Bodega and Nike Head to the Sandlot with Baseball-Inspired Dunk High "Legend"
A salute to sporting fandom, the mythical nature of childhood heroes and Bodega’s late creative director Marvin Jason Bynoe.
When Bodega and Nike first teased a Dunk High collaboration earlier this year, its unique look garnered a great deal of interest. Rich leather paneling? Criss-crossing rawhide strips? Tortoiseshell jewel swooshes? Guesses surrounding the inspiration ranged from traditional moccasins to old-school Western jackets, but now it’s been revealed that the “Legend” — its “official” moniker — is in fact inspired by sporting fandom, the mythical nature of childhood heroes and Bodega’s late creative director Marvin Jason Bynoe, a beloved part of the store’s family. “[Marvin] was the type of role model all of us at Bodega strive to be, and in our eyes holds certified legend status,” says Bodega designer Drew White. “This Dunk is for the individuals in a crew that impact or influence everyone.”
These rich tales of kinship and heroes are told through a baseball-centric lens, explaining the shoe’s mitt-like construction. Uppers are centered around a tortoiseshell jewel Swoosh on each lateral quarter panel, which is then surrounded by shaggy brown suede. Buttery brown leather appears on eyestays and lateral collar flaps, with mudguards featuring extra embroidered details and a black suede build. Sail leather is used on toeboxes, sail suede on collars, and black leather on tongues.
Back halves are mostly held together by brown rawhide strips, which wrap around the collar like they do on the palm of a mitt and are elongated on the flaps much like they would be on a mit’s thumb, pinky and basket. Bodega branding replaces the Swoosh on the medial quarter and black leather replaces brown on the medial flap. The look is completed by black rawhide laces, a special red Nike Sportswear/Bodega tongue badge, sail midsoles and black outsoles.
“The Dunk unites different subcultures. It transcends aesthetics,” says Bodega Marketing Director Matt Zaremba. “And at the advent of more commercial streetwear, the Dunk was rooted in tradition.”
Look for the Bodega x Nike Dunk High “Legend” to release via the Bodega webstore on December 28, then hit Nike SNKRS December 30. The MSRP is set at $120 USD.
Need more Dunk news? See which pair snagged the top spot in HYPEBEAST’s 10 Best Sneakers of 2020 list.
