The Nike SB Dunk Low “Habibi” is one of the most significant collaborations to emerge outside the traditional centers of sneaker culture. Produced in 2020 by Nike SB and FRAME, a Dubai-based concept store founded by Peter Ahn, it tells the story of the United Arab Emirates through colors, materials, and details inspired by local history and culture.
Red, white, green, and black recall the UAE flag; the gum sole represents the sand; the ripstop panels evoke the nets used in harbors; and the falcon and pearl reference falconry and the tradition of pearl divers. Even the name “Habibi,” which translates to “my love,” conveys the project's intent: to create a true love letter to Dubai.
Identified by SKU CT2550-600, the sneaker debuted locally on December 2, 2020, during the UAE National Day, before arriving in international skate shops on December 5. Since then, it has become one of the most recognizable Nike SB releases of recent years.
What does “Habibi” mean?
The word Habibi originates from Arabic and is a term of endearment commonly translated as “my love” or “my dear.” It can be used in various contexts to express affection, closeness, and belonging.
In the case of the FRAME Nike SB Dunk, the name becomes an explicit declaration toward the city where the project originated.
The word “Habibi” also appears on the inside of the tongue, embedding the sneaker’s name directly into its construction.
It is, therefore, not simply a nickname invented by the community after the release: it has been part of the concept developed by Peter Ahn and FRAME from the very beginning.
FRAME Dubai: the brand behind the Nike SB Dunk Habibi
Behind the collaboration is FRAME, an entity founded in Dubai in 2017 by Peter Ahn, a South Korean creative who moved to the United Arab Emirates.
FRAME was born in the Dubai Design District with an identity much broader than that of a standard sneaker store. The project brings together streetwear, skateboarding, fashion, Japanese culture, and food, expanding through boutiques, cafés, and ramen shops.
This hybrid nature is key to understanding the Habibi. The sneaker does not come from a historic American or European brand, but from a relatively young business integrated into a skate scene that is still in its growth phase.
With the Nike SB collaboration, FRAME brought Dubai and the Emirates into an international sneaker conversation that had for years primarily revolved around cities like New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tokyo.
How the Nike SB Dunk Low Habibi was born
The concept for the Habibi was born in early 2019 in Amsterdam, during a Nike event called the Club 58 Summit.
The meeting brought together Nike SB retailers from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa and included a competition in which participants could present ideas for a future collaboration.
Peter Ahn developed a proposal dedicated to FRAME and the city of Dubai in just a few hours. The initial concept already contained some of the elements destined to define the final sneaker: dual Swoosh, double tongue, and a red, white, black, and green palette.
The proposal won the competition and gave FRAME the opportunity to actually develop a Nike SB Dunk.
The project then continued to evolve through various samples, materials, and modifications before reaching the version marketed in December 2020.
The design of the Nike SB Dunk Low Habibi
The official colorway is Chile Red / White / Lucky Green / Black.
The base uses white leather and ripstop fabric, accompanied by Chile Red overlays. The most striking contrast, however, comes from the dual lateral Swoosh: one black and one Lucky Green, layered over each other.
The palette directly evokes the colors of the United Arab Emirates flag, but almost every component of the sneaker also contains a different reference to local history or culture.
It is precisely this density of details that makes the Habibi interesting: many of its features are not immediately readable just by looking at the sneaker from a distance.
The gum sole represents Dubai’s sand
One of the easiest elements to interpret is the gum outsole.
According to the original concept, the brown-colored rubber recalls the sand upon which Dubai was built.
The choice also creates a deliberately sharp contrast with the rest of the sneaker, dominated by red, white, black, and green.
The contemporary city, characterized by skyscrapers and futuristic architecture, is thus visually connected to the natural environment from which it developed.
Ripstop and fishermen's nets
The ripstop side panels were not chosen solely for the material's durability.
Their structure evokes the nets that historically filled the region’s ports and references the tradition of fishing and maritime activities that played an important role in the Emirati economy before modern development.
It is a particularly interesting reference because it incorporates into a contemporary sneaker a part of Dubai’s history that can be easily forgotten by looking only at the current city.
Falcon and pearl: two hidden symbols on the tongues
One of the most recognizable features of the Nike SB Habibi is the double tongue.
The two tongues, one white and one black, do not serve only an aesthetic function. FRAME explained that they represent the concepts of unity and balance between man and woman.
Additionally, a falcon appears on the removable white tongue, a reference to falconry and the cultural role of this animal in the region.
On the black tongue, we find an opened oyster with a pearl.
This is a reference to the pearl divers, who for generations represented a fundamental part of the Persian Gulf economy before the oil era.
The Habibi laces and the reference to the shemagh
The characteristic red and white laces also carry a precise meaning.
The pattern is meant to evoke the shemagh, the traditional geometric-patterned headgear common in various areas of the Arab world and historically used as protection from the sun, dust, and sand.
The deliberately frayed edges also give the laces a particularly noticeable textile appearance.
