Aaron Hope 
Getting the exact colorway you want sometimes involves a bit of work. That’s the basic idea behind custom sneakers, and there are any number of ways to achieve a one-of-one look. Paint and maybe markers are the most obvious choices, and beyond that, you’re looking at material customization as the next level. Jeff McFetridge’s 2003 Nike Vandal broke new ground in that respect by introducing a cutaway upper that could be tailored to reveal a hidden base layer.
While the Vandal wasn’t on top for long, McFetridge sunk his teeth into the sneaker world by showing how a torn shoe could be desirable. A couple of years later, Nike Skateboarding found a beautiful synergy when they released the first pair of Dunks that would change color as those griptape abrasions intrinsic to the sport started to accumulate. So thanks to the desire for personalized footwear, Nike SB came up with a look that makes the most of those unavoidable scrapes. And with the biggest drop to date coming up in June with the next Air Jordan 1 SB, let’s go back and look through SB’s wearaway shoes:
Slam City (2005)
Nike SB’s first use of a wearaway material came to us as the result of a collaboration with a British skate shop. Slam City’s Dunk SBs were thoroughly personalized with unique tongue tags and insole graphics, but the reason people remember these so much is because of that black Swoosh that faded to create a tonal complement to the blue laces and heel tabs.
Joe Strummer “After” (2007)
There were two Joe Strummer SB Dunks, both based on the 1966 Fender Telecaster the Clash frontman rocked on stage for years. The white-toe Pro edition was a ‘before’ take on the hardworking guitar, while the black-toed Premium showed us a more distressed ‘after’ look. The Premium edition came equipped with the largest portion of color-change material to date, with the entire toe taking on a vintage look as the shoe ages.
Asbury Park aka Casino (2008)
The lone midtop representative on this list is like the Slam City edition in its use of wearaway panels as part of contrast stitched uppers. This pair is certainly one of the more underrated in the Nike SB canon, but the days of getting a deadstock pair for around retail are long gone as so many have already been beaten into their ‘after’ state.
Statue of Liberty (2011)
The first release with an entirely wear-away upper came in early 2011, inspired by the global sneaker capital and a city known for its love of SB Dunks. This Lady Liberty SB High came out of the box with an oxidized green that were you to rub it in just the right way, would reveal a copper base that represents the history of that popular monument.
Cheech and Chong (2011)
Shortly after the Statue of Liberty drop, Todd Bratrud collaborated with Nike Skateboarding on one of his extremely popular 4/20 colorways. The sequel to Bratrud’s ‘Skunk’ Dunks gave us the first cutaway SBs, a style more in line with the McFetridge Vandals that could be seen to have sparked this entire trend. The cutaway white canvas toe could be scissored, ripped or even burned to reveal a green suede that matched the laces. The hidden layering and stash pocket have us wondering if Dave might really be in there after all.
Nike SB x Air Jordan 1 (2014)
Lance Mountain’s Air Jordan 1 SBs are the most pronounced example of wearaway design in Nike history. The shoes symbolize a period when skaters weren’t exactly popping bottles and throwing money around, referring to the need for custom solutions and hand painted restorations. There are pairs in both black and white that will over time reveal that they’re in fact a mismatched pair of ‘Bred’ and ‘Royal’ OGs. It’s a dope concept representing three decades of history and another dozen years of wearaway kicks.
