Aaron Hope 
Any discussion of the world’s best sneaker boutiques must include Undefeated. The LA-based shop began back in 2001, before just about every shop that makes up today’s sneaker landscape. UNDFTD has gone on to become more than just the sneaker boutique originator while expanding their business to Las Vegas and Japan, and with a range of collaborative partners reading like a who’s who of major sneaker manufacturers, Eddie Cruz’ shop is indeed one of the most influential labels of the streetwear generation.
UNDFTD created its first Nike collabs back in 2002 as friends and family exclusives, but since then the availability has spread. The designs that have followed those original promos have given the store global recognition, and they even got in on the retro treatment usually reserved for established veterans with last year’s ‘Bring Back Pack’. UNDFTD has a couple of Lunar Force 1s dropping this weekend, so let’s go back through their collaborative resume with Nike to see how the partnership has grown over the years:
Nike Dunk High – 2002
Not long after opening in 2001, UNDFTD hooked up with Nike to create a special friends and family exclusive collab on the Dunk High. This was right before the SB line lanuched and the Dunk was enjoying a retro revival, but nothing like what was to come over the next decade. The original included a standard Nike tongue tag but by the time a ‘retro’ was in order for a wider release in 2013, the Five Strikes logo had become so well known that it took over the tongue tags as well.
Nike Dunk Low “Splatter” – 2003
The first UNDFTD x Nike design to release at retail wasn’t billed as such. The Undefeated team was behind this Dunk Low inspired by graffiti artists and the Dunk’s revered status within that community. It was made to resemble a shoe that had been used for a good bit of tagging, and was rendered in both grey and red/blue colorways. Taken in combination with the print used on their Air and Lunar Force 1s, we see UNDFTD ahead of the curve when it comes to the graphic explosion that has hit in the past couple years.
Nike Dunk High – 2003
The, Undefeated followed their white/gum Dunk High about a year later with an olive green edition. The number was still extremely limited but doubled to 48 pairs, another friends and family exclusive given out in commemoration of the second UNDFTD storefront’s grand opening.
Nike Dunk High NL – 2005
Undefeated crafted the definitive mid-2000s colorway on the most significant No-Liner Dunk release. The UNDFTD x Nike Dunk High NL was a Tier 0 release with just 5000 pairs made, and was built from premium leathers in an eye-catching range of colors that set the bar for expressive sneaker colorways for the next few years.
Air Jordan IV – 2005
The UNDFTD x Air Jordan 4 is one of the most valuable and coveted colorways of one of the most popular Air Jordan Retro silhouettes. Along with Eminem’s ‘Encore’ IVs also made in small numbers in 2005, the UNDFTD Jordan 4s are among the sneaker world’s holy grails.
Nike Air Force 1 Low “Entourage” – 2006
A memorable sneaker for so many reasons, the ‘Fukiyama’ Air Force 1’s as seen on HBO’s Entourage connected with UNDFTD through a range of cryptic laser etchings. The episode also featured an appearance from the late DJ AM where he copped the last size 11 before Turtle could get his. There are few releases in history that have represent this much cultural significance with a single colorway. Resale prices remain higher than an entry level used car. There’s also an extremely rare white-Swooshed edition that’s supposedly limited to just 12 pairs. The “even more limited edition” gold pair featured in the show wasn’t released, but was on display when HBO Shop opened in New York.
Nike Air Force 1 Low – 2006
Undefeated’s incredible 2006 also included a couple of Inside/Out Air Force 1 Lows. The pattern debuted on these was repeated on a 2009 LIVESTRONG collab as well as the Lunar Force 1s that are coming up this weekend.
Nike Dunk High – 2013
The Five Strikes Brand channeled some of its own history with 2012’s ‘Bring Back’ pack. In resurrecting the white/gum Dunk High, UNDFTD returned to their first ever Nike collab, which had never released to the public. They also brought back the olive green edition and both proved so popular that . . .
Nike Hyperdunk 2012 – 2013
Both ‘Bring Back’ packs included updated versions of their respective Dunk colorways in the cutting edge Hyperdunk 2012. White and olive pairs both rank among the most valuable colorways for this particular model. It was the first and to date only time UNDFTD has collaborated on a first run performance model, but hopefully not the last.
Nike Lunar Force 1 – 2014
The latest UNDFTD x Nike Sportswear collaboration brings together the lowtop and hightop Lunar Force 1 silhouettes with that pattern introduced on the 2006 IOs. Undefeated sends a message here, incorporating design elements both new and old from both theirs and Nike Sportswear’s archives. The partnership continues to thrive and their respective legacies ensure that the next round will also attract a lot of attention.
