Something beautiful happens when worlds collide. And that’s exactly what happened with this fantastic pair of “Jamaica Vibes” Rastafari x Nike SB Dunk sneakers by Dariyn Enriquez (from @dope_don_designs).
We have had many incredible musicians, styles and cultures that have come out of the Jamaican/Rasta genre, including amazing stars like Bob Marley, who wanted nothing but to live his life and spread love worldwide. It’s thanks to icons like him that the red, green and yellow colour scheme had become absolutely iconic since the 1960s and 1970s when the style skyrocketed in popularity. The look and the style have been well-loved. Now, @dope_don_designs has created another pair of custom sneakers to commemorate the iconic style.
Starting from the bottom, the outsole is a plain black that contrasts the stark white midsole perfectly. This same theme is repeated on the Nike Swoosh, which has a white centre and a black outline, both of which work together to create a subtle part of the sneaker in comparison to the hectic rest of it.
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Similarly, the majority of the overlay panelling on the sneaker is a soft-touch plain black leather that adorns the tip, the mudguard, the lace unit, wraps around the heel for the heel counter and also tops off the heel tab. The black leather of the mudguard and the heel tab are accented with white, with the heel tab sporting the NIKE branding. In contrast, the mudguard sports a white lion of Judah, an icon famous and often used on Rastafarian flags.
The perforated leather of the toe box is a red that fades to yellow with a gradient that is so subtle that it looks seamlessly airbrushed on and looks like the glow of a beautiful Jamaican sunset. Going up from the red and yellow toe box, the tongue transitions into the green before sporting a black tongue label that again represents the Nike branding with a Nike check below it.
Matching the colour progression from the toe box to the tongue, the rest of the upper is a woven textile that sports the iconic colours, with red, yellow and green that is surrounded by black on each side, as the pattern repeats throughout the quarter and the visible panel beneath the one on the heel counter.
Meaning no offence to the style, the Rastafarian style often overpowers garments and accessories. However, @dope_don_designs has managed to create a design entirely inspired by the style and culture while balancing the look perfectly, working hard to make his sneaker concepts wearable, as always.
Would you wear these Rastafari x Nike SB Dunk sneakers?
