Unlucky’ Dunk High’s. We had both, the gold Lucky high had a number 7 right where your first ollie would make it’s mark. It was it’s unlucky cousin above which garnered the most interest. These had the “unlucky for some” number 13 in place of the 7 and a combination of black suede and leather with gold detailing. They sold out to queues unaffected by superstition.
Nike SB ‘UNKLE’ Dunk High (2004)
More overnight queues were caused by Futura’s second bit of involvement with Nike SB. He teamed up with U.N.K.L.E to create the U.N.K.L.E Dunkle. This black and pink leather high top had Futura’s artwork all over the toe, heel, and side panels with a Mowax logo on the insole. They sold out in half an hour.
Nike SB ‘Tiffany’ Dunk Low (2005)
The Tiffany Dunk low came out in 2005 as part of the team manager pack, this was the one everybody wanted. It was designed by Nick Tershay from Diamond. With a Tiffany aqua blue upper, Diamond branding on the tongue, a chrome Swoosh and black crocodile print leather on the toe, heel and lacing panel these were one of the shoes which resonated most with it’s customers. We had a queue around the corner at our Covent Garden store and an hour later the shoes were gone. The legacy of this release lives on still, it’s hanging from the ceiling of our Covent Garden store…
This butchered shoe still receives some attention and occasionally an offer to buy it. This is the story. We were shipped our allocation of shoes but one of the boxes felt a little light. One rogue shoe had arrived solo without a partner. This was put out of the way on the day but the box was still asked about, the shoe was taken out of the box and lived behind the counter for a little while but still so many questions were asked about it.
Meanwhile, our mail order manager at the time was being inundated with calls about the shoe, often “Tiffany Dunk” were the words blurted into the mouthpiece nowhere near a hello. He made an executive decision and gave it a makeover with a junior hacksaw. It caused quite a stir at the time.
Nike SB ‘Slam City’ Dunk Low (2005)
This was obviously one of the biggest releases we had ever experienced. All of the Slam staff members at the time had a chance to sit in a room and pool ideas which culminated in one of the best received Nike SB shoes of all time. Making a shoe called the Slam Dunk was obviously a no brainer, they came out in September 2005 and in our humble opinion are one of the more interesting releases. Attention was paid to detail and their function as a skate shoe was paramount.
We implemented a durable rubber toe area and had the idea to doctor the Swoosh so that the act of skateboarding revealed a colour beneath. These were finished with a map to Southbank on the insole drawn by our business manager and an illustration of Jesus on the tongue drawn by Simon True the Rochdale Gonz. We sold the shoes on their own or as a limited edition pack including a tote bag and a one run only blue Jesus T-Shirt with stickers. Their Saturday morning release was one of our busiest. Read more about the Nike SB x Slam City Dunk.
Nike SB ‘What The Dunk’ Dunk Low (2007)
Two years later saw the release of the ‘What The Dunk’. This took recognisable features from many of the most popular releases. Each shoe was a mish mash of the Cali’s, the pigeons, the lucky and unlucky highs, the Jedi’s, the Denims, the Hufs and the list goes on. These shoes were super limited and coincided with the Nothing But The Truth video coming out. What was more memorable for us about this release was that the day they went on sale was our opening day for a Slam City Skates concession on the ground floor of NikeTown!
Our Slam City Skates pop-up shop on the ground floor of Niketown London
The shop looked great and the draw of being the first to shop there as well as the ‘What The Dunk’ release and Nike pros like Omar Salazar walking around caused big queues to form on Oxford Street…
The Nike SB ‘What The Dunk’ queue outside Niketown London
People arrived at our pop-up shop a day early and even slept on Oxford Street overnight
Even with a flood situation on their hands and their first day in the store, our staff managed to keep the crowds happy and many people left with some sought-after pieces of Nike SB history. We hope you enjoyed that trip through the past decade of Dunks from Nike SB. One of the reasons which prompted us to reminisce is a big release on the horizon. We will soon be receiving the Tiffany Dunk High!…
Nike SB ‘Tiffany’ Dunk High (2014)
This is a huge heads-up to get your finances and calendars in order. These shoes will go on sale soon! We will give you more information nearer to the time regarding this release. Shop for all of the latest releases from Nike SB which could be on another holy grail list in the future.