Nike Cortez runners

Cortez

In 1964, Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight set up a shoe distribution company called Blue Ribbon Sports. While Knight was more business-minded, as a coach, Bowerman was a budding shoe designer who often modified running spikes for the athletes he trained, and in the late 60s, he crafted a new model for their Japanese partner brand, Onitsuka Tiger. 

Known as the TG-24, but soon renamed to the Cortez, the running shoe was based on Bowerman’s footwear experiments and his knowledge of Onitsuka’s other models. He designed it with great cushioning to support runners, and it quickly became popular for its performance capabilities. Both companies benefited from its success, but in the early 70s, Bowerman and Knight decided to rebrand Blue Ribbon Sports and begin producing their own footwear under the Nike banner.

The pair decided to use Bowerman’s popular Cortez design as its first release – a move opposed by Onitsuka. Following a three-year legal battle, Nike was finally granted shared access to the shoe but sole access to the name, and the Nike Cortez officially became the brand’s debut silhouette.

Bowerman used his footwear expertise to improve the durability and comfort of the Cortez and his sporting connections to attract the endorsement of charismatic distance runner Steve Prefontaine. Meanwhile, Knight launched an effective marketing campaign that drove the shoe’s popularity. He was also responsible for the now-iconic Nike swoosh after employing the graphic design skills of Carolyn Davidson. It became a powerful symbol of the Nike Cortez, giving it a unique style and distinguishing it from the competition at the same time.

Throughout the 1970s and 80s, the Cortez transcended sport through memorable television moments and on-stage appearances, which encouraged more people to choose it as a stylish lifestyle sneaker. Soon, it spread across the United States on the feet of everyone from East Coast b-boys to West Coast gang members.

Its success continued into the 90s, when it was worn by Whitney Houston during her performance at Super Bowl XXV and Tom Hanks in the Oscar-winning movie Forrest Gump. At the beginning of the 2000s, despite being surrounded by much more modern silhouettes, the humble Cortez was often chosen as a collaborative template. Significant partnerships developed with tattoo artist Mister Cartoon, streetwear brand Undefeated and rapper Kendrick Lamar, amongst others, and the shoe made more notable appearances in popular culture, including in the 2013 movie The Wolf of Wall Street.

By its 50th anniversary in 2022, the Nike Cortez had become a global fashion icon and was considered a classic shoe in mainstream and alternative cultures alike. Despite its age, it remains one of Nike’s flagship lifestyle silhouettes as its timeless design continues to influence the sneaker world to this day.