Nike Dunk Low SP 'CO.JP / Ceramic' (Ugly Duckling reissue)

From college colors to Japan

The Dunk began in 1985 as a college basketball shoe. Nike's archive describes how executives at the 1985 Final Four saw fans dressed in school colors and decided to build footwear in those colors. The result was the College Colors program, conceived by Rob Strasser, Jack Joyce and a small team that included creative director Peter Moore. Its centerpiece was a high-top first called the College Color High, built on the same last as the Legend. It became the Dunk.

In 1985 the Dunk was a modest seller, crowded out by the Air Jordan I. Skateboarders kept it alive. They liked its flat sole, grip and leather upper, the same qualities that drew them to marked-down Jordans. Before Nike SB formally existed, Nike updated the Dunk Low for skaters, and the Dunk Low Pro B became, in one sneaker site's words, 'the Dunk gone rogue.' It had thick padding and loud colors, patterns and textures.

When the Pro B reached Japan, it became part of CO.JP, a line of Nike models released only to the Japanese market. One description of the line expands the initials as 'Concept Japan.' The same site says that once the Pro B crossed to Japan, 'CO.JP exclusives started legacies of their own.'

The 'Ugly Duckling' pack

Three colorways of the Dunk Low Pro B came out in Japan as a set: 'Plum,' 'Veneer' and 'Ceramic.' Collectors nicknamed them the 'Ugly Duckling' pack, and descriptions call the nickname unofficial. The name fits. Each pair puts suede in colors that clash on purpose. Most sources date the pack to 2001. One reseller's description says the pack debuted in Japan in 2002.

The Ceramic has a black suede base with 'Ceramic' orange suede on the forefoot overlay, toe cap, eyelets, collar and heel. The Swoosh, laces and heel tab are in 'Nori' green, and the heel tab carries black embroidered Nike lettering. The original pair carried style number 624044 and color code 031, listed as Black/Nori-Ceramic.

Because the pack was sold only in Japan, a 2020 review of the reissue said the global releases were some people's 'best (and first) chance' to own a pair. One seller's description calls the trio 'one of the most globally sought-after CO.JP Dunks.'

The 2020 reissue

Nike began bringing the pack back with the 'Plum,' released in February 2020. Writers described it as a test of how buyers would respond to Nike reaching back into its archive. The Dunk was having a huge year. A February 2020 SB Dunk Low with Travis Scott, and collaborations with Ben & Jerry's and others, pushed the model's popularity to new highs.

On July 29, 2020, sneaker reporters relayed a leak that the 'Ceramic' and 'Veneer' would return late in the year, under style codes DA1469-001 and DA1469-200. First images of the new Ceramic appeared in September. In October the dates were set. The 'Veneer' would arrive in Asia on November 10 and the 'Ceramic' on November 19, 2020.

The Ceramic reissue went on sale November 19, 2020, through Nike's launch app and select retailers, for $100. Release reports describe it as a faithful remake of the original with a premium suede upper. The trio sold out immediately, and one reviewer, while admitting the Ceramic is hard to style, said that was the point.

How to identify a pair

The 2020 reissue is labeled Nike Dunk Low SP 'Ceramic,' style code DA1469-001, colorway Black/Ceramic/Nori. The suede upper has black on the perforated toe, the mid-panel and parts of the collar, and orange on the overlays. One release report also lists orange on the liner and rubber outsole. Green covers the Swoosh, laces, heel tab and tongue branding. A woven Nike tag sits on the mesh tongue.

The original Japanese pair is a different shoe: a Dunk Low Pro B with style code 624044-031, not a Dunk Low SP.

Watch the date as well as the code. Nike brought the Ceramic back again in 2024, at $115, and reports give that pair the same style code, DA1469-001. The code alone does not separate a 2020 pair from a 2024 pair. Release reports disagree on the 2024 date: one gives September 25, 2024, and another lists May 16, 2024.

