Clark Atlanta Becomes First HBCU With Nike Dunk Colorway
The Nike Dunk is one of the most iconic shoes in sneaker history and 35 years after the original “Be true to you school” sneaker campaign. Atlanta HBCU Clark Atlanta is set to become the first historically black college and university with its own Nike Dunk colorway.
What started in 1985 as Nike’s original team shoe, originally called “College Color High”. The Dunk sneaker started out as a mix of other Nike sneakers, including the Air Force 1 from 1982 and the Air Jordan 1, which debuted a few months before it.
The first “Be true to you school” Nike Dunk Highs were released in the colorways of some of the top college basketball schools of the time.
Designed for then-Nike-sponsored schools at the University of Michigan, University of Kentucky, University of Iowa, Georgetown, Syracuse, St. John’s and UNLV. Another Georgetown edition Nike Terminator was then released to complement the eight classic Dunk models.
Since their release in 1985, the Dunks have gone from basketball shoe to high fashion, while establishing a cult following around the world. Creating “holy grail sneaker” collaborations with the Wu-Tang Clan, “off-white” by Virgil Abloh, Stussy and Diamond Supply Co.
Now it appears there is an HBCU in the Nike Dunk mix as leaked images of a Clark Atlanta x Nike Dunk Low have been circulating the internet.
Michael Le of Sneakernews.com describes the CAU x Nike Dunk Low as a “full-fledged love letter to the school itself.”
Not only does the shoe come in the school’s red, black and gray colorways, but Clark Atlanta’s motto – “FIND A WAY OR MAKE ONE” – is repeated on all the laces, while the Panthers logo is sewn on both the tongue and the outsole. as well as integrated into the insole.
CAU’s history is also featured prominently on the shoe. “Clark College” is written on the back of the tongue and the heel has “1988” embroidered on the tongue, both of which refer to the year Clark College merged with Atlanta University to form the Clark University of Atlanta.
Although there’s no release date yet, nicekicks.com says they “should drop later this year.” So for now, we’ll have to stick with these leaked images until the Nike HBCU collaboration makes its way onto the court.
