When rap legends and sneaker giants join forces, the hype is inevitable: the Wu-Tang Clan and Nike have announced the return of one of the most coveted sneaker rarities on Instagram.
With the onomatopoeia "Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz" and a short clip, the sporting goods company Nike and the rap group Wu-Tang Clan have teased what is probably the most exciting sneaker release of the year: hundreds of bees swarm around a Dunk High. They let just enough of the shoe's surface shine through to reveal the black and yellow design and the Wu-Tang Clan's iconic W logo on the outer heel. So it looks like a legendary collaboration from 1999 is officially coming onto the market for the first time.
The "Wu-Tang x Nike Dunk High" is one of the rarest and most coveted collector's items in the sneaker world. For a long time, it was assumed that only 36 pieces were produced - as an allusion to the debut album "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)". However, in the podcast The Complex Sneakers, Drew Greer dispelled this myth three years ago. The then Global Footwear Product Director for Nike Sportswear stated that there were actually 100 units. Half of them went directly to the Wu-Tang Clan label, while the other half remained with Nike. The highly limited sneaker was therefore never available for regular sale.
A very rare original from 1999. Source: Instagram @casa_soles
The Wu-Tang-Dunk has its origins in the 1985 "Be True to Your School" collection, for which Nike drew inspiration from the team colours of various colleges in the USA. There was a re-issue of this collection at the end of the 90s. The yellow and black "Iowa" dunks aroused the interest of the rap group's label. The colour scheme ultimately picks up on the design of the Wu-Tang logo and is also an allusion to the term "Killa Bees". It refers to both fans and the extended collective that works with the Wu-Tang Clan. Featuring the group's logo, both as embroidery on the heel and as a tag on the tongue of the shoe, the "Iowa" dunk high became a Wu-Tang dunk high.
The extremely limited number of units, the fact that the sneaker was never officially distributed and the cultural influence of the Wu-Tang clan have turned the shoe into a legend - which fetches exorbitant prices on the secondary market. An original pair is currently listed at auction house Sotheby's for the equivalent of just under 25,000 Swiss francs. In 2022, a pair (since sold) was even listed on the Justin Reed resale platform for the equivalent of over 45,000 Swiss francs, as Hypebeast reported.
Rapper Travis Scott is one of the few people in possession of the original Wu-Tang sneaker. Source: Instagram @travisscott
Nike has not yet communicated the retail price or an official release date for the new edition of the "Wu-Tang x Nike Dunk High". However, a link to a registration form appeared in the Instagram story of the Wu-Tang Clan's official profile on Monday. There, interested parties can register for updates via mobile number. According to sources from the online magazine Sneaker Files, which specialises in sneakers, sales are expected to start in autumn.
