Sneaker Heads Rejoice! Riccardo Tisci Reunites With Nike

The NikeLab Dunk Lux High x RT will be released on February 11th on nikelab.com. Photo: Courtesy of Nike

As a young boy growing up in Italy, Riccardo Tisci had dreams of becoming a professional basketball player, and Nikes Air Force 1s were his sneakers of choice. As we all know, fashion eventually came a’calling, but that didn’t diminish the Givenchy creative director’s love for the brand. Not only does he still wear Nike trainers everyday, but he does so while executing the art of marrying street culture with high fashion for the French fashion house.

“It’s so easy for me to do couture and at the same time, it’s easy for me to be urban and to be street,” Tisci told WWD. “I bring my fashion approach and a couture touch to trainers, which is interesting.”

It made sense then that his first collaboration with Nike (in 2014) focused on the AirForce 1, which became an instant hit among sneaker heads, street style stars, and fashion editors. On Wednesday morning it was announced that the designer has returned to reimagine the Dunk. Initially released in 1985, the Dunk is a basketball sneaker that was adopted by skaters and the like back in the ′90s. The updated version, NikeLab Dunk Lux High x RT, is a black leather high top with extended height, an exaggerated swish, and memory foam sole so its wearers can look fly while hitting the court.

Like what you see? Then get ready to pounce quickly. If the last collaboration was any indication, aficionados are going to start queuing up early for the new $300 kicks when they are released on February 11th.

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