Recently Nike and Snkrs asked me to be a part of this campaign for the 50th anniversary of the Nike Cortez and their collaboration with @unionlosangeles. They asked me to style myself and put together 3 looks that I’d like wear with the new Cortez - now if you ask me how I’d like the cortez to be shot and styled, immediately I had a flashback to 3rd and 4th grade and my first look at how they were supposed to be worn - being born and raised in Los Angeles there is only one look in my opinion. I thought I would take it back to the true story and essence of the Nike cortez. There’s a certain stigma and a lot of negative connotations attached to the homie culture and high socks nowadays but with Bornxraised I always choose to focus on the beautiful side of things. There’s two sides to a coin and no matter what culture you’re talking about there’s always going to be a good side and a bad side so I choose to focus on the gorgeous part of this culture and the way we grew up - wearing this fit and this pair of shoes was the ultimate fashion statement and said a whole lot about yourself - i viewed them as a badge of honor that displayed courage - And not just anyone could wear this fit - you had to earn it and you would be challenged constantly - the word “Foo” when I was growing up was not a bad thing, it’s was a compliment. “Man that boys a straight fool” was what you wanted to be described as. Because of the internet and a million other silly things - and the way the culture has changed it’s become what it is now. I still view these gentlemen as knights in shining armor and wearing this coat of armor meant you were willing to go to great lengths to defend and protect your neighborhood, family and loved ones. It was and still is a beautiful culture. Thank you Nike and everyone involved for allowing me to express my viewpoint and perspective on this cultural icon 🙏🏽 - All photos by @darrenvargas.jpeg