Nike’s contribution to the 4/20 culture has always been an interesting one, more so given the treasure trove of references from lingo, slang, and strain type from different types of weed to pull out from. Last year, we had the ‘White Widow,’ an ultra fuzzy iteration referencing the strain, the ‘Ceech and Chong,’ whereby cutting the upper would unveil a a layer of mossy green suede, and the original ‘Skunk,’ hiding absolutely nothing when it comes to its reference to the Devil’s Lettuce, and including a stash pocket to hide emmmm, things.
This year, the Swoosh has come up with another one, this time paying homage to man’s best friend, called the ‘Dogwalker,’ or ‘Walk The Dog,’ and it’s chockful of details. For one, the upper features a myriad of different patterns commonly found on dogs, with pony hair forming the upper, overlayed with hairy green suede with a Red Swoosh made from a material that’s reminiscent of a dog collar.
Flipping the shoe over, we notice a big brown patch on the outsole, evocative of a dog poop stain when one steps on a steaming pile. The insole is said to feature all of Nike’s staff dogs, while the inner tongue tag is embellished with a poop emoji SB logo. Brown lace is also given in a plastic bag, further reference to dog shit in a bag. The concept is then rounded off with a hangtag that says Sparky, buy and large one of the most common names to name a new dog.
Despite these references however, and its connection to the 4/20 holiday, the shoe is a literal play on words, while the underlying meaning convenes another popular marijuana strain called the ‘Dog Walker.’ Hence the name, and the extrapolated concept focusing on dogs.
The Nike SB Dunk High ‘Dog Walker’ releases on the 20th of April for a price of approximately RM 450 ringgit.
