The Beyond x Nike SB Dunk High Collab is a Tribute to the Architect Who Set Skateboarding in Motion

Published July 3, 2026 at 5:00 PM

Quick Facts

The Beyond Store x Nike SB Dunk High celebrates the store’s 20th anniversary with a tribute to Aalto’s career, combining Scandinavian style and simple color
The colorway features references to his love for brick on the outsole, blue glazed brick on the ankle collar, and wooden furniture in the tan, white, and light brown upper
The Beyond Store x Nike SB Dunk High will be released on July 8, 2026, at Beyond Jyväskylä and July 11, 2026, at Beyond Helsinki

This content may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we may earn a commission.

If you’ve seen the documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys or the Hollywood adaptation that followed, Lords of Dogtown, you’ve probably got a pretty good sense of the foundation for early skateboarding. In the 1970s, a drought emptied the backyard pools of Southern California, leading young surfers to recreate their shore break moves on concrete, and the rest, as they say, is history. But how did those perfectly shaped pools end up in Southern California? For that, we have architect Alvar Aalto from Jyväskylä, Finland, to thank.

Skateboarding’s Architectural Start

Hailing from the same Finnish town as Aalto, Beyond Skate Shop is dedicating its first Nike SB Dunk High collab to the man responsible for countless frontside grinds and backside disasters. In the 1930s, Aalto’s free-form, curved-bottom swimming pool inspired American architect Thomas Church to copy the idea for his work in Southern California, which soon spread like wildfire in the Golden State.

The Beyond Store x Nike SB Dunk High celebrates the store’s 20th anniversary with a tribute to Aalto’s career, combining Scandinavian style and simple color with references to his love for brick on the outsole, blue glazed brick on the ankle collar, and wooden furniture in the tan, white, and light brown upper.

“Respecting Alvar Aalto’s design philosophy, we wanted to create a minimalist shoe that would be relevant decades from now,” Beyond Store founder Juho Haapala said. “The white sneaker has been at the top of style for 50 years and will be there for another 50 years.”

Beyond Store x Nike SB Dunk High Release Details

The Beyond Store x Nike SB Dunk High will be released on July 8, 2026, at Beyond Jyväskylä and July 11, 2026, at Beyond Helsinki. A global release through skate shops with Nike SB accounts and Nike SNKRS will take place later in July. Available in unisex sizing, the retail price is set at $145. For all the latest Nike SB news and drop info, download the Sole Retriever App.