Nike SB:
Collab Content

As a kid growing up skateboarding in Portland, Oregon if you told me I would have the chance to work in skateboarding with my idols, I simply would not have believed you. It was a dream come true to be accepted by the skate community and put out some work that didn’t suck.

In particular, one skateboarding project gave me a chance to dive deep into the stories that shaped an entire industry. My work in skateboarding was mostly behind the scenes trying to mine for stories and spotlight the people actually making stuff. As such, it was some of my most challenging and rewarding work, for which I’m forever grateful to those who let me in to share their stories.

Nike SB x VICE - 15 Years of SB Dunk

In an era where sneakers change hands between collectors for five and even six-figure sums, it's sometimes hard to remember when kicks weren't a 'grail' item for people worldwide. 15 years ago, sneakerheads were a subculture centered in New York, Los Angeles, London, Japan and the Internet. Then, in 2002, the Nike SB Dunk was introduced by Nike's fledgling skateboarding division, and an 80s basketball shoe ignited both the world of skateboarding and sneaker culture. So, when the 15th anniversary rolled around we had an immediate thought – let's make a Dunk documentary that delves into the history of the SB Dunk, and charts how we got here.

After personally conducting over 40 interviews across the globe and 9-months in production, together with VICE, we revealed the true story at the unique intersection of sneakerhead collectors and the skate community. Riders like Richard Mulder, Reese Forbes, Gino Iannucci, and Danny Supa helped determined the look, feel, approach and tone of the SB Dunk, in partnership with the Nike SB design team. That group quickly built a grassroots movement with skate retailers like Supreme and Huf, the nascent "hype" press of Freshnessmag.com and NikeTalk, and new Nike team riders like Brian Anderson, Wieger van Wagninen and Paul Rodriguez. Informed by the "gotta have them all" mentality of OG Japanese collector/retailers like Hidefumi Hommyo (of Chapter and Atmos), sneaker-specific boutiques like Undefeated popped up, region-specific releases were developed, and the sneaker culture your Hypebeast cousin now talks about incessantly was fully established.

Below is the inside story of the past 15 years hearing from shop owners, collaborators and skateboarders who helped make the SB Dunk a legend.

Stefan Janoski - Can’t Turn It Off

Can’t Turn It Off refers to seeing all the world as your skatepark. In this film co-written with Stefan we opted to take it all the way and turn that fantasy in to a bit of a morphed reality.

Stefan Janoski - Flyleather Move to Zero 

In December 2019, we took Stefan Janoski to London to tell the story of the new Janoski Flyleather. Comprised of at least 50% recycled leather fiber from scraps that would otherwise be left on the factory floor, we wanted to bring to life the story of Flyleather as a lightweight alternative to traditional suede that doesn’t sacrifice durability or skateability. Essentially, we wanted to put a human voice and a human story behind Nike’s sustainability efforts.