As the focus of the world shifts to the Opening Ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Beijing, there’s nothing more exciting to do in Atlanta on 08.08.08 other than going to the release of these Nike Dunk Supremes at Standard.

You can’t tell from any of the photos on the internet, but the patent leather on all the sneakers have glitter embedded inside the material so that they really pop in person. I’ve got my eye on the super-rare white colorway.

Don’t miss out on free Peroni Beer, beats by Don Cannon, and a raffle to win sneakers from Nike.

photo credit: Ross Martin Photography

Frozen treats don’t stand a chance during the summer months here in Hotlanta. Neither do my sneakers. I like to wear them sans socks, and you know how that goes. Luckily, we’ll have a few weeks of distractions from the heat starting next weekend on August 8th, 2008 with the start of the Summer Olympics in Beijing.

There’s a lot of significance and superstition behind the number 8 in Chinese culture, therefore the opening ceremony of the Olympics will take place at 8:08:08 pm on 8.8.08. To commemorate the event, Nike has a number of sportswear releases dropping in stores everywhere (including your favorite ATL spots) next week on the 8th.

My favorites are these Nike Dunk High Supremes that come in Blue, Black, Red, Yellow, Green, and White (colors of the Olympic Rings & background color) that are made entirely of quilted patent leather. Details include octagon shapes resembling the Olympic Rings on the tongue. The Dunk is one of Nike’s four footwear icons, the others being the Air Force 1, Air Max 90, & the Cortez so it’s nice to see them as part of the Olympic celebration. Keep an eye out for a full blown version of NikeSportswear.com that will feature more octagon related releases and information. I hear the site will be officially launching next Friday [8.8.08]. Tell your friends so they don’t feel left out.

This graphic will be worn on the jerseys of United States Olympic teams at the Beijing Olympics next month. It reminds me a lot of the cut-paper-posters we had to design during our first few months at Portfolio Center (current and former students know where I’m coming from). The “Nike We the People Graphic” draws inspiration from a number of cultural elements and design influences to create a bold aesthetic specific to the USA. When creating the graphic, Nike designers were drawn to tattoos as the first point of inspiration, specifically looking at how the graphic design could align directly to the athlete’s body. The multi-faceted graphic tells the story of many cultures coming together under the common theme of victory. Just like a tattoo on the body, the pattern of the graphic is darker than the base color surrounding it.

Specific elements of the design include:
- The Statue of Liberty, represented by the torch
- Stars and stripes representing the 50 American states
- The date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence
- Decorative elements from our nations’ currency
- The olive branch and arrows from the talons of the American eagle in the Presidential seal
- Celtic, African and Native American symbols and influences
- A bleeding heart representing Hispanic culture

photos by Ted Ullrich

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of spending a few days in Beijing. It was impossible to deny the city’s excitement for hosting this summer’s Olympics games. This media guide was given to people who attended the Nike 706 exhibit inside China’s up and coming arts district recently. The book, called Nike 100 details 100 of the most innovative moments in Nike’s history as a result of obsessive design and pursuit of perfection. As I read through the book, I recalled some of my favorite moments in sports history including Michael Johnson’s gold shoes at the ATL Olympics in ‘96 and Michael Jordan winning the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in his Air Jordan III’s.

At the end of the day it’s all about reducing drag, reducing weight, and creating the lightest aerodynamics possible. Nike was founded by Phil Knight and his track coach at the University of Oregon, Bill Bowerman. Bowerman was obsessed with making footwear lighter and hand-stitched sneakers for his team before they were able to mass produce anything. It’s worth it to check out nikelab.com as it drives home Bowerman’s ethos.

I’ve spent countless hours on nikelab.com watching designer’s video explanations behind the products they’ve made. I even went out to try on the Lunar Racer this weekend. It’s really lightweight and feels like you’re walking on the moon. It’s crazy how they do it.

Thanks to Nike for reintroducing me to my true love. I’ve been rocking these bad boys for about a month straight since our PROCESS photo shoot at El Bar. They’ve touched the holy grounds of all our favorite Atlanta spots from Ponce to Peachtree.

They’re a classic Dunk High inspired by 1984 Vandals that used nylon. The choice of material back then was to create a lighter hoop shoe that feels soft and broken-in the first time you put them on. My Dunk High Nylons [Metallic Gold/Black/White ] are part of a 3 shoe quickstrike pack that includes 2 other colorways. No word on an exact release date, but expect them this summer/fall.

The same innovation push for “superior lightweight” is manifested in modern times through the Hyperdunk which drops on 7/26. If you’re not sure what that is, you’ve obviously been sleeping under a rock. Find out more on that tip here, here, and here. They’ve done an amazing job creating awareness and they KILLED IT with the Back to the Future II tie-in, which happens to be my favorite movie ever. If I could go back in time like Marty McFly, I’d find my way onto the creative team behind the Nike Hyperdunk campaign.

Anyway, if you want to see the Dunk High Nylons in person, you can find me at the Local tonight.

Introducing EC’s “Experiment or Die” Nike Dunk prototypes. Designed by Georgios [Yioryios] and myself, Larry [tentenlarry].

See these dunks and many others in person on June 6th at Octane Coffee Bar & Lounge at the ATL Kicks event. We’re unveiling tons of surprises that night. Don’t miss it hater.

See more pics after the jump.
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Here are more photos of the Epidemik Coalition “Night Ripper” Dunk taken by Daniel Hall.

More pics after the jump.
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In the spirit of all the excessive, rich-bitch, nip-slip, party animals…these new EC customs are complete paparazzi magnets. Wanna peep more scandalous angles of “Night Ripper”?
Check out more tabloid-worthy pics after the jump.
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These are the real-life finished Epidemik Coalition “CMYK” Dunk Lows.

As I said before, I’ll be taking orders on these puppies in until the end of this week (12/2). They come in all sizes and will cost you a buck-twenty-five. Email me at to place your order and remember to indicate your shoe size.

The demand for these dunks is huge, so the sooner you get in touch with me, the more likely you’ll score your pair.

-LL

Close-up pic is after the jump
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This is a sneak preview of the CMYK custom dunks that I will be making for the holidays. I chose to keep them clean and simple, ala Roswell Raygun SBs.
I’ll be taking orders through the end of this week. All sizing is available. Email me at if you have any questions or comments.

Needless to say, these will be riduclously limited in quantity so cop ‘em before they’re gone.

-LL

Lacey was the first person in line, and people were shocked that a girl would be first in line. Dirty looks were being shot up to the front of the line all day.

I’m glad we arrived crazy-early to Niketown Atlanta. It really paid-off as there were only three pairs of 10.5 available to the general public, one pair of 11’s and only three pairs of 10’s. This range consists of the most common foot sizes…meaning that if we weren’t first in line, not all of us would have been able to score our respective sizes.
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