rick owens reshapes the converse chuck 70 with a square-toe execution

during its fall 2021 show on the lido in venice, rick owens debuted the TURBODORK chuck 70, the first design of his DARKSHDOW partnership with converse. the shoe follows owen’s practice of confident contortion of cultural signifiers. his choices bend and reshape the shoe — extending the tongue and squaring-off the toe, the first time the famed converse has presented in this execution in its century of existence.

images courtesy of converse

‘when I think of converse, I think of the black-and-white chuck taylors and the punk rock generation,’ says owens. ‘these have always been iconic pillars of my aesthetic. wearing chuck taylors, you align yourself with a generation that was experimental. there is a confident dynamic to the subculture.’

the rick owens X converse collaboration doesn’t come as a surprise. converse’s black and white canvas footwear and owen’s stark universe of modernist minimalism and contemporary luxury have existed independently while being distinctly connected through the years. it’s a connection that led owens to introduce the DRKSHDW SS14 RAMONES, a subversive interpretation of converse’s first basketball silhouette and a classic signifier of culture — the chuck taylor all star.

‘when I see something ubiquitous, I feel like I want to distort it,’ owens continues. ‘I don’t know what that’s about. maybe it’s some kind of adolescent rage. but that’s one of the greatest appeals of the chuck taylor all star.’

stay tuned as the converse x rick owens DRKSHDW collaboration unrolls throughout 2021.

project info:

name: TURBODORK chuck 70

part of: converse x rick owens collaboration – DRKSHDW