The difference between DUNK and DUNK SB:
As the most mainstream sneakers at present, the popularity and influence of SB series (King Road) are no longer comparable to those of small street brands such as BAPE and D.C. . An improved version of retro shoes that was originally created only for skateboarding has now become a symbol of the trend. This time I will introduce the basic information of the SB series.
First of all, what is SB? NIKE specializes in retro sports The two sub-brands of shoes are "LE" and "SB". Among them, LE is the exclusive logo for replicating the original version of basketball sneakers, which is actually not enough to become a sub-brand. And SB is NIKE skateboard sneakers. (the abbreviation of "skate board"). How to identify SB and ordinary retro shoes? Let's talk about the difference between SB and ordinary retro shoes. First of all, in terms of category, SB is skateboard shoes and LE is basketball shoes. Although they all use the original year's style, there are essential differences. Secondly, each shoe of the SB series has strict quantity control. Therefore, the commemorative value is usually higher than that of ordinary shoes. (..In RMB In terms of value, of course...) In terms of appearance and performance, let's take the DUNK series as an example. First, the "NIKE SB" logo is sewn on the tongue of SB shoes, while the logo on the tongue of ordinary DUNK is " NIKE". In addition, the logo of "AIR FORCE I" is "NIKE AIR".
Second, it is the tongue. The thickness of the tongue of SB DUNK is usually several times that of ordinary DUNK. This is for Designed to protect skateboarders' ankles. In Guangzhou, sticking thick shoe tongues outside pants has become a trendy way of wearing. In terms of shoelaces, ordinary DUNK uses wide textile shoelaces, while SB uses thick shoelaces.
Third, look at the insole inside. Ordinary DUNK insoles are printed with "NIKE" and its swoosh logo. LE series DUNK's insoles are printed with "LE" logo. Different from the previous two. The insole of all SB shoes is printed with an imitation foot print wear mark. The words "NIKE SB" are printed on the heel of the wear mark. In addition, there are two attached Zoom Air pieces under the insole of SB shoes. .This is naturally due to comfort and safety considerations.
Fourthly, there are more than ten grooves on the edge of the outsole of SB shoes. In fact, other skateboarding shoes such as D.C. and Timberland There are also such grooves. This design is mainly to facilitate the action of jumping and lifting the head of the skateboard with the soles of the feet when skateboarding. The original version of DUNK generally does not have such grooves.
Finally. DUNK SB There is usually a knitted logo on the outside of the heel that relates to the identity of the shoe. This involves a deeper issue. It is the system of major street brands cooperating with NIKE to launch SB. I think there are not many street brands that you are familiar with. Because nowadays, high-society brands such as Gucci, Fendy, and Ecko are very popular, and low-priced brands such as Samp; K.MB.Baleno and other brands are making waves. Street brands that are not well-known in mainland China and are very expensive are often being replaced. People ignore it. But the aroma of wine is not afraid of the deep alleys. At least in Guangzhou and Hong Kong, there are still many loyal fans of street brands. We call them "hipsters", which is a step too far. Let's start with the two more well-known street brands, Stussy and Supreme began to say. NIKE currently cooperates with these two brands to launch new SB shoes to squeeze the wallets of the Chinese people. Regarding the division of labor, naturally NIKE provides the condition equipment and original shoes, and then the designers of street brands sell them. Inspiration. Then the new shoe will be named after the street brand, and a LOGO exclusive to this shoe will be printed on the outside of the heel. Examples include: DUNK SB LOW SUPREME, COURT FORCE HI STUSSY, etc. After a period of running-in... Of course, these SB shoes become more and more stylish as they go out. Our wallets also... In addition, NIKE Big JS also has them.
The habit of collaborating with individuals to launch SB shoes. For example, the DUNK SB HI D.U.N.K.L.E. created for the heavy metal band Unkle and the DUNK SB HI BLUETORRIST in collaboration with the Japanese skateboard team T19, etc.
