From the Vault: Nike SB Dunk Low "Hawaii"
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By Stadium Goods |From the Vault: Nike SB Dunk Low "Hawaii"
A look at the classic colorway from 2006 celebrating the Hawiian islands.
Matt DeSciora
The Nike SB Dunk was destined to be different from the moment it landed in skate shops in 2002. Representing what could only be thought of as Nike’s final attempt at breaking into the skateboarding community after it had failed to do so with duds like the Nike Choad, the SB Dunk was created to be a skate shoe, but also a skate shoe that could be a blank canvas for the skateboarding community to make their own. And that it did.
Supreme’s original Nike SB Dunk collaboration celebrated the Air Jordan 3 by featuring the retro basketball shoe’s iconic elephant print on its overlays. Pro skater Danny Supa’s debut SB Dunk featured the colors of his hometown New York Mets. The other brands, skaters, artists, and creatives that created the early line of SB Dunks did so by exploring themes that, ironically, often had nothing to do with skateboarding.
The trend continued throughout the SB Dunk’s early years to 2006, when one of the model’s most intriguing colorways debuted: “Hawaii.”
Undoubtedly made for the people of Hawaii, the Nike SB Dunk Low “Hawaii” was inspired by Pele the Goddess of Volcanoes. According to Hawaiian lore, Pele caused eruptions of volcanoes in her moments of anger. The shoe’s blazing design matches its inspiration’s fiery temperament. The “Hawaii’s” black patent leather overlays represent the molten lava that spews out of a volcano after it erupts. Its orange toe box and red accents are inspired by the colors of magma.
On the insole, Nike SB gave the “Hawaii” Dunk a graphic of Pele with writing above her that reads, “Ka wahine ài honua,” which translates to “the woman who devours the land.” A graphic of the island of Hawaii is embroidered on the lateral side of the heel, and for the perfect final touch, the translucent rubber outsole features a graphic of lava visible underneath. Indeed, this is one of the hottest SB Dunks ever.