Back in 2016, the International Olympic Committee announced that skateboarding would officially be an Olympic sport at the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer. Ahead of the sport’s big debut, Nike SB has laid out its sneaker release plans coinciding with the inaugural competition.
The sneakers in the group include two “Gundam” Bandai x Nike SB Dunk Highs as well as three separate SB Dunk Lows designed in collaboration with FTC, Parra, and Quartersnacks. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen these collabs, as early images of each pair have hit the net in the months leading up to today’s official unveiling.
In addition to the sneakers, Nike SB tapped Dutch artist and frequent collaborator Piet Parra to design federation kits for the United States, Japan, France, and Brazil skate teams. The design of each uniform draws inspiration from each of the country’s most popular sport with the Brazilian kit inspired by soccer, the French kit referencing tennis, the Japanese kit for baseball, and basketball for the U.S uniforms. A bird is also embroidered on the side of each uniform to further represent the spirit of each country.
The release dates for these upcoming Nike SB Dunk collabs have not been specified, but each pair is expected to release soon on the SNKRS app and at select Nike SB stockists. Scroll through for a full breakdown of the source of inspiration behind each of the collabs.
Bandai x Nike SB Dunk High 'Gundam'
While the majority of the collabs featured here are SB Dunk Lows, Bandai will release two SB Dunk High collabs inspired by the popular Japanese figurines, Gundam. Specifically, the Unicorn Gundam is the source of inspiration for the duo as seen with the logo printed on the heel counter. The collab features interchangeable Swoosh branding as a nod to its toy counterpart while the panels throughout the upper mirror the look of the fictional Gundam suit. The collab is offered in white and blue-based colorways.
FTC x Nike SB Dunk Low
Japan, the host country of this summer’s Olympic Games, will serve as inspiration for San Francisco-based skate shop FTC’s latest SB Dunk collab. The look of the shoe is inspired by traditional Japanese bathhouses as the overlay panels feature a brick-like pattern combined with light blue suede underlays, silver Swoosh on the sides, and a translucent outsole.
Quartersnacks x Nike SB Dunk Low
Unlike the first two collabs, New York-based skate magazine and longtime collaborator Quartersnacks is using a hometown staple New York junk food for its SB Dunk collab. The shoe shown here is inspired by a popular zebra-striped cake snack as seen with the graphic covering the leather upper. Quartersnacks branding also appears on the tongue tag and embroidered on the heel counter.
Parra x Nike SB Dunk Low
Piet Parra is also releasing a new SB Dunk Low collab coinciding with the special Federation kits he designed for the athletes at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Wavy geometric patterns in red and blue hues cover the shoe’s overlay panels while offset by a sail-based upper while black Swoosh branding appears on the side.
