Fashion, Men

The expert’s edit: Nike Dunk sneakers

Dec 8, 2023

Debuted in 1985 as Nike’s new, high-performance basketball sneaker, the Nike Dunk’s design is a unique amalgamation of the sportswear powerhouse’s predecessors: the Air Force 1, the Terminator, the Air Jordan 1 and the Legend. On its release, the evolutionary style quickly became popular in the worlds of basketball, skateboarding and fashion, and has had multiple white-hot drops since — from Jeff Staple’s ‘Pigeon’ Dunk in 2005 to Virgil Abloh’s Nike x Off-White Dunk Low in 2019.

‘I can’t possibly choose one brand I’m most looking forward to seeing,’ adds Matsa, on what to expect from the upcoming season’s shows. ‘They all have something exciting to offer. I want to see the sexiness that Saint Laurent brings to the runway; the glamour of Balmain; the playfulness of Jacquemus that always makes me smile; the Parisian-chic of the streets at Isabel Marant; the coolness of Courrèges and the jaw-dropping catwalk moment from Coperni.’ Ahead of the fall/winter 2023 shows, learn more about the story behind the brands and shop the key pieces, as Matsa shares some of her favorite memories of six iconic French names.

Originally unveiled during the Be True To Your School ad campaign, the Dunk first arrived in 12 colorways, each representing one of the best college basketball teams in the US, enabling fans to rep their school’s colors. It was the first basketball sneaker to be produced in such bold shades, which only heightened its popularity. Since then, it’s earned its place in the sneaker hall of fame and has been championed by celebrity tastemakers like Virgil Abloh, as well as rappers Offset and Travis Scott. Here, Zack Schlemmer from luxury sneaker marketplace Stadium Goods highlights the key styles, colorways and collaborations, plus all the need-to-know size and fit advice.

The Dunk Low

‘The most popular version of the Nike Dunk is no doubt the Dunk Low,’ highlights Schlemmer. ‘It’s clean, simple, comfortable and endlessly versatile — it’s easy to see why everyone wants to own a pair. In my opinion, the Dunk always looks best in its classic two-tone color-block design. First released in November 2022, the Dunk Low Arizona State is an unofficial nod to the Arizona State Sun Devils football team. ‘You can’t beat the original team colorways from the Be True to Your School collection of 1985, such as the Michigan release, but my favorite of the newer college-themed iterations is definitely the Arizona State design. I simply think it looks great.’