Onitsuka Tiger - Unisex-Adult Tiger Corsair Sneaker

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The following year, in 1967, Bowerman and Onitsuka wanted to change the name of their heavily praised release, and with the Mexico Olympics arriving in 1968, Bowerman decided to change the name to ‘TG-Mexcio’, which promoted some of the adverts for the sneaker to include the word ‘Mexico’ on the lateral side of the shoe. For one of the company's first shoe models, Onitsuka found inspiration in a dish of octopus salad. He compared the shoe's grip to the suction power of an octopus tentacle. With this strength, the shoe allowed athletes to elevate their game. It was named "Onitsuka Tiger". Countless colourways and iterations of the Cortez have been released over the years, including a magnitude of colourways and materials as well as other combinations similar to Sir Elton John’s mashup with Fragment creating the Roshe Cortez in 2015 which combined the Cortez and now infamous Roshe Run and even a high top chukka variant of the Cortez releasing the same year. The sneaker played such a huge role in the film that they have since become synonymous with it much like the Air Jordan 4s worn by Spike Lee in the 1989 basketball film ‘Do The Right Thing’.

Before the case was over, Bowerman had created the Nike Cortez by switching out the Onitsuka ‘Waves’ inspired by the waves on the Kobe shores, to the iconic Nike ‘Swoosh’ which was designed by Carolyn Davidson, inspired by the shape of a running motion, with the brand selling it under their own name in 1972. Onitsuka Co. was originally founded in 1949, later merging with GTO Co. and JELENK Co. in 1977. Following the merger, the company officially formed “ASICS”. Today, under the umbrella of the ASICS company are the ASICS and Onitsuka Tiger brands. ASICS historical timeline Since its release, the Nike Cortez has seemed to dip out of favour from the mainstream with attention moving to basketball sneakers and Air Max as time passed. Nevertheless, Nike has been able to keep the spirit of its very first silhouette alive, with many still holding it in high regard. While Nike hasn't made as much of a point of celebrating the anniversary of its oldest silhouette, other brands that are collaborating with Nike are set to release projects that are worth taking note of.

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Italian international men's gold medalist Stefano Baldini and Japanese international women’s marathon gold medalist Mizuki Noguchi wore ASICS' marathon shoes. 3. Saori Yoshida, 2012.

Acting almost as a final jab at adidas, the Cortez name was derived from the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes who led an expedition which brought the fall of the Aztec Empire in the 1500s. During the ‘80s, the Nike Cortez continued to be a huge success in pop culture, particularly finding its footing within the music industry. In the mid-'70s - early ‘80s Sir Elton John worked closely with Nike to create his own Cortez sneaker which featured the midsole design of the 1979 Nike Roadrunner. During this time period, ASICS created innovative products used by professional athletes around the world. ASICS champions in the 2000’s 1. Naoko Takahashi, 2000. A similar appraisal for the OG silhouette was seen in Seinfeld with the character George Costanza opting to wear the sneaker regularly.

While 2018 saw two further colourways of the Lamar x Cortez amongst a myriad of additional colourways and collaborations, including Stranger Things in 2019, the sneaker once again began to wain in mainstream popularity. Takahashi, a Japanese long-distance runner, wore ASICS Marathon SORTIE JAPAN to win a gold medal in the international women's marathon. 2. Stefano Baldini and Muzuki Noguchi, 2004.