Of course I am talking about it. SB has to talk about DUNK, the ancestor of SB. The original intention of NIKE DUNK is actually a pair of basketball shoes that stick to the ground well. For NIKE, although it seems from the current perspective that the design is simple and the low-tech DUNK is definitely a pair of cross-century shoes. In terms of technical content, people often think that the Dunk without air cushion is the most original one. But the correct sequence is that in 1983, NIKE launched the Air Force 1 (the first pair of air-cushion shoes) to defeat its old rival Converse, which gave them a huge victory in the market and their stocks continued to rise.
But in 1985, adidas made a comeback, and the sports product market changed drastically. Nike faced the most serious financial crisis in history, and its stock price fell by more than half in the same year. At this time, in order to reverse the adverse trend, Nike made a move that later affected the entire world. In order to move the world, they signed the then super rookie Michael Jordan with a huge sum of money, and designed his first signature shoe, Air Jordan One, based on the Air Force One. Soon all the top school teams were strongly demanding their own team shoes, which is why Dunk appeared later.
When Dunk was released, there were 8 completely different colors, representing the eight top NCAA teams including the University of North Carolina, the University of Arizona and the University of Arkansas. In fact, in terms of design, the Dunk is based on the Air Jordan 1 generation, so it has excellent grip performance and court feel, ensuring that those outstanding players can move lightly and stably on the court, so the performance is impeccable. So it is definitely no accident that DUNK became popular in the 1980s.
In the 1990s, due to the popularity of new street culture in the United States, NIKE was not only satisfied with its success in the common sports world, but also planned to expand its product diversification and get involved in street X-GAME. When it comes to street culture and sports brands, NIKE at that time was just a second-rate brand. NIKE realizes that in order to make a name for itself in street sports, not only good quality and top technology are needed, but publicity is the biggest problem. So they decided to use the same strategy they used in basketball, which was to use celebrities to endorse their sneakers. After that, NIKE selected the most common and popular X-GAME: SKATEBOARD (skateboard) as the entry point into joint culture. They signed the then-famous ZOO YORK skateboard team at a high price as their representative in the skateboarding world. The publicity strategy was well thought out, but there was a big gap in market positioning, that is, in terms of high-tech content, NIKE's products include URL and E-CUE. These two pairs of professional skateboarding shoes both used NIKE's latest ZOOM AIR. SQUARE's insole technology allows users to more clearly feel the shock-absorbing effect of AIR, as well as the latest wear-resistant and breathable materials. Their positioning is for professional level skateboarders. But there are no products at the low end. NIKE immediately realized this problem, because NIKE knows that in the market they need to occupy, the mid-to-low end is the main battlefield, and consumers at this level are the most important. They occasionally engage in skateboarding for fun, but compared to professionals, it does not require such a high level of technical content. But one pays attention to practicality and style for daily wear.
At this time, NIKE saw the success of AIR FORCE ONE in the retro market and couldn't help but think of DUNK. In terms of market life, AF1 was almost at the end, but DUNK, the darling of the market at that time, was It's completely unexplored. NIKE designers plan to launch an improved version of DUNK to fill NIKE's positioning gap in the skateboarding industry. The final product is our protagonist today, DUNK PRO SB.
