It’s a sign of the times that the customizers have triumphed, taking it one step further than funded exhibition one-offs and bringing their vision to the production line. In a time when the consensus from manufacturers is that a tired theme-pack for just about anything, from kitschy TV shows to animals, will act as a pacifier for hype hungry consumers to chow down on, appeasing their rapidly diminishing desire for all things limited, we need a little something extra. And no shoe has been made over than a certain once-cult mid-eighties ‘baller, but in the hands of Singapore’s SBTG, he’s dropped a product that doesn’t compromise his custom style, with a plethora of his Royalefam graphics, and some interesting logo placement…yeah, it ticks a lot of boxes- camo and Asian-only release status, but it’s an interesting project in that there’s substance amid the panels- if you’re not gonna leave ‘em in the box like some tinpot eBay sales person, these will actually last more than a few sessions of their intended purpose. Yeah, the new jack cynics who were scrabbling for Dunk releases last Summer like crackheads looking for crumbs will roll their eyes, but this is one of the most interesting Dunks in a while, so we got in touch with Mark, aka. SBTG to flesh things out…
CT.
Is skating a popular pastime in Singapore, or is it more of an underground activity over there?
It is certainly a good pastime for me, although I feel guilty for not skating that often nowadays. It’s not underground anymore- the cops seemed to be more lenient towards us since the government built us a park. Skating definitely has a great influence in what I do.
Your Dunk definitely addresses the needs of skaters with the lace-guard, kind of like the Slam City did with the reinforced areas, but do you think ‘heads have forgotten the true meaning of the SB range- to skate in them?
We can’t blame them, I mean the Dunk has such a vast clientele. And skateboarding was so underground back then. I guess collectors now aren’t old enough to remember, or experience it. I skated in my very own pair, they are dogged now. Maybe its all about e-fame and quantity now?
How did you end up with the call from Nike to create an official shoe? How long did it take from the call to recieving the finished product?
A dear friend/ex-employee from Nike Singapore pitched the project and it went through. But its more than that. Dennis made sure that most of the shoe was designed and decided by me. I would say all this took around 6-7 months…
Did you take the same approach to this shoe as you did with your earlier customs? Did you present your design to Nike on paper/screen or as a custom?
It was a very easy decision for me. I more or less already knew what I wanted, so it only took me a couple of hours to decide on the design. Paper and screen.
What materials make up the shoe? Is there nubuck and suede in the mix? Were any early ideas rejected?
Nubuck for the toe, lace panel and collar. I insisted on a nylon tongue like Dunks had back in 1985. ‘Griptape’ for the toebox and rear wing. And a suede lace cover over flat laces. Yes, some ideas were rejected- it was more of a aesthetic versus function battle. No biggie.
Did the fact that there are so many variations and colours of Dunk on the market make it more of a challenge to drop something original?
Not at all. I’ve always had a ‘wish’ Dunk in mind and it was never made.
Is it refreshing to see that Nike are recognizing the skills of customizers and allowing them to create actual product? Did you ever envisage this happening? Did you have an aim of working for Nike officially one day?
Very. I’m stoked. I never thought it would happen. Working on the side with Nike could be cool.
Do you think sneaker design has gone a little stale with so many themes, packs and limited editions? Where do you see it going next?
Yeah, I think its been stale and oversupplied. I think it will be like this for a while.
The toebox is an interesting place to put the logo- was there a specific reason you put it there, or was it just because it looks good?
Aesthetics and function. I will only select a few areas to have my logo. The ‘ollie’ side, the heel and the toebox. The top view of the shoe has always been important to me. I always judge the look this way before a selection. And I don’t want my logo to be ollied or heel flipped off.
