Nike Cortez: Embracing The Rebellious Femme
The Nike Cortez has, since its debut in 1972, been a shoe that inspires change. The Cortez debuted when Nike was the undisputed underdog, the scrappy up-and-comer that would not go away. It was designed to be the best running shoe ever made and it was. Armed with a midsole design that reduced Achilles strain and a simplistically beautiful color palette, it flew out of the stores. The success of the Cortez helped Nike expand throughout California where it would soon become a symbol of West Coast fashion and style, an identity that endures to this day.
In the five decades since, the cultural potency of the Cortez is more alive than ever as a symbol of uninhibited self-expression. Regardless of where you land on the spectrum of femininity, ‘the most comfortable shoe ever’ remains one of the most versatile ever too. No matter what style you’re feeling on the day, the Cortez lets you dress it up or dress it down to your heart’s content. Returning in the vintage-inspired ‘Gorge Green’ colorway, the Cortez indulges in premium white leather accented by pebbled green leather along the Swooshes. At the core of great design is the notion that something can be universally accessible, something Bill Bowerman, the designer of the Cortez, wholeheartedly believed. His most famous quote “If you have a body you’re an athlete” reminds us we are always capable of more. With just a little faith and just a little rebellion, we can be exactly who we want to be.
Nike Cortez Credits:
Talent: Frida Jin Winther Andersen @filurfrida
Photographer/Videographer: Marcus Nielsen @filmbymn
Stylist: Mathilde Storm @mathildestorm
Styling Assistant: Silas Viet @silasviet
Hair & Makeup: Julie Prødel @julieproedel
Creative Direction & Producer: NAKED Copenhagen @nakedcph