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Masterpiece that Tied Sneakers & Street Culture Together! Unraveling the History of the Nike Dunk

2022.11.17

Released in 1985, concurrently with the Air Jordan 1, the Nike Dunk, although originally basketball shoes, have now become entrenched as street icons. We spoke with Katsushige Kamamoto, the representative of Sneaker Shop 'SKIT', a mecca for sneakerheads, about the history of Nike Dunk and its anecdotes and charms.

Starting as Color Models for Elite Teams in the NCAA

The Nike Dunk, born in 1985, was quite an innovative design at the time, employing bold colors during an era when white was the default for basketball shoes. It was a product aimed at increasing the brand's share by being supplied to the elite teams of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), which boasted popularity in the U.S. not inferior to that of the NBA. That's why the Nike Dunk was designed with the colors of these teams. Kamamoto describes its history in this way.

The slogan for the Dunk in 1985 was "BE TRUE TO YOUR SCHOOL." From top left, the colors of Syracuse University, University of Nevada, University of Michigan, University of Iowa. From bottom left, the colors of St. John's University, Villanova University, University of Kentucky

"According to a friend who attended a university in San Francisco back then and later became the owner of a sneaker shop, Nike used to set up booths like tents and sell Dunks at the venues of major NCAA tournaments. The innovative element of color blocking must be a great appeal.

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