Corteiz

Wikipedia says Corteiz was founded in 2017 by Clint Ogbenna, a British-Nigerian entrepreneur known as Clint 419, and Snobette gives the same year. Complex says he simply goes by Clint. Before Corteiz, Complex says he started a label called Cade at 19 with his friend Ade Sanusi, and that it shut by the end of 2017.

Snobette reported Clint's own account on X of how the brand began: he resold an Air Jordan 1 and an Off-White by Virgil Abloh sneaker from "The 10" for $1,000, put the money into XRP and cashed out about eight weeks later, then used it for the first samples and a flight to Los Angeles to shoot the first lookbook. Snobette presents these as Clint's own account and does not say it checked them.

Wikipedia's infobox lists Clint Ogbenna as owner, without a citation. We found no source naming outside investors. Complex gives a revenue figure, $58 million in 2024 citing The New York Times, but no ownership details.

Complex says the logo is a silhouette of Alcatraz Island. It quotes Clint describing Corteiz as being about escaping from the societal restraints that we've grown up with to pursue what you really want to do. Wikipedia says the logo symbolises rebellion against convention, citing CULTED.

Wikipedia gives an alternative name, Corteiz Rules The World, abbreviated CRTZRTW.

Complex says the early range was T-shirts, sweatsuits, beanies, socks and Bolo puffer jackets, and that the first drop also included hoodies. It lists later pieces including embossed denim, satin souvenir jackets and leather coats, and points to a football kit flip.

The brand's own store, checked in October 2026, lists tees, a zip hoodie, a denim jacket, a down jacket, a leather card holder and a New Era fitted cap.

Hypebeast reported that Clint 419 was ordered to pay Nike £1,850 on 16 March 2021 in a dispute over the Corteiz name's resemblance to the Cortez sneaker, which Hypebeast reports as first used in 1972 and under a Nike trademark since 1998; the ruling cited a likelihood of indirect confusion.

On 18 January 2023 Hypebeast reported that the Nike flagship at Oxford Circus in London carried the Swoosh and Corteiz's Alcatraz logo, affirming a collaboration due later in 2023. Snobette says Nike approached Clint for a collaboration that led to three Air Max 95 silhouettes, and calls it a full-circle moment. Highsnobiety lists the Corteiz x Nike Air Max 95 as a March 2023 release at £169 (about $209), sold online through Nike and Corteiz. Complex ties pop-ups in London, Paris and New York City to the release.

Complex names the Air Flight Huarache as the 2024 Nike silhouette and calls Honey Black Corteiz's most recent sneaker release, from 2025. It also lists collaborations with Supreme, 74IsWar, Denim Tears, Barriers, Slawn, Virgil Abloh and Nigo, without dates. Wikipedia dates the Supreme T-shirt and hoodie collection to 2023.

Complex says drops are announced vaguely and the location is revealed by GPS coordinates on the day. It lists activations in an abandoned subway station, a subway car, Atlanta's Magic City and makeshift bodegas, and one-day activations in New York, Atlanta, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles in 2025.

Online, the picture is mixed. When we checked in October 2026 the brand's own store showed a standing range priced in pounds, with no password gate or drop countdown visible. Wikipedia says the site was accessible only through a password released with each drop, and Complex refers to online drops.

On the brand's own store, listed at the regular price when we checked in October 2026: Corroded Island tee in black £35, Write-Off heavyweight tee in navy £65, Lundun Stitch zip hoodie £120, Stitch Down denim jacket £140, Bolo down jacket in triple black £250, Island leather card holder £70 and a Superior Royale New Era 59FIFTY fitted cap £50.

StockX shows a retail price of US$105 for the Alcatraz cargo shorts in triple black, released on 2 August 2023. That is a different item, currency and date from the store listings, so it is not a like-for-like comparison. Wikipedia reports a 2022 market stall pop-up that sold cargo trousers for 99 pence, a one-off event price rather than a regular price.