In 1972, Nike establish itself in the running shoe market with their first shoe, the Cortez which was design by co-founder Bill Bowerman. The shoe was the very first to have the now infamous swoosh logo, embodies the shoe’s mission to take over the globe in terms of athletic, music, movies and beyond…
People often wonder where the iconic Swoosh logo came from? Well, Portland State University student, Carolyn Davidson, can answer that question! Backin 1971, the young graphic design student, design Nike’s logo which represents motion and speed. The logo was successful back then, and continues to be so to this day.
Since then, the Cortez is a cultural icon which was first worn by Steve Prefontiane, an American track athlete in the Munich Summer Olympics in 1972.
Fast forward time, and the shoe is still just as relevant and cultural influential as ever, thanks to musician Kendrick Lamar who references the Cortez in Big Sean’s song ‘Control’ as being part of the Compton uniform.
The Cortez has even had a major movie role! Forest Gump wore the shoes in the most epic run in movie history back in 1994, where we watched him run coast to coast in America. Additionally, the Cortez features in the cult classic movie The Karate Kid, when Daniel La Russo wore a pair under the tutorage of Mr. Miyagi.
Before Nike became Nike, the company was a sports footwear distributor called Blue Ribbon Sports. The company only changed its name in 1971 to Nike Inc. and there’s been no looking back ever since.
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When you mention Nike, usually it’s not too long until you hear “Just Do It”. The famous tagline first started with legendary runner Walt Stack in an advert aired in 1988. The motivational advert saw Stack, who was 80 years old running across the Golden Gate Bridge discussing his his daily 17-mile runs.
The future of the Cortez is still unclear, however we’re sure it’s a model that’s going to be around as long as Nike is. We’ll keep you updated on all the Cortez news and updates via our social media, along with upcoming colourways an styles.
The post Crafted Since ’72: Nike Cortez appeared first on The Sole Supplier.
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