Costco’s Kirkland Nike SB Dunk might take the cake for the most unexpected collaboration of 2025, but it’s not the only surprising link-up due this Holiday season. Adding to a category of collaborations with beloved names like Costco, The Wizard of Oz, Ben & Jerry’s, and countless others, Nike SB is partnering with the music industry’s most eccentric journalist, Nardwuar, on a Holiday 2025 collection. Here we have detailed images of one of two tartan colorways expected to drop, the “University Red/Black/Yellow Strike/Deep Royal Blue.”
To the uninitiated, Nardwuar is a Vancouver-born musician turned journalist best known for his in-depth interviews with celebrities, politicians, and musicians especially. His thorough research and encyclopedic knowledge of obscure background details often leaves his subjects shocked. It’s a rare move for Nike SB to collaborate with someone outside of skating, but considering Nardwuar’s deep music roots – a lane Nike SB has explored before through names like Travis Scott – it doesn’t feel entirely out of bounds for the skate sub-label.
Beyond his interview style, Nardwuar is equally known for his eccentric personal fashion, anchored by decades of tartan looks cultivated as both a punk musician and interviewer. He’s said that the style helps him disarm celebrities and leave a lasting impression, complementing his quirky and meticulous approach to interviews. In particular, Nardwuar is almost always seen wearing a tartan-patterned Scottish-style cap with a pom-pom, which he revealed in an interview with Eric Andre was a gift from his late mother. That very cap serves as the direct inspiration behind this Nike SB Dunk collaboration: the tartan pattern is faithfully replicated on the upper, while the pom-pom materializes as a lace accessory. Meanwhile, Nardwuar’s signature sign-off “Doot doola doot doo…” appears across the backtab and outsole.
This is one of two Nardwuar x Nike SB Dunks slated for Holiday 2025, though the second pair has yet to surface. We’ll update our Sneaker Release Dates page as soon as firm drop info becomes available.