The new design reclassifies DUNK into DUNK LOW, a casual version with a low barrel, and DUNK HI, the original design with a high barrel. There are more detailed classifications in terms of functions. As the lowest-end original design, DUNK is positioned as a general casual shoe. Its workmanship is very ordinary and the materials are the most ordinary. After that, there is the ordinary DUNK improved version DUNK PRO as a substitute for the original DUNK. In terms of technology, there is no change. Just for the sake of beauty, Shun Ming changed the design of the tongue and added an extra pair of shoelaces to create a different match. (BTW: What we generally call DUNK PRO B is actually DUNK PRO) Then there is DUNK PRO SB, which is positioned in the low-end skateboard industry and high-end leisure. It adds an extra-thick shoe tongue to the ordinary prototype DUNK, and adds the shoe itself. The skateboarding FEEL and comfort are the same as the DUNK PRO with an extra carry. The most important thing is that the insole has been changed to a ZOOM AIR insole with considerable technical content, and the shock absorption effect is absolutely first-class. Next, we will talk about the DUNK PRO PREMIUM, an improved version of the regular version DUNK PRO. It can be seen from the name that it is a high-end product. PREMIUM is positioned in the high-end casual market. The original intention was that all PREMIUM series were designed with the highest-grade brown oil leather. However, later on, the definition of PREMIUM series gradually changed, but it always represented DUNK collections are made with the finest craftsmanship and the finest materials or are available in super limited editions. The most high-end one is DUNK LOW PRO SP. So far, there are only 2 models. They are CHOCOLATE SP and ZOO YORK SP. In fact, SP is rarely circulated in the market. In fact, it is just a promotional shoe similar to NIKE. It is the best in the eyes of collectors.
Talking back to today’s protagonist, DUNK PRO SB, some people may say that this is just a business practice of NIKE. They copy the original products and have no innovation at all. Then you are wrong. Although DUNK PRO SB does not have very advanced technology, but in some aspects, the significance of DUNK PRO SB is absolutely extraordinary, because it allows users to feel the latest technology while changing the original design as little as possible. , it can also be said to be a perfect combination of classics and new technologies. Of course, the success of DUNK PRO SB is inseparable from NIKE's own copying. NIKE has basically used the most common methods, using celebrity quotes, celebrities designing different colors, super limited editions, and the most popular CROSSOVER recently with other brands. Taking advantage of the avant-garde color design and quantity advantage, the success of DUNK PRO SB is impossible to avoid. The advertising effect made DUNK PRO SB become popular overnight, and the price can soar. In the eyes of collectors, a few pairs of DUNK PRO SB are definitely the best of the best. Due to NIKE's success in improving DUNK PRO SB, the subsequently withdrawn AIR TRAINER1 SB and BLAZER SB are very popular in the market.
Now let’s talk about a simple review of DUNK PRO SB. Let’s talk about LOW first. Because I have skateboarded before, and I also consider skateboard shoes from bigger brands such as DC and ES. Have some understanding. The appearance of DUNK PRO SB seems to be somewhere between casual shoes and skate shoes. Because it is based on ordinary DUNK, it does not have the fatness and exaggeration of skateboard shoes, but also because it uses a thick tongue, one of the elements of skateboard shoes, it is also different from ordinary casual shoes. Take a closer look at the materials, wiring and pasting of the shoes. The conclusion is that they are absolutely first-class among NIKE shoes. The wiring is neat and there are no thread ends. There is absolutely no glue recorded on the outside when it comes to pasting. Holding the shoes in your hand makes people feel It feels as delicate as a piece of art. Finally, it’s time for the most important review, which is how it feels when worn.
In the simplest terms, DUNK PRO SB gives people the feeling of being wrapped around the feet, a comfort that cannot be described in words. This is of course due to the ZOOM AIR insole. It is very comfortable when walking, and it feels completely different from ordinary DUNK. The presence of ZOOM AIR can be clearly felt, and it is definitely more than ten times better than the popular full-length AIR retro shoe AIR FORCE 1. When running, I feel the advantages of the original DUNK design, which conforms very well to the terrain. As for the shock absorbing of ZOOM AIR when jumping, it is absolutely impeccable.
(The above is plagiarized!)
To put it simply:
DUNK is too ordinary and the tongue is very thin. SB’s tongue is very thick. You can tell at a glance. There is a ZOOM air cushion on the insole of SB which is more wrapped when worn...and SB is a trendy product and often launched in limited editions. Because it is a skateboard shoe, the price is 2~N times that of ordinary DUNK
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