Nike SB DUNK LOW PRO PANDA PIGEON
In collaboration with Jeff Staple, the Panda Pigeon colorway is a previously rejected sample. This is the third official Pigeon release, and the fourth time the Pigeon has been featured on an SB Dunk. The white and black silhouette features a green bamboo graphic on the sockliner, hits of reflectivity and graphics on the outsole paying tribute to the newspaper headlines after the infamous first SB Pigeon launch. The ‘SAMPLE’ stamp on the collar typically found on early versions has been altered to read ‘STAPLE’.
BEHIND THE DESIGN
SB DUNK X STAPLE PANDA
Creative “accidents” often yield the best surprises, and sometimes, they even result in coveted sneakers. Earlier this year, when designer Jeff Staple was moving offices, he went on Instagram and posted an early sample of the “Black Pigeon” Nike SB Dunks. The shoe had “test” colors — black, white, and green — which he jokingly compared to a “Panda.” Like wildfire, sneakerheads around the world were begging for the shoe to become a reality.
“I was trying to organize and unpack, but I ended up reminiscing on Instagram, like a history lesson of the culture, because I have so many artifacts,” says Jeff Staple. “I just wrote a funny caption, that I asked for ‘a pigeon not a panda,’ and it blew up.” At first, Staple wasn’t convinced that they should do a “Panda” version. “We had just dropped a dope shoe in November,” he adds. “I was happy to wait another decade.”
Staple changed his mind once he remembered going on the global launch tour for the black “Pigeon” SB Dunk. At the time, he was excited to see the growing sneaker community in China and knew that he wanted to do another tour, in the future, that would start in his motherland—China, and end in his home—New York City. With the panda’s connection to China, and the pigeon’s connection to NYC, everything about a “Panda” SB Dunk seemed to click.
“That rejected sample was actually 80% there,” says Staple. “The ‘Panda’ SB Dunk is the first time that there’s a ‘Pigeon’ shoe without the pink pigeon on it; it has bamboo green instead. We made a collage of the OG newspaper clippings and put them inside a clear outsole. The exterior Swoosh is white, and the interior Swoosh is the OG pigeon gray.”
Additional details include a green insole with a bamboo graphic, and the interior’s “SAMPLE” stamp typically found in early versions is altered to read “STAPLE / NOT FOR RESELL.” All shoes come in the classic pink box. There will also be “Panda” Staple x Nike SB apparel, with various colors exclusive to certain cities.
“This was really the people’s champ shoe, in my opinion,” says Staple. “If they didn’t essentially ask for this shoe, it wouldn’t have happened. I love that this came from the voice of the people.”
STAPLE PIGEON
In 1997, jeffstaple, who was then a student at Parsons School of Design, walked into a small shop in New York City and received his first order of 12 hand silkscreened t-shirts and Staple was officially open for business.
In 2005, while building his burgeoning brand, Nike asked jeffstaple to design a special sneaker to repre- sent New York City. The iconic Staple Pigeon logo was conceived and branded on the heels of a limited (and now highly coveted) pair of The Dunk Lo Pro SB. The release was heavily covered by the press and exposed sneaker culture and Staple to the masses.
@StaplePigeon is now a world-renowned symbol that reflects the gritty & neverending energy New Yorkers (and all urban dwellers) possess. It influences Staple’s extensive apparel range and collaborative products, distributed in the top retailers across the globe.
Our founder jeffstaple is an established graphic & fashion designer, curator, branding expert, footwear aficionado, and all-around creative visionary. In addi- tion to Staple Pigeon, Jeff founded Staple Design, a creative consulting agency and a retail con- cept—Reed Space in 2002.
Inspired by street culture & design, Staple’s reach encompasses many different landscapes such as music, art, technology, and fashion.
