Nike Celebrates China’s QiXi Festival With His And Hers Cortez_Stride into Fashions Embrace

China’s famous “Qixi” festival is an annual celebration of the meeting between the cowherd and the weaver girl in Chinese mythology. The celebration of the classic tale is to China what Valentine’s Day is to the US, and the Swoosh is adding to the celebration of love this year with a two-pack of his and hers Nike Cortez.

Featuring a “Dusk Till Dawn” construction, the shoes are inspired by the short period of time that Niulang (the cowherd) and Zhinu (the weaver) reunited in the fable. The men’s pair features a dark blue-to black gradient fade with star detailing—representing the night—while the women’s pair opts for an orange to pink ombre-style fade, nodding to a beautiful sunrise. “Today Is The Day” text on the tongue of both shoes acknowledges to the importance of seizing the day just like the two lovers did in the mythical tale, a glow-in-the-dark star constellation graphic adorns the heel of both shoes, and large white perforated swooshes provide branding. Each look is then completed with a two-tone midsole and semi-translucent outsole—the ladies pair states “Today Is,” and the men’s pair completes the saying with “The Day,” ensuring that even though the shoes look great apart, they’re even better when worn together.

These his-and-hers Cortez are set to release exclusively in China via SNEAKRS and select retailers on the day of the Qixi festival, which always falls on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month in China’s calendar: August 17th. Enjoy a full set of images below, and let us know which pair of the two-pack is your favorite.