With raw-hemmed fabric, velcroed-down Nike swooshes, and military-inspired canvas, Nike’s new punk-inspired Dunk sneaker is an eye-catching design. However, it becomes all the more eye-catching once its removable pins are attached, on which Nike declares: Dunk’s Not Dead. 

This pin references Punk’s Not Dead, a phrase popularised by the 1981 debut album by Scottish band The Exploited. And while Nike will claim that this pin is only intended to reference punk music, the American sportswear brand will undoubtedly know that it is a provocative statement.

At a time when many sneakerheads have declared that the Nike Dunk hype is dead, it is an inadvertent clapback at the naysayers.

The Nike Dunk isn’t as popular as it was five years ago. That’s a fact, and there’s data to back it up: According to StockX, the Nike Dunk has seen a 41% year-on-year drop in sales on the resale site. 

The days when every new colorway of the sneaker seemingly sold out are long gone. That doesn’t mean there aren't noteworthy, great-looking Dunk sneakers being released, but the amount of attention around the model has certainly declined. 

No longer the sneaker model of the moment, the Nike Dunk has to do more than it did before to get chins wagging — whether that be bringing grails back from the past, wild fabric executions, or, in this case, a provocative statement.

Expected to be released in Spring 2025, this punk-inspired Nike Dunk achieves attention through provocation.