Concepts raised over $130K with its Nike SB 'Lobster' Dunk raffle

Boston-based sneaker shop Concepts put its prized Nike SB "Lobster" Dunk up for raffle earlier this month in support of racial equality. Now that the raffle is over, Concepts has announced that it raised over $133,000 to be donated to the Cambridge chapter of My Brother's Keeper. More than 5,000 entrants purchased a total of nearly 32,000 tickets. Because of this success, Concepts chose two winners instead of just one.

The two winners will both receive the purple and green variants of the "Lobster" Dunk. Originally released in red and blue in 2008, the "Lobsters" have become one of the most heralded Dunk releases of all-time. 10 years later, Concepts brought them back in two new colors to help kick off the great Dunk revival.

The fundraiser's benefactor — My Brother's Keeper is a national initiative launched by Barack Obama in 2014 to help young men and women of color. It addresses the inequality of opportunity available to them by focusing on six key areas, including ensuring people can read at grade level by third grade, that they graduate high school equipped for college, can complete post-secondary education and training and helps them successfully enter the workforce. The organization also works to identify people who've suffered trauma and to provide mental health services to them.

The Cambridge chapter of MBK will use the money raised by Concepts for its scholarship program.

More raffles are coming — Concepts has said additional raffles will follow with all proceeds supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. In addition, it has set up a dedicated Black Lives Matter page on its website with links to petitions, places to donate, suggested readings, and other resources.

This comes as part of a wider wave of support for the Black Lives Matter and related movements among the streetwear and sneaker communities. Brands including Brain Dead and a cohort lead by Fear of God have all sold fundraising T-shirts, while Supreme donated $500,000 straight up. Coronavirus relief has also seen some of the leading brands getting involved in raising charitable aid over the last four months, including a collection put together by Dover Street Market.

This goes to show that streetwear, at its best, is all about community.