Enoouuuuuuggggghhhhh! I know that is what you are thinking, maybe yelling in the library, enough with the elephant print! I know…………I know….but what you may be failing to realize is how significant this print was in the young history of custom shoes. Revived by the Supreme Dunk low SBs release in 2002 and the ever so hyped cult following those two shoes built for Nike SB, elephant print was easily the number one design replicated on custom painted Nikes from 2002 to about 2006. Most all shoe customizers have taken their shot on the very random, sporadic, non repeating but exactly distinct print. Maybe a handful of customizers replicated it on point and most were WAY off base no matter what a bunch of people on the sneaker forums were saying, the real elephant print connoisseurs knew it looked like shit.
Often confused between cement print and elephant print it was originally used on the Nike Air Jordan III in 1988, cement being the color and elephant being for the textured nubuck or suede material created to replicate the look of elephant skin. But don’t even get me started on Nike/Jordan Brand running this print into the ground, that is a whole other discussion. JB R.I.P. 2004, if not earlier for reals.
Even though you may have seen the print 1000 times maybe someone else has not seen it once. A custom shoe using this print is almost a right of passage into our secret customizer society(whatchuknowboutit?). So its kind of nice to see a decent attempt like these Nike Dunk highs painted to look like the aforementioned Supreme Dunk low SB by Dank Customs. Or maybe the simple box customization is just real nice. Or maybe it takes me back to 2003, yes that is it, retro customs, cool. Whatever it is a good custom shoe will always be significant enough to post no matter what the theme or design.
More photos here via the blog of the Dank Customs customizer
Until next time I will save all the “elephant print” custom shoes for one HUGE post every six months or so.