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Original Story (04/23/26): Who said SB Dunks were dead? Or even lackluster for that case. SB Dunks have a longstanding history. They’ve given us some of the most memorable projects in all of sneakers. This one looks like it’s going to be one of those memorable ones.
South Carolina’s Bluetile Skate Shop has teamed up with Nike SB to deliver a Dunk Low Pro that pulls directly from the story of the monarch butterfly. Not just visually, but also symbolically. The Monarch’s long migration has come to represent resilience, especially within Mexican immigrant communities who have built lives far from where they started. That idea and ethos really drives the whole project.
The story becomes more personal through Irving Juarez, manager at Bluetile, who immigrated from Veracruz, Mexico. His journey reflects one that many can empathize with; moving from one place to another, adjusting, building something over time, and becoming part of a community. As David, owner of Bluetile, discusses in his YouTube unboxing, immigration has made their community what it is today.
From a design standpoint, the execution leans fully into that inspiration of a monarch butterfly. There are wing details layered into the upper, fuzzy laces that mimic the texture of a butterfly, and a hexagonal treatment on the Swoosh, representing the close-up of a butterfly’s eye. That top layer is meant to wear down with use, revealing a more traditional suede underneath. The toe box carries a metallic navy finish, and the perforations are arranged in the shape of a butterfly. Behind those perforations sits orange 3M material, which reflects when light hits it at certain angles. At the heel, the design pulls directly from Monarch butterfly wings. The shapes and markings are translated across the back tabs, tying the visual identity of the butterfly into the structure of the shoe.
The outsole carries a gradient that moves from bright orange into deep blue, with star details throughout. During the design process, that gradient was pulled from images of skies over Mexico, capturing the transition from sunset into night. At the same time, those colors align closely with tones found in South Carolina, a community Bluetile has been a part of for 25 years. South Carolina is also home to a non-migrating population of monarch butterflies that live there year-round, further connecting the inspiration of the project to the home base of the skate shop.
Inside the shoe, the theme of migration is made more explicit. The sockliner artwork shows movement across space, referencing both the path of monarch butterflies and the journey of people immigrating from one place to another. The tongue label has also been elongated with a more rectangular shape, inspired by demonstration banners carried at anti-ICE protests.
There are also smaller details that reference Bluetile’s home base. A South Carolina flag sits behind the tongue label. The packaging includes mosaic and tile graphics tied to the shop’s identity. Even the color palette reflects both the natural inspiration and the local environment Bluetile operates in.
The first opportunity to purchase will be in-store on Saturday, May 2nd in Columbia, followed by a second in-store release on Sunday, May 3rd in Charleston. Both releases begin at 11am and will be first come, first served.
Following the in-store releases, the Bluetile x Nike SB Dunk Low “Journey of the Monarch” will be available online on May 4th at 10am ET on the Bluetile website.
So what do we think? Does Bluetile have a classic on their hands? You will have to let us know if this is one you are looking to get. Grab a detailed look below.
Update (04/28/26): A wider release for the Bluetile Dunk will take place on May 8th at skate shops globally and May 12th on SNKRS. Check out the official images below.
Bluetile x Nike SB Dunk Low Pro QS “Journey of the Monarch”
Color: Black/White-Campfire Orange-Marina
Style Code: IQ1323-001
Release Date: May 2, 2026 (Columbia, SC)
Release Date: May 3, 2026 (Charleston, SC)
Release Date: May 4, 2026 (Bluetile Online)
Release Date: May 8, 2026 (Skate Shops)
Release Date: May 12, 2026 (SNKRS)
Price: $135 USD
