Onitsuka Tiger Corsair is a shoe that was designed under Onitsuka Tiger and released in 1968. The Onitsuka Tiger Corsair was first designed by Bill Bowerman while still in a partnership agreement with Onitsuka Tiger. Shortly after its release, Bill Bowerman decided to part ways with the company and focus on developing original shoes for his own company, Nike, which led to Nike releasing its own version of the same shoe called the Nike Cortez.[1]
Overview
The idea for shoe came after both Onitsuka Tiger and Blue Ribbon Sports saw massive success with the Mexico 66 shoe. Blue Ribbon Sports was specifically created to sell Onitsuka Tiger's shoes overseas in the United States and both companies wanted to continue its success by releasing another shoe. Bowerman came up with the idea for the shoe by taking two pieces from existing shoes, the midsole from the Spring Up and the outsole of the Limber Up, and combined them into one.[2]