In the world of sneakers, you will notice that there are certain criteria of what makes it grail-worthy; one that blows our collective mind while making you a tidy profit on the secondary market. You need big names that carry a lot of clout, preferably have superstar designer or entertainer onboard, while creating a product that comes in a super limited run. And ultimately, a design that is going to make some noise.
Now Nike SB's latest collaboration with Ben & Jerry on a pair of Dunk Lows might not fit the traditional notion of a grail–worthy sneaker, but you sleep on these bad boys at your own risk of missing out on a nice chunk of change. Visually, the design is as strange as strange can be. But hey, are we living in unprecedented times and perhaps this low-key contender for sneaker of the year, is a perfect reflection of the whirlwind of the year that we been having.
Let's dive in.
Commodity: Nike SB x Ben & Jerry Dunk Low 'Chunky Dunky'
Make no mistake, 2020 is the year of the Dunk. Nike has seeming brought this silhouette from the graveyard and turned it into a cultural icon. From retro colourways to collaborators putting their own spin on it, the Dunks are not only here to stay but to dominate. The Ben & Jerry collaboration is perhaps one of the widest collaboration in recent memory.
The sneaker features faux fur in a cow print on different panels, as well as on the tongue of the sneaker. On the toe box, there is a sky blue colourway, which continues with in the middle panel, which also sees greens in the forms of the hills, that is featured on the Ben & Jerry tub. On the heel, there are leather cloud panelling detailings.
There are also other fun details like the melting yellow Swoosh on the sides, a rainbow colourway on the inside lining and the outsole rendered in green. The sneaker has a lot going on, but there is that undeniable reference to the iconic design of the tub from Ben & Jerry. The name of the collaboration, 'Chunky Dunky' is also a reference to the one of Ben & Jerry's most popular flavour, the 'Chunky Monkey'.
Where: Nike SNKRS
When: 26 May 2020
How: Add to cart
Retail: SGD169
Price of the Nike SB x Ben & Jerry Dunk Low 'Chunky Dunky' on the resale market in the last 7 days: peaking at SGD2,618 with lows of SGD1,837. The average sale price is SGD2,249.
Recommendation: go as long as possible
Now if you are one of the lucky few that manage to get your hands them, we suggest holding on them for as long as you can. The design of the sneaker is definitely not conventional, unabashed about being over the top, and fully embraces its wild design. If you are thinking how should you be wearing this sneaker, then you have the wrong perception of what the "Chunky Dunk' is—a wearable piece of sculpture.
Even in the crazy world that is Nike's history of collaborators who worked on a Dunk silhouette, Ben & Jerry's take is certain the wildest. But in the chaos of colours, textures and prints, there is an element of good design. Yes, it is loud and would not go great with your standard black joggers and T-shirt combination but there is a sense of harmony and balance among disorder. A lot of that credit has to be given to the Dunk silhouette—the wearability and appeal make it the perfect canvas.
It is unique, and almost one of a kind. The last time Nike collaborated with a consumer brand, it was with Heineken 17 years ago. The asking price for that pair? It ranges from SGD6000 to SGD12,000. Even that sneaker was considered mild compared to the 'Chunky Dunky', featuring the colourway of the Heineken green with the iconic star emblem.
Hold on them, guys. You got yourself a piece of history. And there is nothing more valuable than history.
Previous Drops…
In the world of sports, no matter how great your accolades, there is one opponent that none has been able to overcome: time. Eventually, the body wanes, skills diminish, and no matter how great of a resume you have built up over the years, there is always another budding superstar ready to take your place. Take the case of Michael Jordan, widely recognized as the greatest basketball player of all time, saw his legacy and seat on upon the throne of Mount Rushmore being challenged by the likes of Lebron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry.
There is no way for Jordan at the age of 57 years old to ever lace them up, and compete with these upstarts coming for the throne on the hardwood floor. But there are other ways for him to cement his status as the GOAT—that's where Jordan's documentary, The Last Dance, comes in. It is the most complete visual autobiography every produced, a telling of the origin story of how Jordan went from a kid from North Carolina to become the best basketball player ever while raising the profile and appeal of basketball around the world.
His legacy is secured, but like anything that Jordan does, he is not just looking to win, he is looking to dominate. But for the majority of basketball fans that have never watched him play a game live, this intimate mini-series and his sneaker line is helping him make the strongest bid in the history of sports to defeat father time.
With Jordan dominating the news cycle (well, it is better than news about COVID-19) anything tangentially related to him is seeing it's value skyrocket, so we will be looking at a brand new colourway of the iconic Air Jordan 1—the White Royal colourway.
Commodity: Air Jordan 1 White Royal
Fun fact about the Air Jordan line: it would not have happened if Converse believed in Jordan's basketball ability, or if Adidas had the ability to manufacture a basketball sneaker, or if Nike had not taken a chance on the, then, upstart rookie. It was this holy trinity of events, Jordan being one of the most electric rookies to enter the game, as well as brilliant marketing on the part of Nike, that made the sneaker a cultural icon.
Now the royal colourway has been used in other iterations of the Air Jordan 1s before—Black Royal Blue, Retro Royal, Game Royal, Retro 'Satin' Royal as well as the uber-rare and iconic, collaboration with Japanese streetwear godfather, Hiroshi Fujiwara.
For the White Royal, it is a literal lighter colourway of the OG Black Royal colourway, with the black mid leather panel of the OG colourway being swapped out for a white leather panel, all while keeping the royal blue toe box, and changing the swoosh from royal blue to white.
Where: Nike SNKRS
When: 9 May 2020
How: Add to cart
Retail: SGD239
Price of the Air Jordan 1 White Royal on the resale market in the last 7 days: peaking at SGD415 with lows of SGD314. The average sale price is SGD378.
Recommendation: Short it
It doesn't look like Nike will be running out of colour blocking options for the Air Jordan 1 silhouette anytime soon, and when you are talking about sneakers, few can rival its impact and cultural currency. That being said, a lot of the value of the Air Jordan 1 is highly dependant on the colourways and the narrative behind it. Case in point: the White Royal is made up of the same building blocks of royal blue, black and white, but visually it has less of an impact. The narrative is not as strong as well.
The bloodline of the White Royal still lends it some value on the secondary market, plus with The Last Dance receiving air time (pun intended), the sneaker would fetch you a nice penny on the secondary market, just don't expect the returns to be a windfall.
