This summer, Converse has partnered with a series of iconic stores and crews around the world on a batch of special One Star sneakers. Converse follows its collab with Tokyo's Neighborhood and LA's UNDEFEATED with the Parisian 'Triple C’ project involving long-term collaborators colette and the legendary Club 75 crew.
This is the first One Star colette has produced and its arguably the perfect representation of how the fashion, streetwear and skate scenes have blended. The international skate scene has arguably never been more relevant — and it’s down to its influence in fashion.
colette this year celebrates its 20th birthday as one of the world’s most influential retail and fashion spaces. Its co-founder, Sarah Andelman, has led it since its inception. The store, which lies a few doors down from some of Paris’ more well-known skate shops, has also been one of the first to chip away at the wall separating 'high' fashion from 'streetwear’ since it first opened. "It was absolutely natural for us to carry these two worlds already back in 1997," explains Andelman. "Streetwear has always been for us as creative as 'high' fashion and a reflection of our time."
"The One Star is a true classic," explains Michael Dupouy, co-founder of the Club 75 collective, along with Pedro "Busy P" Winter (who founded the legendary Ed Banger records) and Bertrand "So-Me" de Langeron, the renowned graphic designer. Dupouy is also the guy behind communication agency La MJC as well as the yearly encyclopedic retrospective on all things streetwear, All Gone. "I grew up wearing Converse," he explains, "for me, the brand has always stayed true to its roots; it’s timeless and extremely important when it comes to sneaker history."
"I keep on saying Paris is burning more than ever now," he adds. "We do have some great energy, our skate scene is constantly growing, new crews popping here and there. Paris has a powerful creative youth scene and the vibe in this city has always been an interesting mix of 'grimy meets chic', which makes it unique."
The grimy-chic mix of Paris that Club 75 is a part of, together with the unique relationship Paris fosters between the world of fashion and streetwear, the underground cultural scene and the skating community, is the DNA that forms the 'Triple C’ collection. Three pairs of sneakers, available in either red, white or blue, reflect the French colors of the Tricolour. Red and white are applied across two Converse Chuck Taylor All Star '70s, while the One Star appears in a rich French blue. Dupouy lead the overall 'Triple C' project from a design perspective, with his team combining Club 75’s 'cat head' logo with colette’s famous two blue dots that then became the cat’s eyes. Meanwhile So-Me created the different patches that come with the sneakers, allowing who ever cops them to add their personal touch.
The sneakers are out now on Converse.com and exclusively in stores at colette and Club 75 from today for €100.
