There aren’t many artists with a more recognizable style than Yayoi Kusama. The Japanese artist’s polka-dotted pumpkins and Infinity Rooms are hypnotic expressions of her hallucinatory experience.

What makes her work so popular is perhaps its core simplicity: Pretty polka dots detail everything Kusama does. It’s why the latest pair of Polka Dot Nike Cortez is giving big Kusama energy.

Delivered in bold pink and red, the Nike Cortez Polka Dot/Light Magenta is a truly head-turning pair of kicks that are prepped for summer sun. They land just weeks after Nike previewed a much sleeker, all-black pair. 

Featuring the same polka-dot pattern, the black pair looks to an embossed finish so as to maintain the tonal colorway. The effect is a wildly chic, understated take on one of Nike’s most famous silhouettes.

Luckily, for those who prefer to keep things bright and whimsical when it comes to their sneaker rotation, the pink and red pair has followed up along with the announcement of a similarly detailed Nike Air Rift pack.

For this release, everything points to Japan. The polka dot finish is something we’ve seen rolled out extensively under the COMME des GARÇONS Play line, not to mention that the all-black Cortez is indisputably CdG collab-coded. 

Combine that with echoes of Yayoi Kusama’s work and the inclusion of the Tabi-toe Rift pack and you’ve got your answer: Japan loves polka dots. Luckily, this is not a Japan-exclusive, so bag a pair in time for summer.

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