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Who's testing the classic Nike Cortez? The 1970's archives have been pillaged for reissues, but few — bar maybe the Waffle Racer, Bruin and Blazer — can test the Cortez for icon status that harks back to the brand's earliest days. As Nike's 40th commences, we've seen some reissues that take it back to the essence. We're seeing reissues of the 1971 Cortez with the heel tab and different sole unit and we're ever seeing retros of Prefontaine's running spikes as a Racer design. But this variation of the Cortez is king. 1975's version is a perfect mix of unique looks, (though it was mired in a slight legal issue with Onitsuka over the fact the Cortez dates back to the BRS days when a pre-Nike Knight and Bowerman operation consulted on as well as imported Onitsuka designs, resulting in the Cortez's 1969 debut as a serious runner with an emphasis on cushioning. An ugly breakup left this silhouette trapped in a litigious tug of love for a couple of years (on the Nike Cortez's debut, Nike and Tiger's edition were exactly the same shoe with different branding) that seemed to get sorted for this classic shoe's mid 1970's re release — the solution? Let this version operate with a swoosh and shoes that were more evocative of the more rustic edition be released as a Corsair. At least, that's how the story was relayed to us. Both are Bowerman's work and both are iconic.

This is still the better shoe though. The densities in that midsole, round b-boy shape (bulbous given the sleeker models in the Nike line at the time, but the predecessor to bulkier running silhouettes like the Air Max 90?) and jagged sole, assisted by the mix of nylon and suede are just perfection. The yellowed midsole on this Quickstrike version is unnecessary, where bright white and a lighter blue on there would have been perfect compliment to the upper and blue footbed. We always mention George Costanza as our all-time favourite Cortez ambassador, just because he's one of the greatest role models there is, but this shoe was an appropriate inclusion in 'Forrest Gump' too — it seems to have made its mark everywhere like the titular simpleton. 1970's celebrities, gangbangers and pubgoers have all appreciated this masterpiece and like the Air Force 1, in leather form, it got a snake swoosh, jewel swoosh, tiny stitched bonus swooshes in the 1990's, and — in one rare edition from back in the day — an elephant print application. The Nike Cortez story is important, and this incarnation represents the starting stage of it in our favourite form. The Nike Sportswear Cortez Classic OG has dropped at select Quickstrike spots globally and they're worth investigating. Everybody needs a Cortez in the wardrobe, provided you can deal with dragging denim — that's where the pinroll brigade and cropped chino crew get the last laugh...