JW Anderson and Converse Get Imaginative with New_Classics

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 (shown below) is available exclusively through JW Anderson Workshops and jw-anderson.com.

In addition to the collection, a limited-edition print publication featuring Larry Clark’s work from all three parts of the Converse x JW Anderson collection will be available at select Converse stores and JW Anderson Workshops.