Nike Dunk Low

Dunk Low

The first Nike Dunk was a high-top sneaker made for use on the courts of Division I college basketball. Within a few years of its 1985 release, the Nike Dunk Low had entered the picture and soon went on to match the popularity of its high-top counterpart. While the earliest Lows were made for men, sneakers aimed at women followed, and nowadays there is a wide selection of low-tops to choose from.

The key to the success of the Dunk Low has been its eye-catching use of colour-blocking, which has produced all sorts of memorable colourways. The layout tends to include white on the upper and midsole combined with a powerfully contrasting tone across the upper’s overlays and the outsole. One of the best examples of this style is the black and white Panda colourway, which has proven to be a timeless design.

Dichromatic Nike Dunk Lows appear prominently throughout the range. There are those with gently contrasting colours like the off-white tones of the Light Bone colourway, the soft grey overlays of the Photon Dust and the pale lilac on the Venice. Meanwhile, the Grey Fog features overlays in a stronger shade that makes them more distinct from the white base layer, with many more designs exhibiting a deeper contrast. For example, the top layer of the Oatmeal is light beige, of the Medium Olive is rich green and of the Orange Pearl pale pink, while the ruddy brown of the Rose Whisper and the sky blue of the University Blue provide yet more powerful colour variation. Then there are those sneakers that flip this arrangement by adding a colour other than white to the main surface of the upper. This has created stunning tonal juxtaposition on the Racer Blue, which switches white to the overlays and dons a grand blue on the underlayer, and the Miami Hurricanes, which features a rich green and orange colour scheme.

Alongside these two-tone designs, there are several shoes that distinguish themselves by adding a third colour. On models like the Valerian Blue and the Coast, this extra hue can be seen on the branding effects, the former in red, the latter yellow. The Sand Drift, on the other hand, has a pair of beige hues alongside a white midsole, and the Judge Grey opts for an additional tone on its sidewall swooshes, with white logos atop the two shades of brown coating the rest of the outer. The Teal Mint and Coconut Milk also have white swooshes, while the Dark Driftwood has black across both its swoosh and outsole, and the Dunk Low Retro SP University Red colourway has split the aforementioned features to produce a white half and a black half on each. There are also models whose laces are filled with lively hues like those on the LX Pink Foam; its are a mixture of black, white and grey, while LeBron James’ Fruity Pebbles is delivered with dynamic, multi-coloured shoelaces that reference his favourite cereal. Then there are those sneakers that introduce varying tones on several elements; for example, the Pink Velvet has dark pink swooshes stretching over its light pink and white flanks along with red branding on its tongue. Elsewhere, the Triple Pink has a pale rose upper, darker pink overlays and even darker tones on its branding and swooshes, while the Blueberry features a white underlayer, lilac overlays and deep blue across its laces, swooshes, heel panel and outsole.

As well as Dunk Lows with distinctive colours, there are those that throw intriguing materials into the mix. The unique Year of the Rabbit colourway, which was inspired by the Chinese zodiac, has fuzzy blue and red chenille swooshes, while those on the Terry Swoosh model are covered in dusky red fur. The University of Oregon PE combines PU leather and suede for an appealing textural contrast, and the Needlework comes with thickly braided rope laces and a gleaming rhinestone set into the heel branding. Suede is a common component of many designs, including the soft brown overlays of the Medium Curry, the creamy grey panels on the Light Iron Ore, the rich mahogany toe box and rear segment of the Cider and parts of the light purple upper on the Teddy Bear colourway. For a more sustainable option, some shoes incorporate recycled materials within their makeup. The speckly soled Lilac model and the Hologram colourway, with its shimmering swooshes, tongue and heel, are just two examples of such eco-friendly Nike Dunks, both showing off Nike’s Move to Zero pinwheel of swooshes on their insoles to signify that they belong to the Next Nature line.

Funky patterns and memorable emblems can be found on other sneakers in the Nike Dunk Low collection. One such model is the Brown Basalt, which is bedecked with a shiny golden badge on the tongue and a gleaming gold lace dubrae. Another is the commemorative Jackie Robinson colourway, whose blue overlays are filled with thought-provoking quotes from the pioneering baseball player. Elsewhere, the Paisley Pack is made up of several shoes all united by their use of paisley swooshes, and the SE sneakers in the Lottery Pack are all adorned with scratch-off logos that reveal chic illustrations underneath. Meanwhile, those in the Sun Club Pack are sprinkled with summery palm trees and smiley faced suns, and the Safari Mix brings together an impressive array of colours, materials and patterns, including turquoise suede, black fur and leopard print leather.

Collaborations have played a big part in the story of the Nike Dunk Low as well. One of the first was with emerging streetwear brand Undefeated, who created a graffiti-inspired low-top known as Splatter. The sneaker and apparel store has grown enormously since its 2002 inception, continuing to work with Nike on collaborations such as 2021’s Dunk vs. AF-1 collection, which honours the history of both silhouettes. The Dunk Low has also been adapted by Off-White and its era-defining founder, Virgil Abloh, firstly in 2019 with a set of three sneakers featuring many of his signature touches. The broader Dear Summer collection of 50 Dunk Lows followed in 2021, all with a similar construction that incorporates additional Flywire lacing. 2021 also marked the NBA’s 75th anniversary, and Nike paired up with the pro basketball league to create a series of Lows celebrating some of the biggest teams in its history, including the Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks. Each one is presented in the colours of the respective team with a commemorative logo embroidered into the tongue label to mark the occasion.

Continuing this prolific period for Nike Dunk Low collaborations was the partnership with Clark Atlanta University in 2022. Like the NBA designs, it comes in the institution’s colours of red, grey and black and is scattered with icons like the school’s Panthers logo on the tongue and its motto, “Find a Way or Make One”, on the laces. Around the same time, Nike was busy crafting more Dunk models with clothing brand Union. Known as the Passport Pack, it included a trio of shoes made to honour cities that are important to the company – Los Angeles, New York and Tokyo – with the set inspired by the brand’s early years.

As the range of Nike Dunk Lows expanded, so did the various models based on the original silhouette. 2002’s SB Dunk Low was one of the earliest to provide an altered version of the sneaker, with a design optimised for skaters that has since gone on to be released in a plethora of colourways. Many years later, in the early 2020s, Nike produced several new models, beginning with the Nike Dunk Low Disrupt – a women’s only sneaker with a much chunkier look than its predecessor. Two years later, the Disrupt 2 came out, once again as a model aimed particularly at women. It has similar proportions to the original Dunk Low but various parts of its design have been deconstructed, including the eyestay panelling and the swooshes. Between these two releases, Nike also brought out the Dunk Low Scrap, its patchwork upper bringing a whole new dimension of style to the Nike Dunk Low. Then, in 2023, two new models were launched in the form of the Air Jumbo and the Twist. The former exaggerates many features of the Dunk, such as the swooshes and tongue, while the latter has sleek TPU swooshes alongside bumpers on the toe and heel.

Today, the Dunk Low is one of the most sought after of Nike’s many sneaker designs. Its history has seen it populate a wide range of cultural spaces, from basketball to skating to high fashion, and yet it remains a well-rounded, down-to-earth piece of casual streetwear with global appeal.