When Shannon McManus and Bethany Black opted to open a second BLACK bar outside of Hollywood and right here in the heart of Long Beach, skateboarders and their fans alike knew something special was coming—modeled after New York’s famed Max Fish, BLACK wanted to meld SoCal and skate culture seamlessly and, thus far, has succeeded—but little did locals know they would be getting a customized shoe.
Partnering with Nike Skateboarding, commonly referred to as Nike SB, the pair has enlisted the artistic talents of skateboard graphics artist and clothing designer Nasty Neckface for the overall design.
“BLACK was approached by Nike SB earlier in the year to do a collaborative dunk high,” said McManus. “We are excited to finally announce that they will be available in select skate shops across the country on Saturday, Oct. 27 and we’ll be throwing a special party in Long Beach on Oct. 24 in celebration. The shoe incorporates the designs of [both the bars in Hollywood and Long Beach] and we feel like they are a great representation of who we are as a brand.”
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These almost-all-black dunk highs give the ultimate nod toward the shoe that was birthed in 1985 as a basketball shoe and later became a staple in the skating community. Nike, learning of the organic growth the shoe had garnered in the skate community following the “Be True to Your School” campaign that gave dunk high sporters the ability to customize their look, Nike SB re-engineered the shoe in 2002 to be more compatible with the needs and wears of the skateboarding lifestyle.
Its branding has reached well beyond the skate community: Restaurateur David Chang helped create a Momofuku-inspired SB dunk to honor his famed restaurant while alt-rock band Dinosaur Jr. scored a pair of silver-and-purple SB dunks. (Fun fact: Dinosaur Jr. launched its career out of SST Records, then based in Long Beach.)
Last year, the brand celebrated 15 years of SB dunks, honing in on the shoe that has been thoroughly overtaken by a niche community.
BLACK LBC’s reception to honor the shoe will be held at 10 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 24. It will be open to the public. BLACK LBC is located at 1800 E. Broadway. Check out below for a full map of where these exclusive dunks will be sold.
Brian Addison is a columnist and editor for the Long Beach Post. Reach him at [email protected] or on social media at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.