Nike SB. If you were into sneakers in the mid to late 00’s, you at least had a few pair in your collection…well let’s be honest here, your collection was probably mostly comprised of SB Dunk Lows and Highs, with a couple P-Rods thrown in for good measure. Nobody was better at coming up with interesting concepts and dropping limited releases than the folks at Nike SB.
But now things are different. Nike SB’s sit on shelves. Apart from the core SB fans, sneakerheads don’t get excited about the releases anymore. You can even find them at outlets. Go into your local Nike outlet or factory store right now, and you’ll probably see a full run of De La Soul SB Dunk Lows sitting on the shelves. How could something like this happen? How could the coolest brand out turn into a denizen of sale shelves and outlets?
Well, like we always say here at KicksOneTwo, the sneaker industry is a fickle one. Trends come and go, and brands/shoes that were the hottest thing going one week are nowhere to be found the next. In the case of Nike SB though, it was more of a long slow grind to a halt. It might have been because the shoes were so ingrained in the loud and colorful 00’s culture and aesthetic they just weren’t going to make it into the 10’s no matter what happened. It might have been that sneakerheads moved on to the next thing. It might have been over saturation (which seems to be a common problem in the sneaker game nowadays). It might have been people getting tired of the chunky tongue on the lows. Who really knows?
Whatever it was, it’s a shame. No shoes in the 00’s were more inspired. The Paris dunks. The Diamond “Tiffany” dunks. The Blue Lobsters. The Supremes. The list goes on, and on, and on. Although SB’s will probably never be as great as they once were, they will always hold a special place in sneaker history for their innovative designs…and the silver lining is that now that the hype has died down, you can grab your SB grails for dirt cheap!
What’s your favorite Nike SB shoe ever? Why do you think the SB brand isn’t what it once was? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter, check our Facebook page for daily updates, and, as always, be sure to follow us on Instagram for all the fire sneaker pictures you can handle.
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