Ross Dwyer A focal point of Stranger Things‘ third season, the Starcourt Mall is home to both Scoops Ahoy, and — more importantly — a secret Russian base with a portal to the Upside Down buried deep underneath its air conditioned halls. These plot points are now serving as inspiration for the beloved series’ third set of collaborative Nike shoes, one of which is this new Nike Cortez. Although they may seem like a simple tan canvas sneaker with show-themed tongue tags, the devil’s in the hidden details here. The insoles feature hand-scrawled graphics that nod to a recognizable quote and the Mind Flayer-enabling portal, and if you’re adventurous enough to remove ’em, you’ll also see a memorable radio transmission in both English and Russian. The upper may very well boast special embellishments of its own, as the similarly-styled Nike Tailwind that was premiered by BAIT for SDCC in July also offered a burn-away construction that you could singe off to reveal a hidden layer. A classic white midsole and toothed outsole finalize the look. These compelling Cortez will make contact with Nike.com on August 13th, so peruse official images below and see what unique embellishments you can spot in the meantime.
Stranger Things x Nike Cortez “Upside Down”
Release Date: August 13th, 2019
Style Code: CJ6107-100
