Hong Kong label CLOT’s reinterpretation of the legendary NIKE Cortez, the « Clotez », has generated a lot of interest when it hits JUICE stores on February 10, 2023. After the inaugural Black/White colorway, this collaborative model has just been teased in a Black/Yellow color scheme.
Edison Chen, the co-founder of CLOT, was inspired by the yin-yang philosophy and traditional house shoes worn in Chinese homes to reinvent the Cortez.
Thus, the « Clotez » appears as a transformation of the Cortez to match CLOT’s roots. Displaying a 3-in-1 design, it can be worn as : a double-layered shoe, a sneaker by removing the upper protection or a slip-on reminiscent of Kung Fu slippers by using only the upper ‘protection’ part.
As for the choice of colors, this black and yellow version is immediately reminiscent of the pair worn by actor-star Bruce Lee in the 1979 film « Game of Death ». It consists of a yellow leather upper with black Swooshes, while the ‘slip-on’ part has reversed colors : a black base and a yellow Swoosh. The latter benefits from a serrated sole for maximum grip and a drawstring heel for support. To affirm the inspiration, the sneaker part features co-branding on the tongue, as well as a Yin Yang symbol and Chinese characters (kanjis) embroidered on the heel meaning Kung Fu.
The CLOT x NIKE Cortez « Clotez » Black/Yellow will be released in the next few months at a price of $150, in Juice stores worldwide and on nike.com. A 3rd colorway should also be available… Stay tuned !
