Beyond Store & Nike SB Dunk Hi inspired by the work of Alvar Aalto I Press Release

Nike and Jyväskylä-based Beyond Store unveil a sneaker honoring the legacy of modernist Alvar Aalto

Nike is set to release a collaborative sneaker designed by Beyond Store, the premier Finnish hub for street fashion and skateboarding. The global launch of the "Beyond Dunk" pays tribute to Finnish modernist architect and designer Alvar Aalto, a creative pioneer whose work shares an unexpected, deep connection with the origins of modern skateboarding. The sneaker is designed by Beyond’s CEO Juho Haapala and Art Director Janne-Juhani Hyvärinen. 

Beyond will host an exclusive launch event in Beyond Jyväskylä on July 8 and in Beyond Helsinki on July 11, followed by a global rollout later that month. Celebrating Beyond’s 20th anniversary, this Dunk High collaboration marks a historic milestone as the first-ever Nordic store partnership with Nike SB.

The collaboration has been developed in close cooperation with the Alvar Aalto Foundation, ensuring that every detail honors Aalto’s architectural vision. At the time of the release, the "Aalto Works" series, comprising thirteen sites designed by Alvar, Aino, and Elissa Aalto, is under consideration for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

"Beyond Dunk reminds us that the significance of the Aaltos’ life work extends far beyond their own projects. Alvar Aalto was a trailblazer in creating a modern architecture that embraced free-flowing forms and natural materials," says Tommi Lindh, CEO of the Alvar Aalto Foundation.

From Jyväskylä to the Californian Dream

The birth of modern skateboarding can be traced back to the first documented freeform pool at Villa Mairea (1939), designed by Alvar Aalto. Aalto's personal friend, the renowned American landscape architect Thomas Church, visited Villa Mairea and its pool in 1943. When Church completed the Donnell Garden (1948), he brought the freeform pool to the Californian landscape, turning it into a status symbol that everyone wanted in their backyard.

Decades later, during the California drought of the mid-1970s, these emptied, kidney-shaped pools revealed the perfect curves that defined the coming-of-age of skateboarding by creating the "lines that never end."

Jyväskylä, hometown to both Aalto and Beyond, is known for Aalto's architecture, inspired by the diverse curving forms of the region's lakeshores and forests. Beyond’s CEO Juho Haapala reflects on the story of the Beyond Dunk, noting that the "lines that never end" also speak to the free flow of ideas.

“Skateboarding, music, and all forms of creativity are born from inspiration. It’s a remarkable, unexpected turn that Aalto designed the Villa Mairea pool, perhaps inspired by the lakeshores of Jyväskylä, only for pool skateboarding to emerge decades later on the other side of the world. Yet, these are all part of the same endless continuum. That is what the Beyond Dunk represents.”

A Design Translated into Detail

The minimalist white sneaker translates Alvar Aalto’s architectural vision directly into its details. A birch-toned Swoosh nods to his iconic furniture, while the outsole highlights the rich red brick favored in his building designs. Wrapping up the high-top is a heel panel reflecting the signature blue glazed ceramic tiles seen across Aalto’s most famous sites.

"Respecting Alvar Aalto’s design philosophy, we wanted to create a minimalist sneaker that stays cool for decades to come. The white sneaker has been at the pinnacle of style for 50 years and will remain there for the next 50”, Haapala says.

Contact & interviews

Juho Haapala, Beyond Oy, 044-5533870, juho@beyondstore.fi

About Beyond Store

Beyond Store is a street fashion and skateboarding shop founded in 2006, with brick-and-mortar stores in Jyväskylä and Helsinki, as well as an online store at www.beyondstore.fi.

About Alvar Aalto Foundation

The Alvar Aalto Foundation maintains the material and intellectual legacy of the world-famous architect and designer Alvar Aalto, and acts to make his work and thinking more widely known. www.alvaraalto.fi/en/