Nordstrom and Nike have set up shop in L.A., launching the Cortez Market — a one-day shopping experience on the corner of La Cienega Boulevard and Melrose Avenue — to celebrate the iconic sneaker’s 45th anniversary.
At the outdoor pop-up, which opens to the public on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., guests will find displays of the classic Nike Cortez shoes in colorways of red and blue, white and metallic gold, and metallic gold and black, as well as a new style designed by style maven Olivia Kim, Nordstrom’s vp creative projects.
Kim’s inaugural design for the Nike Cortez Premium iD pays homage to the classic Cortez style, while still injecting a bit of fashion flair with the exclusive pink accents (“pink is my favorite color,” says Kim) and her “OK” initials imprinted on the insole. The kicks, which can be customized at nike.com, are available at the pop-up for $120.
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For Kim, Cortez sneakers tend to remind her of spending her childhood summers in Korea.
“When we would go to Korea [in the summer], we’d bring our Nikes with us, and kids there would be like, ‘Nike! Nike!’ It was in the ‘80s — commerce wasn’t easily flowing back and forth, so I remember that vibe and feeling very American, and Nike has always felt like a quintessentially iconic American brand,” says Kim.
The Cortez Market also features apparel, accessories and decor items from a curated group of Kim’s designer friends and past Nordstrom collaborators, including Poketo, Dr. Collectors, Hansel From Basel and Fair Season. A customization station, nail bar courtesy of NCLA and food trucks are on-site, too.
“The Cortez is an iconic sneaker and a staple of L.A. style and youth culture,” adds Kim. “There’s no better place to bring a celebration of their big anniversary and create a fun experience for customers.”
Nike has been making a big push for the Nike Cortez, recruiting model Bella Hadid to promote the relaunch of the iconic sneakers, too.
The pop-up serves as a preview for the forthcoming Nordstrom x Nike sneaker-boutique concept in L.A. — a women’s-only lifestyle concept that Kim developed with the sportswear giant that blurs fitness and fashion — which will open when Nordstrom’s Century City location bows this fall. The concept shop was conceived after the retailers partnered for the Nike Pop-In@Nordstrom shop in April 2015. Nordstrom x Nike is the sportswear brand’s first fashion-retail initiative.
