Nike Celebrates "Day of the Dead" With Upcoming Cortez Basic Leather SE

Nike continues its line-up of spooky-season-ready kicks with the unveiling of a Day of the Dead-themed Cortez Basic Leather SE. It follows on from the recently revealed Japan-exclusive Air Force 1 and a black iteration of the sought-after Air Force 1 “Skeleton.”

For its limited-edition Cortez, Nike references Mexico’s Día de Muertos, a holiday in which you pray and remember friends and family members who have passed away. The sneaker adopts a Halloween-inspired colorway of “Black/White/University Red,” and sports a white Swoosh engraved with a fine skull pattern, tapping into the Día de Muertos holiday.

The full-grain leather adds a luxurious touch to the gothic Cortez, as do the gold lace locks which feature a cursive “Cortez 72” stamp. Continuing the theme is a number of finishing touches such as orange-hued stitching, a web-like grid tongue tab, and insoles printed with a geometric skull pattern, which offers a contemporary take on the traditional holiday’s motif. Bold “NIKE” branding on the heel tab rounds off the sneaker.

Take a look at the Nike Cortez Basic Leather SE “Day of the Dead” in the gallery above, and pick up a pair from retailers such as Sneakersnstuff on October 15 for £65 GBP (approx. $79 USD).

In related news, here are more of this week’s best sneaker drops.