If there’s one problem with Nike's classic Cortez sneaker, it’s that you might get only one or two chances to wear them out of the box before they start to crease — the bane of sneakerheads worldwide. This is why it’s well overdue (if you’re not counting CLOT’s 2023 collaborative take) that Nike is re-releasing the “Forrest Gump” Cortez shoes this year.
There’s just something so eternally pleasing about the mostly white sneaker with a red swoosh and blue accent on the sole. Patriotic colors, a timeless silhouette.
Put these Nikes in the Smithsonian, as they might just be the physical embodiment of the American Dream.
That is precisely why Whitney Houston wore them to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl in 1991, you know.
And of course, the sneaker made Hollywood history as the best prop shoe ever, when Robin Wright’s Jenny gave them to Tom Hanks’ Forrest Gump in his eponymous 1994 blockbuster, which turns 30 in 2024.
These were the sneakers that Gump laced up before he embarked upon his cross-country (and back again) jog, hence their name.
The Cortez moniker is even a reference to one of the world's most famous colonizers, and what’s more American than that?! (Yes, Hernán Cortés was Spanish)
Nike first released the Cortez sneaker in 1972 and followed the debut up with myriad colorways. But the Varsity Red and Blue accented version, officially renamed the “Forrest Gump” in 2018, might be the most recognizable.
For its 40th anniversary in 2022, Nike released a slew of new Cortez shoe styles but again, a classic is a classic for a reason.
If you’re looking for tweaks here, look elsewhere.
The 2024 version is essentially the same sneaker you could have copped back in the day, except for the fact that when it comes out on May 1, 2024, it will retail for around $110 and the quality will be marginally nicer.
A decent price point for a basic kick in 2024, though it lightly contradicts the shoe’s legacy as an affordable alternative to other more steeply-priced Nike running sneakers.
Either way, sometimes, less is more and that’s truly what the “Forrest Gump” Cortez’s are all about.
Just be mindful about when you wear them, because truly, even if they’re durable enough for a cross-country run, they never look the same once you take them out for a stroll.
