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It might not be as popular as it once was, but the Nike Dunk remains a quintessential shoe for Nike Dunk Low By Yousneakerheads everywhere. Collaboration models such as the Nike SB Dunk Low Ben & Jerry’s ‘Chunky Dunky’ stole the limelight alongside the infamous ‘Panda’ colourway, but not many people know that you can buy a pair of custom Nike Dunks through the brand’s ‘Nike By You’ configurator online.
That means you can create a custom shoe representing something about yourself or share the hype with someone else by giving it as a gift. If you’re stuck on ideas, we’ve shared some of our favourite custom colourways below.
Sneakerheads of old will remember the NikeID days when you could take some of Nike’s most popular lifestyle, athletic, and running sneakers and customise them to create your perfect sneaker. Nike By You will appear very familiar, with the option to customise sports and lifestyle models with materials and colours that change often. If you don’t like what you see right now, come back in a month, and it’s likely there are new options e.g. a choice between leather, recycled twill or satin for the overlays, and rubber, regrind, or gum for the outsole.
RELATED: Nike By You will also let you create your own custom Nike Air Force 1.
Custom Dunk Styles on Nike By You
The Nike Dunk has both a low-top and high-top silhouette, so you must consider the silhouette you prefer. We prefer the classic Dunk Low, but the Dunk High always looks great with a pair of long pants.
Nike Dunk Low By You
Price: from AU$190
The Nike Dunk Low By You has been available for more than two years, but it’s gained a wider palate of colours over the years. Keep an eye out for new materials often uploaded to Nike By You; this opens up more unique colourways to stand out.
Your outsole must match the colour scheme to replicate some popular Dunk Low colourways. For example, when we customised our pair, the only available outsole colours were Black, White, Light Bone, Team Red, University Red, and Deep Royal Blue. This limits the colourway options because even though more upper colours are available, you can’t match them on the outsole.
If this doesn’t bother you, it opens up a world of combinations. You can choose Smooth Leather or Pebbled Leather for most of the shoe’s panels. The reflective Swoosh and reflective backtab were available when we went to customise our shoes.
Nike Dunk Low Unlocked By You
Price: from AU$220
The Nike Dunk Low Unlocked By You is similar to the standard Nike Dunk Low By You but offers a wider range of colours and materials. You can regularly find different materials and colourway options, but these typically coincide with whatever it is that Nike is trying to push, e.g. at the time of writing, the brand’s Velvet-Cheetah, Velvet-Tiger, and Croc Suede were popular materials across their product range, so they found themselves to the configurator. We’ve also found suedes, pebbled leathers, and regrind outsoles in the past.
It’s important to note that these are more expensive than the standard option, so if you want a simple leather option, check out the Nike Dunk Low By You.
Nike Dunk High By You
Price: from AU$210
The Nike Dunk High By You has a wider range of colourways and materials available (at the time of publishing). These include either leather, canvas, or hairy suede tip alongside canvas quarters, foxing, and collars. Colours are also more palatable with Malachite Green, University Blue, Orchid, Doll, and plenty of Browns.
It’s not as customisable as the Nike Dunk Low Unlocked By You, but it brings cleaner colourways and material choices to help you create a shoe that could belong on the shelf of a sneaker store.
Updates to the Nike Dunk Low ‘By You’ Configurator
10/07/2024: Nike has added the popular Velvet-Cheetah, Velvet-Tiger, and Croc Suede materials to the Nike Dunk Low Unlocked By You configurator. This includes various colours, from soft pinks to mossy greens.
04/05/2022: Nike has updated the By You configurator, opening the door to white toe boxes and tongues in true ‘college colourway’ orientations. At the time of writing, users can choose from a range of colours for the overlays on the upper. However, colours are limited on the outsole. If you want to create a traditional colour with a matching upper and outsole, you’ll be limited to Black, Cool Grey, Hyper Royal, Team Red, and Team Orange.
22/11/2022: Nike has added recycled twill to the customisation options. This includes a ‘mint green’ colour reminiscent of the famous Nike SB Dunk Low ‘Tiffany’.
‘Nike By You’ Dunk Low Colourway Inspiration
Since Nike opened the door to white-toe boxes, the options for the current custom Nike Dunks are endless. If you want to stick to the basics, choose Black, Cool Grey, Hyper Royal, Team Red, and Team Orange to match the outsole. Otherwise, choose one of the designs below for something outside the box and maybe even swap in that white toebox.
Ultimately, you’ll want to let those creative juices flow and make something truly you.
