20 Years of Nike SB - Stories in Skateboarding

08.06.22

Folklore Forever.

Much of skateboarding’s history has been lived not documented and some of its most iconic moments were never captured. No big, that only fuels the legends, and makes all the more sacred. Through its riders, friends, artists, creatives, and collaborators, Nike SB’s used shoes as a way to canonize those stores in the most imaginative ways possible to honor and elevate skateboarding’s roots. Most of all, anything is on the table and any anecdote can find its way to an SB, and often, the more random, the better.

Skate Mental Rollerblade Dunk High

Brad Staba’s Skate Mental brand has become the gold standard of sardonic takes and extreme irreverence. In 2013, prior to the scooter revolution, SkateMental punched down at your local’s biggest nuisance by releasing the Nike SB Dunk High LR “Rollerblade.” With a faux-blade wheel design printed on the vulc midsole and rare ankle strap, the Rollerblade Dunk absurdly emulated all the details and dread of the cursed invention.

VX1000 Dunk

Like the Dunk SB itself, the VX1000 Camcorder has a cult-like following and devoted fanbase in skateboarding. Released in 1995, Sony’sDCR-VX1000 boasted high-quality digital video with a consumer price tag, and best of all, the VX1000 was compact and made transferring footage easier and less sketchy. Perfect. The Nike SB Dunk Low VX1000 used premium tumbled leather, bright pops of color, and text to simulate the camera’s infamous buttons and features.

Marty McFly Dunk / SB Eric Koston Mid / Janoski Max

In 1985 an entire generation of ‘80s kids watched Marty McFly “invent” skateboarding during a chase scene in Back to the Future. “Christmas Completes” were abundant that holiday season but it wasn’t until the sequel in 1989, which featured the futuristic, self-lacing Air MAG that a relationship with The Swoosh was forged. McFly-inspired colorways began in 2008 with the first Air Mag Nike Hyperdunk followed by the Nike SB Zoom Tre AD in 2009, and by 2016, 89 pairs of the OG were released via charity raffle. A year prior, SB got back in the mix, creating the Marty McFly dunk, combining a Wolf Grey upper, speckled midsole, translucent outsole, and insole graphics inspired by Marty’s hoverboard, kicking off another travel through time.

Nike SB Quartersnacks Zebra

In 2005, Downtown Manhattan’s TF denizens with a penchant for turning any Tompkins Square Park trash into treasure started Quartersnacks. Since then, the blog’s become the pulse of NYC skateboarding and beyond. Having teamed up with Nike SB for a Dunk Pro Low and Bruin Hyperfeel, in 2021 they released the most Snackman-influenced Dunk yet, featuring chocolatey graphics inspired by cheap Bodega sweets complete with a jacquard woven label bearing their motto: “If you can't ollie up it, don't ollie down it.”