From athletes to skaters to hip-hop kids, a generation of young individuals has all dived into one of the most iconic sneakers of all time: the Nike Dunk. Conceived by the mind of Peter Moore, the first Nike Dunk was designed in 1985, during a time when basketball fandom was rising to great heights, especially amongst college students.
1985: Be True To Your School
During this time, Nike noticed the sheer craze people had over their favorite teams. From this, they wondered whether they could insert themselves into the fandom and grab a piece of the pie in the fanatic dedication that basketball fans had for the game. They created what was called the Nike Dunk, which was known as a Frankenstein of three of Nike’s popular silhouettes: The Legend, Terminator and Air Jordan 1.
During the summer of 1985, Nike released what was called the “Be True to Your School” campaign, an effort to provide the crazy college basketball fans a way to show their support by wearing sneakers that donned the colourway of their team. Perfect for merchandise and a way to rep your favourite college basketball team, the Nike Dunks entered the stage with explosive growth, making its initial mark into the sneaker space with great success.
From University of Michigan, Kentucky, Iowa, Georgetown, Syracuse, and many others, the Nike Dunks that came out at that time were the original starter packs to the famed colourways seen in the sneakers you see today. The Dunk High was done up in school colours for each shoe, and has become one of the most recognizable and coveted classic Nike silhouettes of all time.
Shop Nike Dunk High Retro ‘Michigan’ 2020 on Novelship
Shop Nike Dunk High ‘Syracuse’ on Novelship
Shop Nike Dunk High SP ‘Spartan Green’ on Novelship
Eclipsed by the Jordan 1
Although the Nike Dunk saw great popularity during those years, as basketball season came to a close the Nike Dunk, unfortunately, did not make as great of a spectacle as the Air Jordan 1. This was mainly due to the massive hype and popularity surrounding Michael Jordan himself. As the modern generation knows from Instagram influencers and YouTube stars, celebrities’ stardom influences the culture, and with the Air Jordan 1, the legend himself stood tall, his shadow eclipsing the Nike Dunk.
Rebirth of the Dunk
Succeeded by the next Jordans, the Nike Dunk was unfortunately left to be found in the bins of bargain basements. As many believed the revival of the Dunk was far from reality, the sneakers interestingly found a place for themselves on the feet of skaters. With the look of Jordans yet the sturdiness and comfort needed for skating, the Nike Dunk soon made its unexpected resurgence from the bins of nowhere to the youth’s feet everywhere.