Back on the shelf

The 'Ugly Duckling' reissues were part of Nike's larger return to its Dunk archive, which also brought back overseas exclusives like the Air Jordan 1 CO.JP 'Neutral Grey.' The 'Plum' returned again in March 2024, at $115 instead of $100, and the 'Ceramic' followed later that year.

Today the reissue trades near its retail price. On October 1, 2026, the lowest asking price for a new 2020 pair was $90, for a men's size 4; most adult sizes were listed between $157 and $259. The 2001 Japanese original is a different matter: a new-in-box pair in men's size 8.5 was listed at $550.

The numbers

Release date

November 19, 2020

Retail price

$100 (2020); $115 for the 2024 return

Style code

DA1469-001

Colorway

Black/Ceramic/Nori

Original

Dunk Low Pro B CO.JP, 624044-031, Japan only, 2001 (one source says 2002)

Production

Not published by Nike in any source found

Timeline

1. 1985

   Nike launches the College Colors program; Peter Moore's College Color High becomes the Dunk.

2. 2001

   The Dunk Low Pro B 'Ceramic' is sold in Japan as part of the CO.JP 'Ugly Duckling' pack with 'Plum' and 'Veneer'; one source dates the pack to 2002.

3. 2001

   Nike SB gets off the ground under Sandy Bodecker; the skate-specific Dunk SB follows in 2002.

4. Feb 2020

   Nike reissues the 'Plum,' the first of the pack to return.

5. Jul 29, 2020

   Sneaker press reports a leak that 'Ceramic' and 'Veneer' will return late in 2020, under DA1469-001 and DA1469-200.

6. Sep 9, 2020

   First images of the 2020 'Ceramic' appear.

7. Oct 19, 2020

   Release dates are confirmed for both remaining pairs.

8. Nov 10, 2020

   The 'Veneer' reissue arrives in Asia.

9. Nov 19, 2020

   The 'Ceramic' reissue goes on sale for $100, completing the pack's return.

10. Mar 21, 2024

    The 'Plum' returns again on Nike's launch calendar, at $115.

11. Sep 25, 2024

    The 'Ceramic' returns at $115, by one report; another lists May 16, 2024.

The world in 2020

• Jan 30, 2020

  The World Health Organization declares the COVID-19 outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

• Mar 11, 2020

  The WHO declares COVID-19 a pandemic.

• May 30, 2020

  SpaceX launches its first crewed Dragon flight from Cape Canaveral.

• Nov 3, 2020

  Joe Biden is elected the 46th president of the United States.

• Nov 18, 2020

  Pfizer and BioNTech complete trials of their COVID-19 vaccine, reporting 95% effectiveness, the day before the Ceramic reissue.

• Dec 14, 2020

  The United States and Canada begin mass vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Price record

This is an asking price, not a sale. It is what a seller wanted on the date shown. Asking prices often sit above what buyers pay, but an ask is not a ceiling: a sale can land on either side of it. It is not a value.

By reference price, Nike Dunk Low SP 'CO.JP / Ceramic' (Ugly Duckling reissue) is number 97 of 100 in the sneakers entries of the FLOAT 100. 22 of those 100 rest on a realized sale; the rest carry an asking price or a guide value, and each page says which. Rank within the FLOAT 100 itself (60 here) is editorial: how much an object defines its field, not price alone.

Did you know

• The original 1985 Dunk was called the College Color High and was built on the same last as Nike's Legend basketball shoe.
• The 'Ugly Duckling' name is a collectors' nickname, not an official Nike title.
• The Ceramic was the last of the three 'Ugly Duckling' pairs to return in 2020, nine months after the Plum.
• The 2024 Ceramic reportedly kept the 2020 style code, DA1469-001, so the code alone does not tell the two reissues apart.
• In October 2026 a new 2001 Japanese original was listed at more than five times the 2020 reissue's retail price.