At the tips, a black detail appears that recalls the agal, the cord traditionally used to keep the headgear in place.
The reference is not a literal reproduction of the traditional fabric, but a reinterpretation of it within the language of footwear.
The insole and Dubai’s Memorial Fountain
One of the references most specifically linked to the local skate scene is found inside the sneaker.
The insole uses an arabesque pattern inspired by the Memorial Fountain, a historic meeting point used by Dubai skateboarders.
It is an important detail because it connects the sneaker not only to the image of the Emirates but directly to the skate community that FRAME wanted to represent.
The Habibi is, after all, a Nike SB first, and the project was also born with the goal of giving greater visibility to the region's skateboard scene.
The dual Swoosh of the Nike SB Habibi
The dual Swoosh is likely the detail that makes the shoe recognizable at a glance.
The black leather logo is layered over a second Lucky Green Swoosh, creating a layered effect that reflects the duality already present in the two tongues.
Peter Ahn explained that the idea of the double element represented exactly the combination of complexity and duality.
This construction has become one of the most photographed elements of the sneaker and strongly contributes to distinguishing it from standard Nike SB Dunk Lows.
A Dubai sneaker designed by an expat
The story of the Habibi also contains a more complex element.
Peter Ahn is South Korean, and the initial concept was developed during a Nike summit in Amsterdam, although the project was later built together with the team and community of FRAME in Dubai.
After the release, a discussion arose regarding how much a sneaker inspired by the Emirates should be considered an authentically local representation.
It is an interesting theme, especially in the context of Dubai, a highly international city largely composed of people from other countries.
Rather than hiding this complexity, the story of the Habibi allows it to be read as a part of the project itself: a sneaker born from the encounter between different cultures, backgrounds, and influences.
When was the Nike SB Dunk Low Habibi released?
The first release took place on December 2, 2020, at FRAME, a date chosen because it coincides with the United Arab Emirates National Day.
Three days later, on December 5, 2020, the Nike SB Dunk Low Habibi arrived at international Nike SB skate shops.
The product code is CT2550-600, and the original retail price in the United States was $110.
The limited distribution and the enormous interest that the Nike SB Dunk was experiencing in 2020 quickly contributed to the model selling out.
Why did the Nike SB Habibi become so sought-after?
Rarity is only part of the answer.
In 2020, the Nike SB Dunk was going through a new phase of massive popularity, but the Habibi offered something different compared to many other releases of the same period.
The project possessed a very precise geographical identity and came from a scene that had rarely had space within major international sneaker collaborations.
Furthermore, the design was immediately recognizable: dual Swoosh, double tongue, red and white laces, gum sole, and UAE palette made it virtually impossible to confuse it with any other Dunk.
Over the years, market availability has decreased, and the model has acquired strong collectible interest. However, the resale price can change significantly based on size, condition, demand, and market timing.
Nike SB Habibi: SKU, retail price, and features
- Model: Nike SB Dunk Low Pro QS x FRAME
- Nickname: Habibi
- SKU: CT2550-600
- Colorway: Chile Red / White / Lucky Green / Black
- FRAME Release: December 2, 2020
- Global Release: December 5, 2020
- USA Retail: $110
- Details: Dual Swoosh, double tongue, ripstop, shemagh-inspired laces, and gum outsole
The trip to Dubai and the Habibi in Il Centralino’s collection
For us at ResellZone, this sneaker also has a personal connection.
After our trip to Dubai, Il Centralino decided to add the Nike SB Dunk Low Habibi to its collection.
Seeing the city firsthand and then observing the sneaker’s details makes it much easier to understand the concept: the colors, the relationship between tradition and modernity, and the constant references to the history of the Emirates take on a different meaning when they are linked to real places.
This is also one of the most beautiful aspects of collecting: some sneakers end up being associated not only with their official history but also with personal memories and moments.
Where to buy the original Nike SB Dunk Low Habibi?
The retail release ended in 2020, and today the model is mainly found through the secondary market.
With such a unique sneaker, it is important to carefully check the SKU, materials, construction of the dual Swoosh, tongues, laces, insole, and packaging.
On ResellZone, you can verify sizes and availability of the Nike SB Dunk Low Frame Skate Habibi, SKU CT2550-600.
Why the Nike SB Dunk Habibi is important in sneaker culture
The Habibi represents more than just a particularly successful colorway.
The collaboration proved that the sneaker game could tell stories about local scenes far from the sector’s traditional hubs and transform a young entity like FRAME into a name known by enthusiasts all over the world.
At the same time, the sneaker does not hide the complexity of Dubai: an Emirati city, but also a highly international one, built through the meeting of different people and cultures.
That is why the Nike SB Dunk Low Habibi still works so well today. The sole represents the sand, the ripstop recalls the harbor nets, the falcon and pearl recount local traditions, while the dual Swoosh and double tongue express the idea of duality.
The result is a sneaker that manages to do what the best collaborations should: be immediately recognizable even without knowing the history, but become even more interesting once that history is discovered.
