Nike Comme des Garçons x Nike Dunk High Retro 'Clear'
Colorway: Black/Black-White · Style code: 917428-001 · Release date: December 9, 2016 · Price: $260 · Availability: Available now
Comme des Garcons did not recolour the Dunk High, it made parts of it disappear. The vamp, quarter panel, tongue and collar are cut from transparent PVC instead of leather, so the padding underneath and the internal stitching become part of the design rather than something hidden by it.
What remains opaque is black. The result reads as a black Dunk High with sections erased, the white of the sole and the logos showing through the clear panels. Branding from both houses appears on the outside and again on the interior, which the transparent upper makes visible. Rei Kawakubo's label has worked with Nike across several models, and this 2016 Dunk High is among the more literal expressions of its habit of exposing how a garment is built. Nike listed it at 320 dollars, roughly triple a general release Dunk High of the period.