Nike Women's Cortez Textile Casual Shoes

Nike

Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman started Blue Ribbon Sports in 1964 and renamed it Nike in 1971, after the Greek goddess of victory. It is great at turning sport into myth: a waffle-iron midsole poured in a kitchen, then Air, then a logo that reads as civic furniture. The Cortez and Air Force 1 became neighborhood shoes; Jordan made a basketball silhouette a cultural object. Fun fact: student Carolyn Davidson drew the swoosh for $35; Knight later gave her stock.