Style
Nike’s ‘Be True’ sneakers go beyond your typical Pride designs
The brand’s Pride collection includes a Dunk Low with a rub-away upper and a chunky sandal made with recycled materials.
June is here, as is Nike’s tenth annual “Be True” collection. Meant to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and empty its pockets, the capsule includes a range of footwear from sneakers to slides. Each creates visibility for LGBTQ+ identities and blends colors to represent the diverse perspectives of the community.
Shoes are only part of Nike’s advocacy, however, as the brand plans to continue its financial support of LGBTQ+ causes to advance inclusion and celebrate the passion of sport by all athletes. Since 2019, Nike has provided $2.7 million to organizations supporting transgender equality and safe sports spaces, including Athlete Ally, the Out Foundation, the GenderCool Project, LGBT SportSafe, and GLSEN.
A rainbow range — While last year’s Be True collection included four different silhouettes, this year’s offerings narrow it down to three: an Oneonta sandal, an SB Dunk Low Pro, and a Cortez. The footwear is accompanied by unisex Pride apparel including tees, shorts, hoodies, and socks — all modeled by LGBTQ+ individuals and couples. Each piece of clothing features a tie-dye pattern to symbolize fluidity and comes accented with a gradient rainbow Swoosh logo.
Nike’s Be True footwear is equally colorful. Hits of red, orange, green, blue, and purple accent the Oneonta Sandal, which bears a hefty white and black sole unit. The telltale speckled look of recycled Nike Grind material covers the shoe’s midsole and treaded outsole, adding more substance to the Pride sandal.
The ever-popular SB Dunk Low Pro takes on a simpler look — at least at first glance. Its classic white upper, decorated with rainbow embroidery and “Be True” branding, rubs away with wear to reveal an array of colors beneath. Wearers can choose to rub away the upper immediately to create a custom pattern or allow for natural wear, while different color laces give the option of further customization.
The Cortez sneaker features overlapping Swooshes at its sides, showcasing the logo in red, blue, and bright yellow embroidery. Nike describes this design in a press release as “blurring the rainbow,” giving LGBTQ+ individuals a chance to define their own unique identity. A gradient rainbow sole and neon green embroidered branding finish off the versatile sneaker.
Show your pride — Both the Oneonta sandal and Dunk Low Pro will release on June 22 via Nike’s SNKRS app, accompanied by the drop of Be True apparel that same day on Nike’s website and at select retailers. The Cortez sneaker will launch at a later date, the brand says, although it’s likely to arrive sometime during Pride month. Make sure to grab the limited-edition designs while you can.
