Nike Sb x Jeff Staple “Panda Pigeon”

Jeff Staple's "Panda Pigeon" Nike Sb Dunk Low finally gets a release

Nike Sb Dunk Low Panda Pigeon

Jeff Staple, creator of Staple Pigeon, started working with Nike in the early 2000’s; however, his first collaboration that caught fire within the sneaker community was the Nike Sb Dunk Low “Pigeon”. In 2005, Nike was releasing a capsule of sneakers, each representing an international city, and Staple was asked to help design a shoe that represented New York City. He realized that one of the defining characteristics of NYC was the pigeon. They were everywhere in the city and they did whatever they wanted, so he decided to dedicate his shoe to this quirky bird. The shoe has different shades of white and grey making up the upper and midsole with an orange outsole and lining. The famous Staple Pigeon is embroidered towards the back of the shoe under the swoosh.Nike Sb Dunk Low Staple Pigeon

Staple wanted to create a “dope thing that’s timeless,” and never had the intention of making a hyped shoe. But, much to his surprise, the collaboration created such excitement among sneakerheads that kids starting camping out in front of the store four days before the release. In an interview, Staple talks about how it was a February release, so a snowstorm was taking place but people were still camped out in tents. He even mentioned buying them pizza every night for their dedication to his work.

The congestion caused by the line of campers started to become a problem and the cops came to the scene to break it up. But you simply can’t make a bunch of kids who have slept on the street for multiple nights during a snowstorm abandon their abandon spot in line. The police couldn’t get people to leave, even after threatening arrest. The kids were so motivated to stay that they were clinging on to gates, preventing the cops from dragging them away. Eventually, higher levels of law enforcement showed up. It was this release that really started off the whole concept of camping out for streetwear. Those same shoes can go for up to $12,000 today on the resale market.

Nike Sb Dunk Low Staple Pigeon

In 2017, over a decade after the first release, Staple released another dunk with Nike featuring a black upper and an orange outsole. Obviously not nearly as coveted or limited, they were still very popular and sell for around $280. Recently, Staple posted on social media a colorway of the shoe that never made it past the sample stage, and joked that they looked like a panda. After seeing the sample, sneakerheads everywhere went crazy, asking for the shoe to be released. Nike and Staple decided to give the people what they wanted, and ended up adding the finishing touches to the previously rejected sample. Soon after, release dates for in-store and online drops throughout January were posted.

Nike Sb Dunk Low Panda Pigeon

The Panda Dunks will feature a black and white upper with green accents, the iconic embroidered pigeon, and a clear, icy outsole with graphics of newspaper clippings from articles about the original release. On the inside of the shoe, a “Sample Not For Resale” stamp has the the M in “sample” crossed out and a “t” before the “a” to read “Staple.” The green insoles have bamboo shoots on them, one with the pigeon, and the other with the Staple logo. These shoes will be releasing on January 15th on the SNKRS app for $100, a small price to pay for a big part of sneaker culture.