Nike Dunk High Premium SB 'Cork'
Colorway: Black/Hazelnut/White/Black · Style code: 313171-026 · Release date: March 17, 2015 · Price: $199 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: Nike SB Dunk High Mork & Mindy Sneakers (313171-002) · Nike Dunk High Premium SB 'Dinosaur Jr' (313171-003) · Nike Dunk High SB Premium 'MF Doom' (313171-004) · Nike Dunk High Premium SB 'Bloody Sunday' (313171-005) · Nike Dunk High Premium SB 'Twin Peaks' (313171-006)
Few sneakers use cork as a primary material, which is the entire pitch of the Nike Dunk High Premium SB 'Cork'. The upper panels are cut from cork in its natural hazelnut shade, with small perforations across the toe box for airflow, then reinforced where a skate shoe takes abuse: black suede covers the mudguard, the eyestay and the wraparound Swoosh. A white midsole splits the dark suede from a black outsole. It released in 2015 at $125, three decades after the Dunk first appeared in 1985.
Cork behaves differently from leather. It is light, it takes on creases and marks as it wears, and it reads as a wine-cork reference rather than a court shoe, which is why it stands out at a glance. Under the cork it keeps the SB Dunk High essentials: padded tongue and collar, extra padding through the upper and a Zoom Air heel unit, so it functions as a skate shoe, though the material rewards careful wear over sessions on rough concrete.