Kevin Lyons Revisits the Converse for Colette

The Converse epic has all the makings of an icon. At the beginning of the 20th century, Marquis Mills Converse fell down the stairs and almost broke his ankle. In 1908, he decided to create a pair of shoes with a rubber sole that would prevent slipping: the Converse All Star was created in 1917. Chuck Taylor, a basketball enthusiast, picked up his first pair of All Stars at the age of 17. Inspired by his new shoes, he got himself to Chicago where, at Converse’s offices, he proposed a number of innovations to improve their design. The shoes came to be an update for basketball players’ uniforms. With its high tops, slender lines, and athletic cut, they were first reworked in 1962: the flats version – dubbed the Oxford – would supplant the Chuck and make its way into American pop culture. The star spangled brand had become more than just a brand: it was a mindset.

 

Built up as a “cool” piece, it’s no surprise that you can now find it a century later in the Parisian temple of cool: the boutique Colette. “Sarah Colette, who I often saw wearing Chucks, never ceased to encourage my artistic creations. The idea for this collaboration came about naturally”, confides Kevin Lyons. After redoing the soles and tongues for the Nike Air Max 90 Current in 2008, the illustrator’s infamous prankster side is now spilling out all over the canvas of Converse. Mugs, iPhone 5 and iPad cases, even candles, won’t be able to escape this invasion. Even worse, the cookies sold in the concept store’s basement will be infested as well. This pandemic is set to hit on December 10th, at the Colette boutique in Paris.