Lacing up your Dunks to achieve that sleek look featured in Nike's official images can be a bit challenging, especially when you're unboxing a fresh pair for the first time. No need to worry though as we've got you covered with step-by-step guidance on how to lace Nike Dunks with ease.
Our guide will talk you through exactly how to lace up some of the best sneakers ever made by Nike since they came into existence in 1985. We've also included a few top tips to help ensure a secure and comfortable fit for basketball, or simply for wearing Dunks on a day-to-day basis, whether you own a pair of Lows, Mids, Highs, or even something for the Dunk's iconic SB line.
We appreciate though that some of the more traditional lacing techniques may not suit your style. Therefore, we've made sure to include a few alternative methods to cover all bases.
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So get your best Nike Dunks ready, whether that's a popular pair of "Pandas" or the new "Light Carbon" Lows, and follow our top tips below.
How to lace Dunks
The following technique is the approach we'd recommend if you want to achieve a look similar to how Nike presents its Dunks, some of the best basketball shoes of all time, in its official images.
While our focus will be on lacing the Low version, rest assured that this technique can be applied to both the high-top and mid-top variations. The process remains the same, extending the lacing all the way up to the top. With that in mind, let's delve into the technique...
Step 1: Thread one end of your shoelace through the first eyelet, then do the same on the opposite side before pulling them through to make sure each side is equal in length.
Step 2: Cross the two ends of your shoelace and thread through the second row of eyelets on opposing sides from underneath.
Step 3: Repeat the second step as you work your way up the eyelets.
Top Tip: We'd recommend making sure your laces remain flat and taut as you go to avoid an uneven and loose finish.
Step 4: Around the fifth or sixth row of eyelets you can either decide to thread your shoelace through the tongue tabs or cross them over the top. We'd recommend threading through for the most secure fit.
Step 5: You then also need to decide whether you want to thread your shoelace through every eyelet or stop one before the top. The latter technique is a popular approach as it leaves you with a good amount of shoelace left to tie a knot.
Step 6: Repeat steps one to five with your second sneaker and your Dunks should be ready for you to put on and tie up.
What laces do you need?
To adequately cover an average of seven eyelets and ensure sufficient length for tying a knot, it's advisable to pick shoelaces measuring around 140cm or approximately 55". This length is also the standard size for stock shoelaces. Subsequently, you are faced with the choice of opting for either flat or rounded laces.
Typically speaking, Nike Dunks, like these popular "Industrial Blue" Lows, come with flat laces as standard. However, that doesn't mean round, or even oval laces are out of the question. For instance, you can pick up white oval laces, like these from DELELE, to achieve a look similar to the one seen from the "Infrared" Dunks.
The colour is down to you as well. You can either opt to match your laces to your sneakers, or mismatch them entirely for a more unique and standout look.
Alternative ways to lace Dunks
While our step-by-step guide details one of the most common ways of lacing a pair of Nike Dunks, it isn't the only method out there. We've detailed a few alternative techniques below.
Straight bars
The straight bar method is perhaps the next most common lacing technique after the aforementioned method. It's one we've also covered before in our guide to lacing Air Force 1s, so head on over there for more information.
To start, create a straight bar between the first eyelets, then take the left aglet and feed it through the third eyelet up on the right from underneath before threading it through the opposite eyelet over the top to create a bar across the tongue.
Do the same with the right aglet, but instead of the third row of eyelets, feed your shoelace through the second eyelets, leaving three neat straight bars ready for you to repeat the previous steps until you reach the top.
Un-tied And loose
Keeping your Dunks loose and untied is also another highly popular lacing technique. Fortunately, the method remains the same as our first technique. The only difference is once you've reached the top, you'll want to go back and loosen each crossover section, leaving a couple of inches of shoelace spare on either side.
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That's it! Hopefully, you can now lace your sneakers with ease so you're ready to go out. Stay tuned for more guides like this one too if you're a sneakerhead like us.
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