In celebration of the 25th (I’m still trying to figure this math out) anniversary of the Dunk, Nike is reissuing the original collegiate color lineup that has since been reinvented, reappropriated, recolored, deconstructed, misappropriated, modernized, retro’ed, and just about every other re- de- dis- and un- in the book. It wouldn’t be a retro release without some kind of twist that will alienate some and excite others though, and this lineup is no different.

Nike has made every effort to make this new release look and feel as old as possible. Slightly yellowed soles, stained laces, distressing on the leather are just some of the tweaks that will be sparking debates in sneaker shops and message boards that may never end.

The sneakers are representative of the original seven schools to adopt the Dunk - Kentucky, Syracuse, St. John’s, UNLV, Maryland, Iowa, and Arizona - but all of the distressing appears to be a bit of a nod to the Dunk being adopted by skaters before companies like Vans and DC came along. Kind of like this series being released by Nike SB not long ago, begging the question of why do this again so soon? How many times do Goldenrod Dunks need to be released?

On the plus side, many retro collectors will be screaming from the hills when they find out this series is going to incorporate the nylon tongues they have been clamoring after for years. Like it or not, the Dunk is a significant piece of sneaker history and looks to be here to stay. It’s the perfect canvas for athletic performance, artistic expression, and declaring a fashion sensibility that both crosses and brings together countless cultural boundaries.

Expect to see a variety of collegiate themed products from these and other schools in 2008 as part of the Dunk anniversary celebration. With any luck, this won’t mean a variety of $200 premium releases in tacky colors like some other anniversary sneaker lineup.

These Dunks are slated to hit stores in January. No specific word on what shops will be carrying the series yet so keep your eyes pealed!

This entry was posted on Friday, December 21st, 2007 at 6:50 pm and is filed under Fashion, Shoes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.