I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t really know much about Theotis Beasley, his skateboaring career, or in fact, too much about skateboarding itself, but when the latest SB quickstrike dunk released with his name attached, I was compelled to learn a little more. The dunk is something that has been tempting me for a little while as a sneaker collector. There’s so much history behind it, and pieces like the Tiffany, Supreme and Staple Pigeons have become without doubt some of the most infamous and sought after sneakers in history, so to be quite honest, it was about time I got involved.

Some of the pieces that emerged at the tail end of 2010 (the Loon and the Chromeball Low to be precise) had me tempted, but it was this QS Bison/Varsity Purple make up, which bares a certain resemblance to one Kenny Powers’ water-supported mode of transport (see here), that really sealed the deal for me. After all, it’s the collectable nature of the Dunk low that really does it for me, so this was a perfect chance to kick off my new addiction.

Cased in smooth, purple suede, the ‘bison’ has a healthy serving of Nike’s instantly recognisable safari print, this time coming in true leopard colours. The purp suede swoosh rests upon a white bed, which, although it doesn’t hold true to the original dunk blueprint, gives it a lot of extra pop, which I kind of like. I must also note that I believe this is the first dunk low release to utilise Nike SB’s new and improved sole unit, including a white mid-section in the purple outsole, so it’s also a little bit of history in the making.

I got mine from the kind folks at Bored of Southsea, but you can find them in your decent local skate store, ask for them by name.