Nike Honors An Iconic Thai Dish With This Upcoming Sneaker

Following the much-talked-about Kirkland Signature collaboration, Nike SB has announced yet another food-inspired concept, this time honoring the beloved Thai dish, “Som Tum.” The new kicks aren’t as colorful as the famed green papaya salad, but instead, have woven paneling inspired by the hand-woven baskets that people carry papayas in.

On the toe box and side panels, the shoe is light brown, while the rest of the panels are a natural beige, except for a splash of silver on the heel, and “blaze orange” shoe strings and stitching. The tongue features a more direct nod to the colorful dish, with a bowl of som tum stitched to a tag on the backside.

It’s a nice subtle touch, including the insole, which hides additional color splashes. On the top, an SB Logo inspired by what appears to be a peeled papaya, and on the underside, the same logo by itself. Then, for a final exercise in subtlety, the sole is dotted with tiny blue speckles.

Som Tum is a sweet, salty, sour, and spicy salad made by pounding papayas, traditionally using a mortar and pestle, together with chilis, palm sugar, lime, fish sauce, and dried krill shrimp, then mixing it with green papaya shreds, green long beans, tomatoes, and roasted peanuts. It can be made vegetarian or with meat and seafood, and served with sticky rice.

There’s no official date for the Som Tum Dunks, but they are expected to retail for $130 and drop sometime in Summer 2026.