“When this shoe comes out, I’m gonna get one by hook or by crook.”
That’s what I told myself when images of this shoe floated in social media. It was me fighting myself over the fact that I can’t get a pair at retail. I’ve come to terms with it.
A little history lesson first, the 2021 Nike SB Dunk Supreme—which is a part of a 4 pack—is a throwback to the SB Dunk Highs that Nike SB and Supreme dropped from 2003. They were loud and a bit too gaudy for tastes during that time but eventually they grew on people. It grew so much that all three pairs are now commanding crazy secondary market prices. Not as insane as the elephant print lows but still a high end set of releases.
Which takes us to 2021, where this shoe pays tribute to the collection with stars, lace locks and faux croc skin as well. You can call it a cash in, but I think this release just makes perfect sense.
See, samples of the SB Dunk Lows with the Nike logos subbed for the stars floated years ago—but they never saw the light of day. I always wished for a low top version of these croc skinned beauties in black but they never happened until now.
It’s as if someone from Supreme and Nike SB heard me…but that might be too much of a stretch. The black/white Dunk was one of my first pairs when I popped my sneakerhead cherry hence my wishful thinking.
Enough of my gloating over it. So a good month ago, I went ahead and got it online. The hefty price tag hurts, but it felt so good to just go for it.
To see these in hand, I just was all in all pleased with this release. Yes, I can go on and on about the slight lack of quality present in Nike SB’s releases but I won’t lose sleep over it. There were a few changes on the shoe like the toebox being more boxy I’d guess but there may be a reason for it.
I am also glad that they used the vintage Nike Dunk SB soles, I hated how they changed it up years ago and this is a refreshing nod to the originals. Of course, old school heads would say “they don’t make them like they used to” but that comes with the territory I guess.
If you were to ask me “Is it worth it?” I’d say yes they are. Of course I’d wish to have bought them for retail but it is what it is.
As a fan of Supreme and Nike SB, I think this strikes my check list of what a great sneaker should be. The story behind it, its significance to streetwear culture and finally how they look and feel. It would suck to buy this just because it’s popular not knowing where it came from and how it came to be.
Speaking of significant sneakers here’s our list of the 10 Best Nike Kobe sneakers.
