[UPDATE 10/21/25]: Nike has officially announced the release of the new Nike x Class Trip x Grateful Dead x University of Oregon “Grateful Ducks” collection.
Earlier this month, leaked photos seemingly indicated that Nike had partnered with the Grateful Dead, Oregon Ducks, and Class Trip for a new Air Max 90 sneaker collaboration coinciding with the University of Oregon football team’s “Grateful Ducks” game, which is set for this Saturday, October 25th [get tickets]. Now, Nike has officially confirmed both the sneaker, “which celebrates the band’s historic 1990 shows at Autzen Stadium in a limited-edition expression of an Air Max style worn by Grateful Dead lead singer Jerry Garcia,” and a full range of apparel, including “jackets, sweatpants, hoodies, T-shirts, and headwear that blend the University of Oregon’s countercultural roots with the Grateful Dead’s timeless aesthetic.”
The “Grateful Ducks” collection honors the Grateful Dead’s longstanding connection to both the University of Oregon and the city of Eugene, birthplace of Nike, “which began in 1965 when novelist and Merry Pranksters leader Ken Kesey returned home to Oregon from San Francisco, bringing with him the energy that fueled the psychedelic and countercultural movement”:
In 1968, the Grateful Dead performed their first concert at the University of Oregon’s EMU Ballroom, forging a bond that transcended music. As Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux described, the university became the band’s “home away from home.”
That relationship deepened in 1972, when the band returned to play a legendary benefit concert for the Kesey family’s Springfield Creamery, makers of Nancy’s Yogurt, saving the business and delivering one of the most storied performances in rock history.
The Grateful Dead ultimately played more than 20 shows in Eugene, including 10 at Autzen Stadium, reinforcing the city and university’s position as a creative hub at the intersection of music, art and athleticism.
The Nike x Class Trip x Grateful Dead x University of Oregon “Grateful Ducks” collection will be available October 21st at dead.net, October 23rd at classtrip.co, and October 24th throughout the U.S. via nike.com, SNKRS, Fanatics, and select retail partners. Check out photos of the collection below and scroll down for more information.
The Oregon Ducks also unveiled new Grateful Dead-inspired uniforms and game day apparel that the team will wear on Saturday, and over the past few months, Class Trip has rolled out a line of official “Grateful Ducks” merch. Fans attending the game are invited to participate in a “tie-dye out.”
[10/4/25]: The Grateful Dead have teamed up with Nike once again, this time for a three-way sneaker collab with the University of Oregon‘s Oregon Ducks football team. As was the case with the much-hyped Grateful Dead x Nike SB Dunk Lows that came out in 2020, news of the “Grateful Ducks” Air Max 90 leaked when a single photo appeared on social media and quickly spread, though the original post by streetwear retailer Bodega was promptly deleted.
The sneaker arrives in a white colorway with a canvas upper and colorful accents including a rainbow tie-dye mudguard and stitching, yellow and sea foam green TPU eyelet and heel panels, and a fuzzy chenille lightning bolt Nike Swoosh reminiscent of the 2020 collab. The back of the left shoe bears a yellow and green stealie logo with the name “Grateful Dead” and the year 1990, which is mirrored on the right shoe, except it says “Grateful Duck” and has a duck face stealie, rather than the traditional skull. The sneakers also feature a Nike branded rubber hangtag with the Oregon Ducks mascot parading like the Dead’s classic dancing bears logo.
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The retail price for the sneakers is reportedly set at $140, though if the hype over the Grateful Dead Dunks is any indication, they are likely to sell out quickly and fetch far more on the resale market. The 2020 collab retailed at $110 but now sells for several hundred dollars, with some sizes exceeding $1,000.
Though details of an official release remain unconfirmed at this time, many have speculated a drop date of October 24th, coinciding with the previously announced “Grateful Ducks” theme night at Autzen Stadium—which hosted 10 Grateful Dead shows between 1974 and 1994 and a Dead & Company concert in 2018—on October 25th, when the Ducks will take on Wisconsin Badgers [get tickets]. Fans are invited to flood the stands with tie-dye, and over the past few months, the Ducks have rolled out a line of official “Grateful Ducks” merch featuring mashups of the team’s mascot and Grateful Dead iconography, including designs by legendary Grateful Dead artist Shawn Kenney. One of the t-shirts, released last week, even features a dancing bear sporting the “Grateful Ducks” Air Max 90s.
Stay tuned for updates on the official release of the new Grateful Dead x Nike x Oregon Ducks “Grateful Ducks” Air Max 90s.
