The 10 Rarest Sneakers On Grailed: Week of December 29, 2019
- Words Stephen Albertini
- Date December 30, 2019
Last week, Virgil Abloh put his signature brand of colorful zip ties, deconstructed fibers and air quotes on yet another classic Nike silhouette: the Dunk.
Originally rising to prominence as a high-top basketball shoe in the mid-80s, the Dunk truly shot into the stratosphere in the early 2000s as the flagship sneaker for Nike’s burgeoning SB brand. Primarily a low-top iteration under the skateboarding banner, the SB Dunk quickly became one of the pillars of modern day sneaker culture. Through collaborations with everyone from Jeff Staple to Supreme, and iconic colorways like the “Tiffany,” “What The Dunk,” and “Heineken” models, the SB Dunk caused chaos and instilled excitement within the sneaker community throughout the aughts. However, during the better part of the 2010s, the sneaker’s popularity faded in the eyes of the general public, as trends quickly moved (as they often do) from Jordan retros, to rapper-helmed collaborations, to exclusive celebrity designer footwear.
But before Virgil inevitably tackled the Dunk, its quiet resurgence had already begun. In addition to Virgil’s three Dunk colorways, “Viotech” and “Raygun” Dunks also released in the month of December to varying degrees of hype. Rappers like Wale and Travis Scott have been seen out and about in Dunks for years. The merits of so many classic SBs have been documented here in “Rarest Sneakers”, where they regularly dominate our weekly lists. The sneaker community understands their value and place within the pantheon of great sneakers. While Abloh’s embracing of the sneaker certainly introduces the shoe to a newer, younger audience of hungry sneakerheads, the Dunk Renaissance has been brewing for quite some time.
As we turn the page towards a new decade, it’s fair to wonder if the time is right for the Dunk resurgence to move beyond marketplaces like Grailed to the forefront of sneaker culture once again. So it’s only right we kick off this week’s list with—arguably—one of the best Dunks of all time.
Never forget: No online retailer has the same breadth and depth of selection as Grailed. From San Francisco-inspired Dunks to Amsterdam Air Maxes (and everything in between), in no particular order, these are our picks for the Rarest Sneakers on Grailed This Week.
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