Jonathan Anderson’s first collection with Converse, a three-part collaborative effort, has been a study in contrasts — always toying with the tension between the fringes of youth fashion and the ubiquity of Converse icons. The first, Glitter_Gutter, pushed the egalitarian Chuck 70 into a new provocative space. Following, Anderson’s Simply_Complex employed suede and denim to give simple silhouettes a sophisticated statement.
If the first two parts of the collection introduce Anderson’s stance on Converse, the third, New_Classics, epitomizes Anderson’s daring curiosity. Here, Anderson again draws inspiration from the vintage ballet slipper (the genesis of the Chuck 70 U-Throat), re-interpreting its elements with a modern juxtaposition of natural materials and a technical build. “The vintage ballerina that inspired the shoe was actually more of a sport slipper in mesh. I liked the functionality and lightness of that shoe, and we decided to adopt some details to reinterpret the icon,” he says.
The collection launches April 4 on converse.com and j-w-anderson.com, it will also be carried at JW Anderson stores and select retailers globally. The Chuck 70 XX Hi in Turtle Green is available exclusively through JW Anderson Workshops and jw-anderson.com.
