The Legacy of the Nike SB 'Pigeon' dunk The Nike Dunk SB Low Staple ‘NYC Pigeon’ didn’t begin sneaker culture, nor did it single-handedly make it a mainstream hobby. However, it was a key footnote in the rise of the subculture, and it’s industry. It was too a turning point in general awareness - as @jeffstaple told Justin Block, “after [the dunk], we had investment bankers coming into the store telling us, ‘We used to buy cigars and wine. Now we’re just going to buy sneakers.’ It changed overnight.” In '05, the economy of resale was raring up, and the profits had lead to the rise of camp outs. Staples had already worked with #Nikesb for several shoes; the difference with this #nikedunk was scarcity. The release was part of Nike’s city-based series, with the pigeon motif being a nod to NYC, and he wanted to create a shoe that could be worn all the time, or coveted and displayed, a fairly new concept for the era. As soon as the Reed Space got the shoes in, the phone began ringing off the hook. At the time, there was a thriving sneaker community on forums like niketalk, hunting down any information the moment it released. 4 days before the release day, and before any pictures were posted, kids began queuing up in tents. Staples remembered buying pizzas for kids getting snowed on overnight. Things only got more hectic as the days went on. Fights would break out daily, and soon opportunists realised each kid had over $300, or a pair. As Staples told Sole Collector, “You could see heavy snorkel jackets, baseball bats..., knives, machetes... people were waiting on all four corners”. The police came to break up the commotion, but kids refused, and held onto the gate to keep their place. An all-out riot began, only sorted when the NYPD worked with Staples to order a line of taxis for the back entrance. Despite the media’s horror, #Nike instantly spotted the opportunity in the unintended riot. So did their competitors - Timberland came knocking the next day, and told Staples “we want a riot too”. Sneaker companies suddenly saw the strength in manufactured hype in chaotic limited releases - a legacy seen today across the fashion industry, from high fashion to streetwear.