W+K x Nike Sportswear Evolution of the Cortez

To celebrate the choice of the Cortez as the sneaker to represent the Year of the Tiger, Nike Sportswear partnered up with its ad agency Wieden + Kennedy in Shanghai to put together a series of painting tracing the evolution of the Cortez.

The Cortez was first introduced in 1975 in a nylon build, then came in leather a year later, and was left largely untouched for more than 30 years. The 2009 Cortez Flymotion revived the silhouette before 2010′s Chinese New Year was paid tribute with a special edition sneaker. Also be sure to check out the video of the artists painting the numerous pieces at Nike.