Cortez Smith is making sure his name travels beyond the character he plays on The Chi. Best known on the Showtime drama as Nuck, the West Side native is also building a fashion label that reflects the style sensibility he grew up around.
Smith arrived at The TRiiBE Studio with a garment bag filled with pieces from Eros Christian, the clothing line he launched in May. He described the brand as a blend of fashion and streetwear, shaped by a love of denim, leather, and the old-school style of his family.
Fashion as part of the character
That personal style carries over into his work on set, where Smith sometimes chooses to wear his own clothes. He said the crocodile skin jacket he wore for the cover photo took a long time to perfect because of the way the material had to be processed and shaped.
The jacket’s red lining adds contrast to the black exterior, a detail Smith said gives it “an electrifying feel.” His clothing choices fit the image of a performer who has been steadily separating his identity from the role that made many viewers know him.
The Chi moves toward its final chapter
The Chi is now in its 8th and final season, which premiered on May 22 and will end with its final episode airing on Paramount + on July 24. The series has centered love, loyalty, and life on Chicago’s South and West sides, with a strong focus on authenticity.
Smith said the ending of the show will leave a noticeable gap in television. “After ‘The Chi’ wraps up, there’s gonna be, like, a hole in the universe of television. It’s gonna leave a hole,” he said.
Authenticity has been a major part of the show’s appeal, and a good portion of the cast and crew are from Chicago. Smith made his debut as Nuck in season 3, which aired in 2019, just before the 2020 Writers Guild of America strike left him discouraged and out of work.
For Smith, that history makes the present feel especially significant. His role on The Chi brought him recognition, but his growing clothing line suggests he is pushing for a name that stands on its own.
