Nike has always been at the forefront of design, creativity, and innovation, with its own designs and a long-running list of Nike collaboration shoes. Everything from athletes and celebrities to tv shows and international brands have partnered with Nike to make iconic and memorable, albeit sometimes strange and unusual, sneakers. Here’s a look at some of the strangest Nike collaborations over the years.  

Nike Stranger Things Collab

If you’ve ever binge-watched the popular Netflix series Stranger Things, you’ll definitely be a fan of the hip nod to 80’s nostalgia in the Nike x Stranger Things collaboration from the summer of 2019. In a Hawkins High green and orange color scheme, the first Stranger Things x Nike sneaker was dropped in the Hawkins High Collection. It featured a trio of kicks; the Tailwind, Blazer, and Cortez. The second collection, the OG Collection, took on a red, white, and blue color scheme to celebrate the show’s July 4th season release. 

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Kyrie 5 Spongebob Squarepants Collab

Professional athletes are common stars for sneaker collabs and Brooklyn Nets basketball player Kyrie Irving is no exception. Irving did a collaboration between his Nike Kyrie 5 signature shoe and the ever popular cartoon character Spongebob Squarepants. As strange as it was, both fans of Kyrie and Spongebob were overjoyed with the collaboration. 

Image from Nike

Grateful Dead Collab

Another collaboration that no one expected is the Nike SB Dunk Low x Grateful Dead band collaboration. The bright skater shoe includes the band’s dancing bear logo and the “Steal Your Face” skull logos on the insole. The swoosh takes on a furry feel in a swayed swoosh with fake fur and suede all around the shoe. The sneaker is available in three colors; orange, bright green, and yellow all out now. 

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Concepts x Nike SB Dunk “Ugly Christmas Sweater

It’s one thing to have an ugly Christmas sweater for tacky holiday parties, but to put that into a shoe is another level of holiday spirit that is guaranteed to land you as best dressed at the party. The Dunk Pro High’ Ugly Christmas Sweater’ released in December 2017 is a follow-up to Concepts’ 2013 ‘Ugly Christmas Sweater’ colorway, which features snowflakes, snowmen, and frowning gingerbread men.

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