Collaborators You Need to Know: Corteiz

All the details on the up-and-coming brand and why its Nike collabs are great for consignors.

After kicking off our Collaborators You Need to Know series with the late, great Virgil Abloh of Off-White fame a few weeks ago, we’re back with another installment this week that features an emerging creative that sneaker resellers need to get familiar with if they aren’t already: London-based sportswear brand Corteiz.

Although Corteiz has been around since 2017, very little was known about the brand before it released not one, but several incredibly hyped collaborations with Nike earlier this year. Thanks to those collaborations, and a few co-signs from everyone from Drake and Pharrell to London-based rap stars Central Cee and Stormzy—oh yeah, and the late Virgil Abloh himself—Corteiz is positioned as the next up-and-coming label that should be on everyone’s radar, including our Consignor Partners who are looking to earn serious cash in the sneaker resale market.

Here’s everything you need to know about Corteiz, including the interesting backstory of how its collaboration with Nike came to be after a lawsuit by the former almost derailed its come-up.

The Glow Up

Corteiz was founded by Clint 419, otherwise known as Clint Ogbenna, in 2017 after the London-based designer shuttered his first streetwear brand, Cade. It’s unknown why Clint decided to fold Cade and why Corteiz came to be, in an interview with Time Out, he credits his relationship with a London creative group called Apex as a conduit to the rise of Corteiz, saying, “We were just hanging with each other, being ourselves, and other kids bought into it. We built up quite a big online following.”

After growing Corteiz through a private Instagram account and through word-of-mouth marketing, the brand began setting up pop-up shops for its apparel in London, and even started giving away free gear as part of a scavenger hunt. Information was limited for both, which only created more hype and intrigue for the brand as time went on.

Eventually this led to the announcement of Corteiz’s first collaboration with Nike, on January 17th of this year. Ironically, Corteiz was actually sued by Nike in 2021 because of how similar the brand’s name is to one of Nike’s most decorated sneakers: the Cortez. The result of the lawsuit was that Nike asked Clint to pay $2,295 in “damages.” As we now know, the lawsuit didn’t have a negative effect on Corteiz’s hype or a potential collaboration with Nike.

Which brings us to the main attraction of this post, Corteiz’s collaborations with Nike on the Air Max 95.

Corteiz x Nike Air Max 95 “Pink Beam”

The Corteiz x Nike Air Max 95 “Pink Beam” is one of several collaborations by the UK-based sportswear brand and Nike that was released in 2023. The “Pink Beam” dropped exclusively at Corteiz’s pop-up shop in New York City in March 2023. In a way, the nature of the limited release was a call back to the way sneaker drops used to go down in the city, back in the 2000s and early 2010s. As for the shoe’s design, Corteiz opted to go with a sleek, sportswear-inspired look on the Air Max 95, giving the shoe leather overlay panels and its signature branding on the toe, tongue, and collar. Some sizes of the “Pink Beam” are selling for as much as $945 at Stadium Goods as of this writing, which should tell you the hype for Corteiz is real.

Corteiz x Nike Air Max 95 “Aegean Storm”

The other Corteiz and Nike collaboration that resellers should be familiar with is the Air Max 95 “Aegean Storm,” which was released exclusively in Paris. Just like the “Pink Beam,” the “Aegean Storm” has leather overlays, signature Corteiz branding, and a ton of hype behind it. The shoe isn’t even available at Stadium Goods as of this writing—it sold out shortly after it was listed on our website.

The Hype is Real

Corteiz was once known as an underground streetwear brand with a cultish following. Now, following its collaboration with Nike, the label should be on everyone’s radar in the fashion and sneaker communities, especially our Consignor Partners who are looking to maximize their profits and grow their sneaker resale business in 2023. We don’t have a crystal ball, but we see nothing but big things from Corteiz from here on out. Just trust us on this one.

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