In today’s current sneaker market, collaborations are consistently occurring. Just this month alone, some highly anticipated collaborations come from actors and movies like Jonah Hill and the new James Bond film, No Time to Die, to lux brands like Casablanca and eSports athletes like Ninja. Despite the influx of upcoming projects, there was a time when collaborations weren’t a thing and shoes were getting released without a lot of hype behind them. That would soon change in 2000 as surf/skateboard brand, Stüssy, became the first-ever to receive their own collaboration with Nike. And since then, the two entities have worked on silhouettes for 20 years. With their recent release of the Nike Spiridon Cage and StockX’s ReStockX of the instantly sold-out shoes, we revisit some of the best drops to come out of this two-decade-long partnership.
2005: Nike SB Dunk Low “Cherry”
One of their most memorable and sought after collaborations comes in the form of a Nike SB Dunk Low. As part of the Nike’s Team Manager’s pack, a campaign featuring six SB Dunk collaborations with managers from the country’s top skateboarding brands at the time. Stüssy’s take on the Dunk Low was included with the pack. By 2005 Nike SB was only three years old and looking to make a name for themselves, so SB wanted to hit the ground swinging and gain as many eyeballs as possible.The Stüssy Dunk Low helped define the foundation that SB wanted all along: fun and innovative design that was as bold as the sport itself. The Stüssy Cherry features full Neaopolatin details, with each color representing the quintessential flavors of vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate. The tongue tag gives meaning to the shoe’s name, with a fully drawn cherry topping off this Dunk sundae. Today, the SB is considered a grail piece and can be found on StockX selling for over $3K!
2008: Nike Terminator High Stüssy x NEIGHBORHOOD
Nike’s Terminator model hasn’t been in the limelight much since its rendition in the 1985 “Be True To Your School” pack representing the Georgetown Hoyas. The once overlooked model was brought back in 2008 when Stüssy and Nike tapped Japanese streetwear label, NEIGHBORHOOD for a collab. From the toe box to the heel cap, the shoe is composed of leather and suede accents with Boneyard graphics, coinciding with both brands’ Nike Blazer collab from the same year. The shoe also put their own twist on the Swoosh, marking the outline of the logo with dots. Currently, the shoe is going for a steal, with the average resale around $153. It’s never too late to stock up on some unique footwear.
2010: Nike All Court Mid Stüssy Black
For the brand’s 30th anniversary, Stüssy delivered their iteration of Nike’s All Court Mid model. If you’re a fan of Supreme’s 2007 Nike SB Blazer, this collab is right up your alley, as the shoe features a snakeskin swoosh and heel tab, with Nike stitched in Stüssy’s ubiquitous font. There are additional details on the tongue, with the tab showing off the interlocked “S” and a message behind it that reads “Past/Present/Future”, celebrating the brand’s continued success. The shoe is one of the more popular collaborations to come from both Nike and Stüssy and the black pair can be found on StockX selling for close to $500!
2011: Nike Sky Force 88 Mid Stüssy Olive Camo
Similar to the Terminator model, the Sky Force 88 is another silhouette that hasn’t gotten a lot of shine in the 21st century, making Stüssy’s 2011 collaboration so much more unique. For this release, the shoe was composed entirely out of canvas and cotton, instead of the usual leather used in prior drops. The collaboration brought out four colorways, mix-matching between camo and dark tones. Currently, the green camo pair can be found on StockX above its original MSRP based on the shoe’s scarcity.
2015: Nike Air Max 95 Stüssy Olive, Navy, and Black
The Air Max 95 returned in a big way back in 2015, as Nike retroed a fan favorite, the OG Neon colorway. As the runner turned 20, Stüssy and Nike’s partnership reached 15 years, making 2015 the year of two anniversaries. To celebrate, the two came together to release three Air Max 95 colorways. The shoe featured a neoprene tongue that’s commonly found on most Nike Huarache’s, and Stüssy founder Shawn Stüssy’s iconic signature. For fans of the model, all three colorways of the collab can be found on StockX for $200 and higher.
2018: Nike SB Zoom Blazer Mid and Low
Stüssy and SB came together again after their first joint release of the popular Cherry Dunk Low. The two shoes display a very shaggy and furry suede on the upper, bringing texture and pop to this otherwise very minimally designed shoe. The shoes also come equipped with a herringbone sole to incorporate reliable functionality for those that actually choose to skate in them. Retailing for $85 to $100, these shoes can be found reselling for close to $240!
