Latest news with #Converse
Fast Company
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
Tyler, the Creator modernizes 2 shoes from the Converse archives
Today, Tyler, the Creator drops two new styles in his ongoing collaboration with Converse: a yacht shoe and a jogger, both of which are 1970s silhouettes pulled from the brand's archives. Tyler knows you're probably going to wear these sneakers with jeans and a T-shirt. But that's the wrong move, he insists. When I speak with him, he's wearing the jogger with a button up, a cropped rain jacket, and trousers. He'd prefer if you wore these kicks with a more polished look. 'Nah, bruh,' he says. 'Wear them with the ill slacks and the ill sweater.' As his stage name implies, Tyler is involved in too many different creative ventures to count. He's a rapper and producer, who also writes for an adult cartoon show called The Jellies, and creator of a music festival called Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival. But like his friend and mentor, Pharrell Williams, he's become increasingly well-known for his personal aesthetic and his contributions to the world of fashion. In 2011, he launched his streetwear label, Golf Wang, and in 2017, he began collaborating with Converse, a subsidiary of Nike, which generated $2.1 billion in 2024. (This was a 14% decline from 2023.) Over the years, his partnership with Converse has evolved into a separate, stand-alone brand called Le Fleur, a nod to his 2017 Grammy-nominated album, Flower Boy. The line is known for its pastel color palette; bold daisy icon, which encapsulates the Converse star; and the way in which it plays with traditional gender norms. Tyler isn't interested in a total redesign of the Converse silhouettes. For this collection, he worked with Lindsay Almeida, Converse's director of entertainment and sports marketing, to explore the archives. He was drawn to the Naut-1, a yacht shoe first released in 1971, and the Coach Jogger, an Olympic running shoe from 1976. He liked these models because they seemed fresh and relevant. 'I honestly hate the idea of nostalgia,' he says. 'I didn't want to reinvent the wheel because I think these shoes were perfect. I just wanted to do them in new colors.' And indeed, Tyler designs the shoes in interesting colors. The joggers, which cost $100, come in a teal and yellow, a dark and light green, and a brown and mustard. The yacht shoes, which cost $90, come in a cream with delicate embroidered flowers, a dark brown, and a teal. While some critics on social media argue that he hasn't done much to bring his own point of view to these designs, Tyler believes that small changes can be impactful. It echoes fashion designer Virgil Abloh, who argued that you only need to change an idea by 3% to create something new. And ultimately, Tyler believes that his strength lies in curating pieces and bringing them together in interesting ways. 'It's in the styling, the way they're worn, the color palettes,' he says. 'I really love wearing a sporty shoe with an outfit that makes folks glitch and say, I didn't know you could wear them like that.' Tyler still designs for Golf Wang, which is grounded in streetwear, with hoodies and jeans. But he says that Le Fleur's aesthetic is more reflective of his personal style these days. 'I didn't want to have to change Golf Wang because it would alienate folks,' he says. 'But Le Fleur is a mirror to where I'm at in life, with unique styles and colorways.' Converse has been struggling over the past decade; last year, its revenues declined 14% from the year before and in May, it laid off 2% of its workforce. A decade ago, it relaunched it's most famous shoe, the Chuck Taylor, with new technology, but consumers did not take to the new version and sales dropped. Part of the company's strategy to grow sales was to bring on new collaborators; Tyler was among them. Since the first release, in 2017, products from the collaboration have been popular and allow Converse to stay in the cultural conversation (not to mention connect with Tyler's nearly 17 million Instagram followers). Still, it's a hard moment for Converse and its parent company, Nike. In an earnings call last December, Nike CFO Matt Friend said that consumers were pulling back on spending. He argued that newness is what would cause consumers to shop. Converse is counting on this new collab to get sneakerheads to pay attention.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
American Love Story: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's hair colourist says Ryan Murphy got Sarah Pidgeon's hair 'totally wrong'
There are a lot of little elements, let alone the final cumulative impact of the roulette of pictures, via which tragedy maestro Ryan Murphy introduced Sarah Pidgeon, the actor who will be portraying Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, wife to John F Kennedy Jr, and the ultimate understated it-girl of the 90, in the producer's new anthology series, American Love Story. Now while such mammoth casting moments may take a beat to settle into the audience's conscience — if you aren't already aware, JFK Jr and Carolyn were one of America's most beloved couples, their tragic deaths further cementing the sentiment — Ryan's vision of JFK Jr and Carolyn, is managing to achieve quite the opposite. A post shared by Ryan Murphy Productions (@ryanmurphyproductions) Recently, footage and on-set snaps of Sarah, running around New York City, decked in what we are assuming is one rendition of Carolyn's street-strut looks, made their way on to the internet. And everyone is either cringing or scrunching up their eyebrows, just not giving. As though the latex leather, and the assertively sheen-ful gold satin skirt (Carolyn groupies know being loud was NOT her aesthetic) wasn't enough, the fact that Sarah was running around in a pair of Converse, is a pretty crisis-ridden point for the fashion community. The final straw? The hair, oh the hair. Carolyn's sharp, minimal dressing always stood accentuated by her soft cascading, and more importantly, warm-toned blonde locks, though her pale skin and occasional all-neutral fits may have made her hair seem lighter than it was. Sarah on the other hand, has a head full of near-platinum blonde locks. And people aren't having it. In a chat with Vogue, Carolyn's former hair colourist, Brad Johns, who was quite the hot stuff in the 90s — the best in his field — didn't mince any words at all. Firstly, Brad wasn't even aware the Carolyn was being brought back to life for the screens. So when he saw the pair launch, Brad's unfiltered reaction went, "No one would believe that Carolyn in the '90s would ever have that color from me. It's too 2024". Now if you think achieving that level of icon-hood came with a simple global dye job, you're sorely mistaken. Brad signed, "We worked really hard to get right". He built up her natural light brown locks to a "toffee" shade reminiscent of a "child-of-the-beach" vibe. The toffee shade was worked in with his signature chunking technique, "I went in and put the highlight chunks in three foils around the front of her face, and then two underneath for when she wore her hair up". And what did Brad have to say about Sarah's hair for American Love Story? "Totally wrong, the opposite of what we were going for", he shared promptly, adding, "If you show that on TV and fashion people see it, they are going to think, why is she all ashed out with her hair only one color?". With the OG expert on the matter having doubled down on the bone of be its time for Ryan to reconsider the hair and costume department for American Love Story?
