Nike and psychedelic rock legends The Grateful Dead have partnered up on a new line of sneakers that will come in not one, but three (!) different color schemes.
Best of all, the Nike SB Dunk Low Grateful Dead brings back the hidden weed pouch that’s been a staple for skate shoes for decades.
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The Grateful Dead SB will come in three colors — green, yellow, and orange — and features The Grateful Dead’s famous dancing bear mascot on the tongue.
That tongue also doubles as the aforementioned coveted hidden zip-up pouch to add “extra padding,” as some skate shoe companies say.
The Grateful Dead bear first appeared on the back cover of the group’s 1973 LP “History of the Grateful Dead, Volume 1 (Bear’s Choice),” and is a touching homage to the band’s enigmatic audio engineer nicknamed Bear, who helped develop the group’s Wall of Sound system as well as the cartoon symbol.
“As the band’s benefactor, Bear was an incredibly huge part of the Grateful Dead’s ability to become who they were,” says David Lemieux, the band’s archivist and legacy manager, in the Nike announcement of the new sneakers.
“They were talented musicians, but they would not have had the financial freedom to forgo jobs, move to Los Angeles and practice for 14 hours a day. The band wouldn’t become what it is today without Bear’s innovations and contributions. The same fiercely independent spirit from Bodecker helped create that authenticity within the skate community.”
According to Nike, “the shoe playfully features bear-inspired detailing, such as a faux-fur and suede upper, a frayed Nike Swoosh mimicking the bears’ collars and an image of the bear on the tongue.”
“Another iconic Grateful Dead logo, the Steal Your Face skull, is printed on the underside of the sockliner.”
The orange option (not yet shown on Nike’s website) will be released exclusively on July 18 at the legendary FTC skate shop in San Francisco, while the yellow and green varieties are coming to select outlets on July 24.
According to Sneaker News, the Grateful Dead Dunks will go for $110 a pair (if you can get your hands on one).
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