A custom native tech‑stack.
We’ve become Europe’s (un)official high-volume drop partner.
Nike x Corteiz
From courtrooms to collabs.
The streetwear equivalent of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object? Not quite perhaps, but it’s not far off. In 2023, Corteiz - possibly the freshest kid on the block at the time - shook the industry by teaming up with global giant Nike for one of the most unexpected collaborations in streetwear history.
"When Nike gave us the call to oversee their Corteiz collaboration drop, we knew we could run the entire thing natively."
High‑volume drop specialists.
We implemented Shopify’s tool to stop the bots.
Breaking records and beyond.
100.000 live visitors, with over 50.000 active carts.
Three from three
Three drops deep with Nike and Corteiz, we’ve been in the mix, making sure every launch hits harder than the last. From behind-the-scenes plays to launch day chaos, we’ve helped bring the heat and keep their drops running smoothly.
It’s brilliant evidence that with an exceptional product, exceptional community-focused values and concrete technical know-how, you can achieve anything imaginable natively on Shopify.
Corteiz likes to tell everyone it's them, but really in ecommerce it’s Shopify that Rules The World.
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Nike x Corteiz
From courtrooms to collabs.
The freshest kid on the block.
The streetwear equivalent of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object? Not quite perhaps, but it’s not far off. In 2023, Corteiz - the freshest kid on the block at the time - shook the industry by teaming up with global giant Nike for one of the most unexpected collaborations in streetwear history.
Why unexpected? Just two years earlier, Corteiz were forced to pay damages to Nike after a court ruled their name was too close to Nike’s iconic Cortez silhouette. Fast-forward to today, and the courtroom rivals have turned into creative partners, dropping three colorways of limited-edition Huaraches and five apparel items across three big collabs. Drama aside, the duo continue to build on virality and it’s no coincidence.
Masters of marketing, Corteiz created chaos with a campaign that had fans sprinting through the streets of London and Paris, eager to grab a pair of the elusive kicks. Enlisting football superstars Phil Foden and Eduardo Camavinga, they organised a crossbar challenge giveaway soundtracked by iconic 2005s grime. An old-school feeling met fresh talent to capture all ages - a testament to the brand's hype paradigm. Reinforcing the formula in December 2024, the pony-haired Huarache saw select newsstands across New York selling Corteiz NYC Take Over papers. It was the sneakerheads' ticket to cop the shoe, revealing drop locations and a ‘secret password’ to purchase. Needless to say, the Corteiz rush is real and loved for its anti-establishment ethos.
Us? We help bring the hype online. Already having a relationship with Nike after facilitating their previous drops with Patta, the European Head of Partnerships reached out for technical support on the first Corteiz project back in 2023. Ever since, we’ve been on the sidelines, drop after drop, keeping systems slick in the unpredictable world of high-volume launches.
With our previous work on collabs between Patta & Nike, and Patta & Tommy Hilfiger, we’ve become Europe’s (un)official high-volume drop partner. Keep reading for insights into how we helped make Nike x Corteiz a success.
High‑volume drop specialists.
High-volume drops ultimately boil down to one key challenge: keeping the bots at bay. Bots are softwares designed to flood high-volume drops and buy as many of the available products as possible. These are then resold at auction later for hugely inflated prices.
It’s estimated that reselling special edition sneakers in this way contributes to a staggering $36 billion yearly market-value.
With that in mind, Nike and Corteiz enlist us to help prevent their products from falling into the wrong hands. Shopify’s built-in bot protection is right up there with the best, and a tool we have plenty of experience implementing on previous drop projects.
With some top-secret technical know-how, we implement Shopify’s tool to stop the bots and give the sneakerheads the best chance of getting their hands on a pair of coveted kicks.
Besides the bot protection, Corteiz requests staggering drops into three waves: a first release for friends and family, an early release for loyal customers and a final general release. Strategic and sentimental, this approach keeps a healthy site and Corteiz’s exclusive culture alive.
We achieve this by using metafields to distinguish the customers into three separate groups. Each group is sent a password at a different time, and the password unlocks a webpage to shop the collection.
With the site structure established across multiple collaborations, our role is to maintain consistency and improve wherever possible. Using Shopify Flow, we can automate enhancements like removing user tags after purchases to ensure one-time buying only.
The plan is proven, every drop has launched and finished without a hitch. Below, we’ll take you through some of the results.
Shopify rules the world.
Watching the numbers unfold in real time on Shopify is always quite incredible. Our first collaboration drop saw 100.000 live visitors, with over 50.000 active carts. The entire collection of each colourway sold out in a matter of minutes. The store performed excellently, without any hiccups, and it was all built natively on Shopify.
The entire drop (and each one since) was orchestrated by the Shopify platform and its in-house tools. The front-end was a classic Shopify theme. The password communication was handled through Shopify email. The automation took place in Shopify flow. The personalised experience was coded in the Shopify script. And the bots were prevented by Shopify’s own bot protection software.