Business Insider
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Sneaker loafers, a hot new shoe trend, toe the line between fashionable and geriatric
The newest sneaker trend is a lovechild of a chunky sneaker and a corporate loafer. The result is a sleek and comfortable — if geriatric-looking — shoe. The biggest names in the sneaker world, like Nike, New Balance, and Converse, have released or are set to release loafer-sneaker hybrids this year. The creative director of Atmos, a Japanese sneaker retailer, posted a picture of the new Nike Air Max Phenomena on Instagram on Monday, saying it is set to be released soon. The bottom half of the black shoe looks fits right into the Nike Air Max family with its chunky sole and air units. The top half, a loafer silhouette which sports a subtle silver Nike logo, looks like it would belong an office. The new shoe design comes at a crucial point for Nike, which has been criticized for leaning too heavily on its retro styles and not innovating. Nike's competitors got to the laceless snoafer trend before the shoe giant did. On June 10, Converse released its All-Star Coinloafer, a slightly less chunky loafer-sneaker with a white top and black sole. The shoe brand has dabbled with loafer-adjacent designs since the start of the year. On Monday, New Balance announced two new colors for its New Balance 1906L Loafer model — "Black/Royal Blue" and "Metallic Pink." Other colors of the model were released earlier this year. The New Balance loafers look more like quintessential sports shoes than the Nike or Converse models, with only their shorter tongue and lack of shoelaces pointing to their loafer roots. Representatives for Nike, Converse, and New Balance did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider. Other brands that have hopped on the trend this year include Hoka, Ugg, and Puma. A comfortable corporate shoe Carol Davidson, a New York-based image consultant, said the loafer-sneaker trend could be partially attributed to workers heading back to the office. "With more people returning to the office, a more streamlined loafer sneaker will have an appeal, as it feels more elevated than just a sneaker," she said. Davidson said she could see it becoming a summer trend, as fashion leans "toward more polished clothing and footwear" in the fall. She said the loafer sneakers would work nicely with a casual summer shirtdress or wide-leg trousers. Edith Chan, a Madrid-based stylist and image consultant, said snoafers are versatile and easy to wear for errands and casual work environments. "For office professionals, creatives, or those who love the effortless chic vibe, these shoes are perfect," Chan said. Teng Chan Leong, the CEO of Malaysia-based marketing consultancy Skribble, said the snoafer fits Gen Z's preference for oversized tops and bottoms. His company has worked with brands like Adidas. "The sneaker-loafer trend seems to be the industry's response to marry functionality and form, especially for today's consumer who is seeking for something that stands out, fashionable, and yet highly comfortable," Teng said. He also said "feminine sneaker-loafer hybrids" point to a "rise in interest of women in the sneaker culture." The shoe trend follows another hybrid trend this year — ballerina sneakers. This trend meshed the design of ultra-feminine ballet flats into the body of a sneaker.
Scottish Sun
6 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Urgent search for missing girl, 14, who vanished on her own after night with pals in major UK city
Police are urging anyone with information about the teenager's whereabouts to get in touch immediately FRANTIC HUNT Urgent search for missing girl, 14, who vanished on her own after night with pals in major UK city POLICE are urgently searching for a 14-year-old girl who disappeared after spending the night with friends in a major UK city. Lucia, from Swansea, was last seen in Cardiff on June 14, just before midnight near Penylan Library, heading towards Wellfield Road. The teenager had been with friends but left the area on her own. She has been described as 5ft 6, with a slim build and long black hair. Lucia was wearing a white skirt, a cream puffer jacket, an orange top and possibly white Converse trainers at the time she went missing. Anyone with information about Lucia's whereabouts is urged to contact South Wales Police, quoting reference 2500188167. 1 Lucia, 14, is described as 5ft 6, with a slim build and long black hair Credit: South Wales Police More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
Wall Street Journal
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Wall Street Journal
The NBA's Most Valuable Player Is Its Fashion MVP, Too
On Sunday evening, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander arrived at the Paycom Center in downtown Oklahoma City for Game 2 of the NBA Finals between his Thunder and the Indiana Pacers looking not quite like anyone else in the league. The Thunder point guard, 26, wore a striped button-down shirt, a tee emblazoned with a photo of John Lennon and a pair of baby-blue jeans. His pants pooled around a pair of sneakers in the same hue: the Converse Shai 001, his first signature sneaker and one he played a significant role in designing. A tangle of necklaces and a pair of skinny sunglasses—with blue lenses, naturally—completed the outfit. A few hours later, Gilgeous-Alexander led his squad to victory, racking up 34 points and lending further credence to Deion Sanders's famous motto: 'If you look good, you play good.'
