Want to cop the hottest kicks, but question whether the pair is legit? Know the difference with Real vs Fake: Nike SB Dunk x Ben & Jerry’s ‘Chunky Dunky.’ When Ben & Jerry’s collab’d with Nike SB to bring us the “Chunky Dunky” sneakerheads nearly lost their minds. Even months after it’s announcement, people can’t stop talking about them. Officially released on May 26th retailing for $100, the Chunky Dunky resale value currently sits around $1600 with some bids going to nearly 4 Grand. But the last thing you’d want with all this hype is buy a knockoff pair.
What you should know…
Blue Reef and Forest Green make up the pastures seen on the quarter panel underlays leading around to the heel comprised of clouds with added detailed stitches. Blue Reef stands alone on the perforated toe box, while Forest Green coats the rubber outsole. Overlays and extended tongues get a bovine makeover with faux cow fur. Buttery Yellow literally drips from the quarter panel Swooshes. However, the true eye-catcher on these SB Dunks lies with the gorgeous psychedelic rainbow collar and sockliner. In addition to the preset wide SB laces that match the Nike Air midsole, the Chunky Dunky comes with two additional lace sets in Buttery Yellow and Forest Green.
Real vs Fake Round 1
Starting right from the box, things look ok until you check out the info tag. The font size of off, the colorway is “Milk Cow/Ice cream” instead of actual colors. Even the bar code looks like it would fail a scan. Right away, there are some pretty obvious differences in hues of Blue, Green and Yellows, all of which are lighter on the real Chuny Dunky. This is most noticeable along the quarter panels where the Skyline background has natural gradation as they approach the Green hills below and move toward the heel. The fraud tries to make up for this with the added patent cloud detailing on the heel. However, the actual pair’s clouds have no additional sheen.
Real vs Fake Round 2
Next, we’ve got to address the faux fur overlays used on the mudguard, forefoot, tongue and heel. It’s strange to think that something you know isn’t real could look worse when made unofficially. But the look and feel say otherwise. While the legit Chunky Dunky’s fur looks like it comes from a cow, with large Black spots and the fur moving fluidly, the fake looks more like a Dalmatian. The fur appears fuzzy pushing outward from the overlays, with much smaller Black spots, and a muddied White.
Real vs. Fake Round 3
The sock and tongue liner for the SB Dunk Chunky Dunky has to be the most fun detail. The colors blend together effortlessly, with no one shade taking over on either the left or right shoe. The synthetic material is breathable and textured to the touch while giving off a shimmer, particularly around the tongue. This is an effect missing from the imitation pair, even though the feel is softer. Additionally, the way the colors are split looks more like psychedelic camouflage than melted rainbow. Same goes for those sole inserts. Nike SB Dunk leaves signature ridges along the where the big toe rests that are missing on the fake. Additionally the faux Ben & Jerry’s branding uses a different font and is partially hidden beneath the graphics. Below on the outsole, we see color differentiation with both shades of green, with the lighter Green going almost Neon at the center of the fake shoe.
Real vs. Fake Round 4
When in doubt, check the branding. Labeling is a big deal to every brand with a unique color, font or size setting them apart from others. So, looking at the Nike SB Chunky Dunky tongue tab and Nike heel counter we find spaces and fading in the thread. This goes double for the tongue liner tab, which often has secret messages or surprises for the wearer. In the case of the Chunky Dunky liner, beneath the Ben & Jerry’s logo is meant to be the question “If It’s Not Fun, Why Do It?” However the fake pair, well, doesn’t quite get it right, missing the mark on spelling, spacing and font choice.
So, how did you do? Think you can hold your own amongst sneaker collectors and call out a fake Nike SB Dunk when you see one? Until next time, stay tuned for next installment of Real Vs Fake. Looking for some Nike kicks you can cop right now? Then, follow the link and be sure to check out our coverage on the latest and rarest here.
