Did Nike Just Drop Its Super-Hyped Sneaker Collab in China?

Sneakerheads in North America will be bummed to learn that the highly anticipated SB Dunk High Gundam kicks went on sale in China, Japan, and Europe on September 24 — more than two weeks ahead of the United States.

The shoes are inspired by the hugely popular Japanese anime franchise Gundam, which features giant human-controlled robots (mechas) and has remained a fan favorite since the late 1970s. 

The Nike X Gundam collaboration features two high-top sneakers from the shoe brand’s iconic skateboarding collection, Nike SB Dunk. The shoe series made its debut as the Nike skate division stepped into the spotlight at the Tokyo Olympics this past summer. 

According to Input Mag, it was the “wildest Dunk of the lot” — not only for the creative anime inspiration but also for the unique design that makes the sneakers stand out:

The Nike X Gundam series includes two distinct colorways, the white ‘Unicorn’ sneakers and darker ‘Banshee’ sneakers, both inspired by mechas from the anime series.

‘Unicorn’ is predominantly white with red accents and an Amarillo Swoosh, while ‘Banshee’ is thunder blue and black with a mellow golden Swoosh. 

‘Unicorn’ from the Nike X Gundam series

In a thoughtful design detail, the Nike Swoosh is removable for both colorways, and each purchase comes with the Swoosh in another color so that you can choose either a bright or clean color scheme depending on your mood. You can further customize your Dunk High kicks with the decal sheet that comes in the box. 

‘Banshee’ from the Nike X Gundam series

In addition, the Gundam Dunk design pays close attention to details that honor the Gundam universe, with ‘RX-0’ stamped in red on the heel below the unicorn insignia. 

‘Unicorn’ dropped at select skate shops on Friday, September 24, in China, Japan, and Europe. It will also be released on Nike’s official sneaker app, SNKRS, on September 27 in these countries and regions. As for the ‘Banshee’ Dunks, it seems that they’ll be exclusively available at skate shops. 

All images via Nike