John Kim 
This year, the Nike Dunk celebrates an astounding thirty years of influence in basketball, skateboarding, the sneakerhead culture, and more. This legendary sneaker, which debuted in 1985, is revered by many, but the history of this game-changing silhouette and style is not often told – until now. The shoes were originally called the College Color High, but eventually adapted the “Dunk” name from the dunk last that was used to create the shoes. Peter Moore’s sporty design, which resembled its fellow icons in the Air Jordan 1 and Nike Terminator, was the perfect fit for basketball athletes who began to display athleticism that the game had never seen before. The original “Be True To Your School” ad campaign was targeted around twelve college basketball programs, and with the ever-growing popularity of college hoops, the original series of Dunks were a hit.
With sleek design, bold colors rarely seen in Nike footwear at the time, and comfort that was deemed perfect for several sports, the Nike Dunk legend was ready to take off on a rock-solid foundation set by the energy around college sports. Evidently, skaters absolutely loved the shoe (as they did the Air Jordan 1), and using the Dunk silhouette for the launch of Nike SB in the early 2000s and upgrading it with new construction was the right fit. What wasn’t anticipated was SB’s massive popularity, and to this day the early Nike SB Dunks are credited for ushering in the “sneakerhead” era. Celebrate 30 years of this icon by flipping through this gallery of rare, vintage images below and read the full piece on Nike News.
