Championed in motion, the CLOT x NIKE FLUX DUNK, can be enjoyed fully when active. The 'Flux' is showcased at its prime when skated, when one is able to perfectly visualize the Dunk's special lenticular effect that changes depending on where you look. Here we take a peek into the history of one of the fastest moving cultures that encapsulates the shoe and the collaboration.

Before we delve into the story of Dunk's success in skateboarding, we must begin with that of its sibling—the Air Jordan 1. First created as a basketball silhouette, the Nike Air Jordan 1s were inadvertently adopted within the skateboarding scene by the skate-rat Bones Bridgade crew in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Adopted as the signature go-to skate shoe at the time, many legends of the skateboarding world were caught on magazine and skate videos sporting the shoes—some including Stacy Peralta, Tony Hawk, Lance Mountain, Mike McGill, Steve Caballero, and Tommy Guerrero—need I say more?

Powell Peralta "Search For Animal Chin" - Nike Air Jordan 1, Invert Handplant

Known for being the founding fathers of the scene, the Bones Brigade cemented the shoe in their iconic skate film turned movie, The Search for Animal Chin, where Caballero, Mountain, McGill, and Hawk (although wearing Vans in the scene), were captured wearing the Air Jordan 1s in their emblematic quad shot of the spine invert handplant. Before that, skateboarders were donning models such as All Court, Blazer and Bruin, and the success of Air Jordan 1s has influenced the design direction of Nike sneakers that came after. That, includes the Dunk, which is a mixture of Nike's Legend, Terminator and Air Jordan 1 models.

First created as a basketball silhouette in the mid-80s, the Dunk started off as a “True To Your School” collegiate Division I basketball shoe that represented not only each team’s respective institutes, but the love fans had for their community and sport—uniting people from all walks of life. Skateboarding was unique in the sense that it, too, took many people from different sub-cultures, like the hip-hop heads or the punk rock kids, and gathered them all under a uniting piece of wood on wheels. After the Jordan 1s paved the way for the culture in those years—the Dunk finally made its big debut with a bang in the '90s skate scene. 

CLOT x NIKE FLUX DUNK - lenticular tongue tag with interchanging CLOT and Nike logos

Nike, without even thinking, had made the perfect skate shoe; the design at the time gave skaters perfect ankle protection, a durable toe-cap for flip tricks, great board feel and grip from the flat sole tread, and still even managed to embody the culture’s anti-establishment rhetoric. Just like that, the Dunk found its way into the skateboarding community, and was later re-engineered into Nike SB models that further solidified its status in the scene.

When Nike SB began its journey in the early 2000s, it took on many collaborations that arguably may have started the hype sneaker culture we know and love today. Nike’s collab with Jeff Staple on the Pigeon Dunk Low, Medicom Toy on the Medicom 1 Dunk Low, and even Supreme on the illustrious star imprint Dunk High. These collabs and then some have all collectively cemented the brand’s place within skate and streetwear culture.

As a means to pay tribute towards the iconic shoe and the culture that started it all, CLOT worked with Finnish and Danish pro-skateboarding OGs Arto Saari and Rune Glifberg during their recent trip to the stunning island of Hawaii, shooting footage and photos of the CLOT x NIKE FLUX DUNK being skated before the upcoming release.

CLOT x NIKE FLUX DUNK - all-over lenticular effect that changes at every angle

Arto Saari and Rune Glifberg have been credited for being some of the OG skaters of the late ‘90s and early ‘00s amongst Geoff Rowley, Tom Penny, Paul Rodriguez, and Eric Koston, to name a few.

Already making waves in the scene, Arto’s reputation was bolstered when his video parts came out for Flip Skateboards’ Sorry and éS’ Menikmati video which ended up getting him the coveted Skater Of The Year Award in 2001. Skaters like Arto set precedent for what street skating and skating in general is like now—willingly putting your body through hell (or in this case your life on the line) for a video part, whilst still enjoying life to the fullest. Arto now can be seen more behind the scenes, transitioning between a respected skateboarder and a coveted creative photographer, shooting everything from skateboarding to fashion.

Rune Glifberg was one of the most prominent transition skaters of the ‘90s amongst Bob Burnquist and Tony Hawk. He is known for his influential video part in Flip’s Sorry video and his immense skill as a vert skater—the living legend has appeared at every X Games since his pro debut in 1992, and even skating for Denmark at the recent Tokyo Olympics. He now resides in Copenhagen, working as an architect and designing the best of the best skateparks for the youth.

Olympic pro-skater Rune Glifberg in the new Flux Dunk

Check out the CLOT x NIKE FLUX DUNK video and more photos, both shot by Arto Saari below! 

The CLOT x NIKE FLUX DUNK is to release on 18 March 2022 at JUICE locations worldwide, make sure to keep up-to-date on our social channels for updates on the upcoming release.

Photo & Video Credits: Arto Saari