The Nike Dunk is a silhouette that has a lot of history behind it, debuting in 1985 as basketball footwear, hence its name. It was one of the kicks to truly celebrate diversity of colour, an early “Be True to Your School” marketing campaign seeing the release of pairs matched to the team colours of select chosen colleges.
A few years later, the Dunk was embraced by the skateboarding community for the supportive comfort the shoes offered while shredding pavement, and in 2002 the sneaker even got a special SB line featuring extra protective padding and traction-providing elements. Since then, the Dunk has been reimagined in every possible way made with different materials and in countless colourways.
Fast forward to 2017, and the model gets reborn once more as the Dunk Low Flyknit (DLF), a slimmed down, sleeker version of the original. Flyknit, a lightweight synthetic material that took Nike engineers four years to develop, was initially developed for the running community due to ability to give wearers a sock-like fit. The entire upper is made from a single piece of the innovative fabric that features small holes throughout allowing superior breathability and makes the DLF an ideal warm weather shoe, similar to the Air Force 1s that received a makeover in 2016.
My favourite colourway might just be the Jordan-esque Varsity Red/Black (style code 917746-004) — which dropped early fall last year — the combo punctuated by an all-white midsole and solid red outsole. Another set of highlights is the black suede leather applied to the tongue, Swoosh and heel tab. A couple of additional personal favourite details include the “Nike” debossed on the left heel, and “Dunk,” on the right, as well as “Flyknit” printed in red on the inside of the tongue.
I’m happy to report the sneakers are super comfortable on feet, providing plenty of bounce and cushioning while walking or standing. Be prepared to break a few necks on the street due to the attention-grabbing design. Just as with the OG pairs, the toe box area can feel tight so go up half a size if you’re like me and prefer a little bit of wiggle room up front.
