Nike Dunk Low Pro Sb
Colorway: Thunder Blue/Cool Grey-White · Style code: 304292-409 · Release date: July 20, 2012 · Price: $1857 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: Nike SB Dunk Low Supreme Cement (2002) Sneakers (304292-001) · Nike Dunk Pro Low SB 'Gino 2' (304292-002) · Nike Dunk Low Pro Sb 'Ostrich' (304292-003) · Nike Dunk Low Pro SB 'Carhartt' (304292-004) · Medicom Toy x Nike Dunk Low Pro SB 'Medicom 2' (304292-005)
The Dunk arrived in 1985 under the name College Color High, a Peter Moore design that borrowed pieces from the Legend, the Terminator and the Air Force 1 rather than starting from scratch. Its purpose was colour. Nike built it so university teams could wear school shades, and the resulting palette range is why the model still works as a canvas decades later.
Skateboarding adopted it second-hand. Nike relaunched the shoe for skating in the early 2000s and signed riders including Danny Supa, Reese Forbes, Richard Mulder and Gino Iannucci to give the effort credibility with a scene that had reason to be sceptical. The changes were practical rather than cosmetic, chiefly a thickly padded tongue and Zoom Air cushioning underfoot to survive repeated impact.
Most of the attention the line receives goes to collaborations, and this pair is not one of them. Thunder blue with cool grey and white is a general release from 20 July 2012, the sort of colorway that filled skate shop walls without ever being written about.
That context is worth keeping. The line's reputation was built on limited pairs, but its actual footprint came from shoes like this one, sold at ordinary prices to people who wore them out.