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Today, Nike reissued one of its best-known and most beloved running shoes: the Nike Cortez in white, varsity red, and varsity blue, commonly referred to as the “Forrest Gump.” Though it predates the 1994 Best Picture winner by more than 25 years, its prominent appearance in the movie has lead this classic colorway to become all but synonymous with Tom Hanks’s character and his inspirational cross-country run, cementing its place in the sneaker canon. The return of the “Forrest Gump” promises to be a very big deal for film buffs and sneakerheads alike.
The shoes appear in the film when Forrest receives them from the love of his life, Jenny, played by Robin Wright. (Forrest even calls them “the best gift anyone could get in the wide world”—certainly a resounding endorsement.) When Jenny flees their life together and leaves him heartbroken, Forrest takes them on a run, which soon turns into a years-long, cross-country marathon. The episode is also a testament to the lasting power of the shoes: When Forrest finally stops his journey, he’s still wearing the same beaten-up pair, looking pretty run down but perfectly functional. As product placement goes, it doesn’t get much better than that.
The Nike Cortez, one of the company’s simplest and most iconic sneakers, has a long and storied history. Designed in 1968 by Bill Bowerman for Phil Knight’s Blue Ribbon Sports—back when Blue Ribbon was selling shoes manufactured in Japan by Onitsuka—the model was originally known as the Tiger Corsair. The runner became a massive success, which led to Knight and Bowerman separating from the Japanese company and, in 1972, releasing their own version of what they now called the Nike Cortez. It’s not just a classic Nike, but arguably the classic Nike—the sneaker that started it all.
Although the origins of the Nike Cortez have been overshadowed somewhat by the legacy of the film, its popularity as a movie icon has at least kept the sneaker alive in the popular imagination. And this particular colorway—chosen for its symbolic connection to the American flag, very much in keeping with the spirit and themes of the movie—has rightly been celebrated for its streamlined aesthetic and primary-color beauty. It’s hard to beat the red, white, and blue for aesthetic simplicity, and the fact that it has such an important connection to movie history makes it all the better. It’s no surprise that the real thing is even more coveted: a Cortez used in the film recently sold at auction for more than $50,000.
Don’t feel you need to shell out five figures: While the re-release has already sold out completely on Nike.com, you can still cop a pair on StockX right now for a relatively reasonable sum.
