Nike – TPE 6453

Nike recently opened up their new Energy Space, TPE 6453, which will be home to a number of different Nike events in the upcoming months. The concept of the TPE 6453 was started by the Nike Taiwan team led by Melvin Lenzy. For the opening of TPE 6453, the Nike Taiwan team looked to Nike’s very first shoe, the Cortez, as a point of inspiration and as the theme for the first installment at the Energy Space. The Nike Cortez has been Nike’s the longest tenured model to stay in the Nike collection over the years and this year the Cortez became a Nike Sportswear Icon, and underwent a makeover. The result? The Nike Cortez Fly Motion, an updated Cortez that looked to replicate what Bill Bowerman set out to do in 1972 when he created the original Nike Cortez. The Cortez Fly Motion is not only lighter, more responsive, and offers more support than the original Cortez but it kept the classic and iconic silhouette of the Cortez in tact. Nike TPE 6453 features a number of Cortez’s displayed within the space from the original Classic Cortez Nylon to the new 2009 Cortez Fly Motion. In addition to the various Cortez shoes on display inside the doors of TPE 6453, when you walk by the space it’s hard to miss Phil and Bill, also known as the Cortez Brothers, who “flew in” to the store front for the opening of the event.

Some notable features within TPE 6453 are the various pieces of history in Nike’s history including original advertisements from the 1970′s that were a part of the Cortez’s original marketing plan. Also, three different vintage Cortez sneakers in their original form are on display underneath a plexiglass case. One of the more interactive features includes the visual interactive console in the back of the room that gives visitors to TPE 6453 the entire history of the Nike Cortez from when it was first developed by Bill Bowerman when Nike was still known as Blue Ribbon Sports to the present day and the Nike Cortez Fly Motion that was designed by a team led by Nike Design Director, Jesse Leyva. the interactive console allows visitors to plug in their USB jumpdrive and drag, drop, then download their favorite parts of the Cortez feature onto their USB and take it home with them.

Nike’s TPE 6453 is now open for visitors. The Energy Space is the first of it’s kind in Taiwan and will serve as a hub for a number of Nike’s parties, exhibitions, or events. If you are ever in Taiwan, make sure you stop by and check out the space located in one of the busiest areas of Taipei.

Nike – TPE 6453
No. 36, Lane 187, Sec.1, Dunhua S.Rd., | Map
Taipei City, Taiwan
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• Interview with Melvin Lenzy, Marketing Director of Nike Taiwan
• Interview with Scott Denton-Cardew, Designer of the Nike TPE 6453 space
• Interview with Takatoshi Akuagawa, Author of +81 / Blue Ribbon