Nike takes the Swoosh off of their latest Cortez

A Nike trainer without their trademark logo? You’d think that’d be like having an FA Cup weekend without an upset or a Champions League without Real Madrid, but in fact, the results are pretty good.

The Cortez is one of Nike’s famous and most iconic sneakers, released in the brand’s early stages of athletic sportswear and projected to worldwide theme thanks to their sponsoring of Forrest Gump in a certain hit film. Even Kendrick Lemar is an avid fan of the shoe, releasing his own edition.

But now, Nike has stripped the shoe of it’s most defining feature: their logo.

Coming in a super minimalist vibe, the Swooshless Cortez has a premium feel with the subtlety of the branding being something we don’t usually associate with the sportswear giant. Coming in a muted black/sail or iconic white/red/blue get-up, the smart shoe retains the Swoosh on the medial side and the usual Nike logos on the tongue tag and heel tab – they had to still be somewhere.

Released early this year, they retail at $100 USD… but don’t say you’re only paying for the logo.