Two things have permeated fashion and hip-hop culture for decades: epic cars and sneakers. These sneakers that @mr.s.custom recently shared are an amalgamation of both, providing us with these Redsuns RX-7 Dunk sneakers inspired by Initial D.
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Keisuke Takahashi’s Mazda RX-7, the car that the Redsuns RX-7 Dunk sneakers are modelled after, is one of the most prominent vehicles featured in Initial D. I doubt that the street racing manga by Shuichi Shigeno requires too much introduction. Still, it was a manga that ran from 1995 all the way up until 2013. After a successful run as a manga, it was later adapted into an eleven-part anime series that started in 1998. If that wasn’t enough to jog your memory, Initial D is where the Déjà vu meme song comes from.
With a bit less of a rounded shape, it looks like the sneakers might have been inspired by a customised white Mazda Savanna RX-7 Infini that has been changed to include stickers and branding that are recognisable to both the replica car and the original from the manga and the anime series.
In 2022, Kotaku shared images of Initial D x Nike Dunks by @nobrainer.psd. At the same time, they were a pair of sneakers that definitely gave anime fans the feel of the sneakers that they wanted to represent the vehicle; more was needed.
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Starting from the bottom of the Dunk sneakers that have been customised to match the Redsuns RX-7, the outsole is a light grey that matches the concrete drive of the image where the car is standing. Most sneakers are stunning white, perfectly matching the inspiration car’s white body.
The white encompasses the midsole save for a message written in katakana that reads “Akagi Red Suns”. Red Suns is repeated on the heel of the sneaker, this time written in red and English, matching the same writing on the car.
The squares are in choice locations throughout the sneakers, including one below the tail of the Nike Swoosh mark and one near the tip between the mudguard and the midsole. These orange squares are a genius inclusion in the design, evoking the idea of the vehicle’s indicator lights on the sneaker.
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The upper of the sneaker is a combination of white and grey, namely using the grey to create an illusion of shadow on the sneakers at specific points, creating an illusion of dimension that matches the shadows of the vehicle.
The black Nike Swoosh shares the same treatment as the rest of the upper, with marks and shading that help to add dimension to the Swoosh that matches the dark windows of the car, completing the look with a collar that is black and matching black shaded smooth leather.
Lastly, the sneakers feature the same sponsor stickers that can be seen on the car, including the Max Spee and Shift Down stickers, completing the look and making the sneakers the perfect representation of the car.
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While it’s doubtful that these sneakers will help you pick up the same speed as the characters in Initial D or let you drift around corners, they will look awesome while you are doing it.
