A new version appears with the initials CD on the side. But, Nike has no part in its birth

Mirror image? Top: Dior B57. Below: Nike Dunk (Mid). Photos: Dior and Nike respectively

We could not believe our eyes when the new Dior Sneakers, innocuously named B57, was recently introduced by the brand. The first thing that hit us: Was it another collaboration with Nike. At one glance the shoe could pass off as the basketball-shoes-turned-skateboarding-kicks Dunk, but missing the Swoosh. In its place is the initials of the full name of the brand—a garish CD in a goofy font, sporting the brand’s oblique jacquard fabric. The over-branding continues to the right of the two letters, on the mid-sole: the four letter word Dior, in case you do not know what CD stands for, or thought it to be the optical disc we hardly ever use now. The similarities between the two sneakers can’t conveniently be considered uncanny.

The Nike Dunk was launched in 1985, post-Air Jordan 1. As with many of the Swoosh’s sneakers, the Dunk was designed for basketball courts, but eventually spawned a spin-off, the SB Dunk in 2002. Purists still prefer the Dunk OG. So did fashion folks. Probably due to its old-school vibe and a form factor that is sleeker than, say, Air Force 1, the Dunk has never lost its grip on sneakerheads, including Dior’s Kim Jones, purportedly the designer of the B57. With the immense success of the 2020 collaboration with Nike in the Air Jordan 1, it is strange that Dior did not choose to pair with Nike again to put out a proper pair of Dunk. Perhaps, creating their own imitative silhouette is a more profitable, brand-enhancing exercise. In addition, the shoes need not be in limited quantity.

There is, of course, nothing new in luxury brands inspired by classic Nike silhouettes (or those of other brands). Remember the Nike Internationalist? In 2015, Louis Vuitton was quite taken by it, resulting in the Run Away sneakers. We do not know how popular LV’s was, but they probably sold profitably enough pairs for them to release more than one style. This obvious adopting of the silhouettes associated with other sneaker brands might have been build on the assumption that there are moneyed consumers willing to upgrade to the similar, with branding that is clearly more atas. Dior knows that, for many of their feckless fans, the CD is more appealing than the Swoosh, and as long as they slap the two letters on the outside quarter, that is all that matters. Few would care about the similar two-tone upper, the arc bandage, the perforation on the vamp. It matters only that the CD is there for all to see.