It’s no secret that Japan is a great place to hunt for sneakers. While there are countless sneaker stores offering the latest styles and colourways, you’ll also want to keep an eye out for special-edition releases and Japan-exclusive collaborations by big labels such as Nike and Adidas.
If you missed your chance to cop the gorgeous indigo-dyed, tabi-toed ISPA Drifters by Nike, here’s another special pair of sneakers coming your way. Nike has teamed up with Gundam to release two designs of SB Dunk Highs for the 15th anniversary of the Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn series.
The new kicks even have a dedicated commercial (as seen above). In the anime, Olympic gold medallist skateboarder Yuto Yorigome and American skateboarder Paul Rodriguez take on the role of Gundam pilots.
【Nike SB × ガンダムUC】Dunk High Pro “Gundam UC RX-0” & “Banshee”
— 𝐔𝐏 𝐓𝐎 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 (@uptod4te) September 20, 2021
・SNKRS JP（ホワイトのみ） 9/27 9:00〜
［ナイキ ダンク ガンダムユニコーン］［DH7717-100］
詳しくは記事をチェック↓https://t.co/F9J696tmdN
【SNKRS商品ページ登場↓】https://t.co/gG82bbU094 pic.twitter.com/aBouZmfhPa
The white sneakers are the SB Dunk High in ‘Project Unicorn White’, which are inspired by the series protagonist Banagher Links and his RX-0 Unicorn Gundam in Destroy Mode. The shoes are constructed with a white leather upper and feature black and red accents.
Nike's iconic swoosh also gets a revamp – it now looks like the horns on the Unicorn Gundam. Better yet, the swoosh is interchangeable, meaning it can be removed and re-attached with velcro. The kicks also come with additional decals for you to personalise your shoes.
The Gundam x Nike SB Dunk High “Banshee” drops October 9 in the US. 💥 pic.twitter.com/M5MAxAys6j
— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) September 22, 2021
The second pair, the SB Dunk High in ‘Banshee’, follows a darker theme and is modelled after the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 02 Banshee piloted by Riddhe Marcenas. The sneakers are constructed of black leather with obsidian overlays as well as metallic orange and rose gold accents.
On this pair, the removable Nike swooshes are gold in colour. And just like the white pair, this edition also comes with additional decals.
The sneakers are priced at ¥13,200 and are now on sale at selected Nike SB retailers in Japan. Online orders via Nike SNKRS will be available on Monday September 27.
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