Nike Go Two-Faced With the Cortez ‘Yin and Yang’
The eastern concept of ‘Yin and Yang’ has been appropriated into sneaker gimmicks in the form of this split-coloured . Loaded with features, this white and black (or is it black and white?) colourway plays with the idea of balance, duality, opposites and all of the other philosophical paraphernalia encompassing the idea.
Execution-wise, Nike have done well to pack a lot of detail into what is effectively only two colours. The most obvious component is the half-and-half split of black and white on medial and lateral sides, which is emphasised further by the removable zippered shroud – also split, of course. More subtle details include the pull tabs on the heels, the heel tabs themselves and the Xzibit-approved mini Swooshes inside the big Swooshes. Completely hidden ‘Yin and Yang’ components are found on the inner dubrae and insole print.
The seeming precursor to this upcoming Cortez was the CLOT x Nike ‘Clotez’, which also executed a similar idea of ‘Yin and Yang’ by using split-colour parts in convertible shoes. Of course, this pair is an inline release, so the concept isn’t as elaborate as the CLOT version.
Find the ‘Yin and Yang’ Cortez at Nike retailers in the coming months.