![]() “We started actually working on the shoe after Keith passed, but the conversations about collaborating with Nike again began when he was still with us,” says El Khatib. This a flip on the brand’s “HUF Forever” tagline, and, more importantly, the shoe’s most direct nod to the late Keith Hufnagel. Each shoe’s heel tabs read “Keith Forever,” embroidered in either a Yankees or a Giants-inspired font. ![]() The heesl of the HUF x Nike SB Dunk Low are its most detailed - and most meaningful - area. “They don’t offer that to brands that didn’t collaborate with them in the early years of SB.” The last pair to feature that original construction? 2021’s Supreme x Nike SB Dunk Low. “The reason we were able to get that OG shape is because we have a long history with Nike,” El Khatib said. Of extra-special note is that each pair was built on an original SB Dunk Low last, providing an OG-style look and shape that predates the changes made in SB’s “Blue Box” era and onwards. ![]() ![]() Both feature raw edges on their overlays for a nod to the HUF x Nike SB Dunk High as well. He dropped out after a semester to turn pro, quickly became known for his exploits bombing the city’s hills, shredding at Embarcadero Plaza and eventually opening the first HUF store.īoth pairs are inspired by their respective city’s baseball teams, with the New York City pair drawing its elegant mix of navy and white from the New York Yankees and the San Francisco pair offering a mixture of white, black and grey plus a dash of orange to nod to the San Francisco Giants. Hufnagel was born and raised in NYC and learned how to skate in the city’s streets - but then moved to San Francisco to attend college at SF State. The HUF x Nike SB Dunk Low collection’s two primary colorways (not counting the F&F pair) are inspired by the two cities that shaped Keith Hufnagel as a man, a skater and a business owner: New York City and San Francisco. “No matter if you were telling him something or showing him a meme, that was the first reaction you’d usually get.” “Keith would always say Wait … what?!,” chuckles Tanghal. “Wait…What?!,” a marketing tagline for the collaboration that’s also featured on the bag is a callout to one of Keith Hufnagel’s signature catchphrases. The most rare pair, not pictured here, is a green-and-gray colorway that draws from 2004’s HUF x Nike Air Max 1, the brand’s first Nike Sportswear collab. “You can’t just open the bag, see what you got and reseal it.”Īs indicated on the packaging, buyers of the shoes may receive one of three colorways - “New York,” “San Francisco” or “F&F” - each with an increasing degree of rareness. “We made sure the bag was tamper-proof so it actually has to be ripped open” noted El Khatib. Tanghal, who came up with the concept also notes that the bag is a way for HUF to “f*ck with resellers,” as you don’t know what shoe you’re getting until your bag is torn open. To set their SB Dunk Low apart from the competition from the moment the box is first opened, El Khatib and Tanghal opted to put it in a mysterious “grab bag” inspired by both the classic “mystery box” of decks that many skate shops offer and “blind box” toys like Medicom’s long-running series. Hypebeast spoke with HUF’s chief creative officer Hanni El Khatib and creative director Romeo Tanghal to get a first-person account of the tales and inspirations behind each piece of the shoe, from the “grab bag” style packaging to the heel details and the insole’s special print.Īny compelling sneaker collaboration has to have equally interesting packaging. That keen eye for detail is on full display across the SB Dunk Lows, which are essentially a storybook of HUF history in sneaker form as well as a loving tribute to the late Keith Hufnagel himself, who passed away in 2020. A lot’s changed for both parties since 2002, but what’s undeniably the same for HUF and Nike SB is a shared love of skateboarding culture, a deep respect for history (plus excitement for the future) and a keen eye for detail. Now, the duo is back together to celebrate two decades of history with a special collection of SB Dunk Lows. When HUF began producing its own in-line footwear in 2010, the brand’s collaborative relationship with Nike was put on hold, but never went “away” in full. During the same time frame, HUF was cooking up classics with Nike Sportswear, including 2004’s Air Max 1 and its ultra-limited friends-and-family counterpart, 2006’s Air Max 90 that was part of the “Clerks Pack,” plus the legendary Air Max 1, Air Force 1 and Air Max 90 “Hufquake” and 2009’s Air Max 90 Current “Hufquake.” The two then took a four-year break during the late aughts before reuniting for a duo of minimal canvas SB Blazer Mids. HUF was one of Nike SB’s earliest collaborative partners alongside Supreme and Futura, starting with a now-iconic tie-dye SB Dunk High in 2004 and then returning with an Air Trainer 1 SB in 2005.
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