The shoe that made Nike: Classic Cortez

Shivaji Saha
Nov 16, 2017
2 min read

Not many people know this, but Nike wasn't always called Nike. The company was initially called Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS) and was started in 1964 as a distributor of Onitsuka Tiger shoes. By 1971, the relationship between BRS and Onitsuka Tiger was nearing an end the company changed to Nike Inc. The Cortez was one of Nike's first shoes and was designed for long distance running. The Cortez comes in leather, suede and nylon. I own the leather one.

When you look at this shoe you realize that the shape of the shoe isn't quite in line with what shoes have looked like in the past 15-20 years. Also, the Nike branding on the shoe is significantly different. The Swoosh is broader and elongated, the bright red stands out against the white leather. The rear end of the Nike Swoosh is not finished and it merges with the back panel. The back panel has a nice NIKE in bold white against red a background. The sole is rubber with a zigzag print meant for a solid grip of the road.

I think what I love the most about this shoe is it weight. The Cortez is probably the lightest shoe I have ever tried on. Even if I compare this shoe to the latest training shoes, I still think the Cortez is lighter. Nike did a good job of keeping the shoe material and design true to the original. I know a lot of Jordans are now releasing in Flyknit and newer technology but the Cortez is great in its own design and material.

Another little piece of trivia is that the Cortez featured in the very famous movie Forrest Gump. The model which you see, is that model. It took me a while to get a hand on these. The Cortez would be one of those shoes which I would like own 2 colorways of. I have the Forrest Gump version and I look at acquire the Original Black and white soon.