Dunno what triggered this thought, but I started thinking about the 6.0 line the other day and how it just kind of disappeared. Anyone remember the Delorean, Rasta or Sherpa 6.0's?
It’s funny because, if you look at enough of these gatekeepy comments of posts regarding Dunk SBs they almost always talk about how great SB’s are for skating and how they should be used for nothing else. And…that’s fine…but what about the 6.0’s? To me, 6.0 was doing some cool stuff, but it always felt like…a step below the SB stuff. So I asked my buddy, a current Nike employee, what the difference between the 6.0 line and the SB line:
+ Me: Is the 6.0 line still in biz? What was their goal? Just like an everyman’s accessible SB?
+ Him: It was like an action sports thing. Same price point. It covered 5 other action sports.SB was supposed to be housed under 6.0 but it tanked.
I then googled it: “The Nike 6.0 line was a part of Nike's action sports product offerings, specifically designed for activities like skateboarding, snowboarding, and BMX. The line debuted in 2005 and was known for its focus on performance and style tailored to the needs of action sports enthusiasts..."
Makes me wonder - would 6.0’s actually outperform SB’s? Seems like - with the statements above - that was the goal. A better performance shoe. Wasn’t it? So I guess this question is more directed at the actual skaters that follow me…
But so if that’s the case, why would it tank? Was it more of a ‘the dunks are repetitive but the original models just aren’t hitting?’ Or was it more like ‘this line seems cheap and ill-conceived?’ Or was it more that Dunk enthusiasts weren’t actually using Dunks for dynamic sports (and thus had no need for any more)?
I still have a handful of 6.0 clothing - I’ve got a sample M65 and a couple of hoodies - and a pair of brown rasta dunks, but it made me think about the divergent path that the SB line and the 6.0 line have taken. I kinda wish they’d make a comeback…