If you’ve read some of our previous articles, you know that we stan Converse sneakers. All Stars are not just a style of sneaker, they represent the good old days. I’m sure we all have a nostalgic memory of our favorite Converse sneakers. With all that being said, one way Converse has stayed relevant through notable collaborations such as Comme des Garcons and most recently, Paris based designer Rick Owens or as some call him; Lord of the darkness.
About Rick Owens
Rick Owens is an American designer based in Paris known for his exaggerative style and penchant for provoking the boundaries of design. He was reportedly not a big fan of sneakers but has quite a few sneaker collaborations under his belt with Adidas, Veja, Dr Martens and Birkenstock, to name a few. His recent collaboration with Converse has brought about the re-imagined Converse Weapon, now styled as Converse TURBOWPN, Converse TURBODRK and most recently, Converse DRKSTAR; all released under his brand: DRKSHDW.
Image source: businessoffashion.com
Converse DRKSHDW TURBODRK
With his love for bringing to life the unimaginable, the TURBODRK is definitely a testimony to this sentiment. His style of Chuck Taylor 70’s distorts the round toe cap we have all come to love. It introduces the edgy square rubber toe cap. You’ve heard that thick thighs save lives? Well thick soles might just do the trick too. This collaboration saw three toe caps added with two layers of rubber out-sole, high tongue, to give the shoe a chunky and edgy look.
He first released his version of the classic Chuck Taylor 70 High Tops at his fall 2021 men’s show in Venice, Italy.
DRKSHDW TURBOWPN
DRKSHDW TURBOWPN is a mutated version of the popular 80s Converse Weapon high tops famously worn by basketball icons Magic Johnson and Larry Bird; with their thick soles, extra tall tongue and black leather silhouette. Rick Owens definitely took the phrase ‘bigger is better, and better is bigger’ to another level with this pair. These Turbowpn’s are hefty and guaranteed to have you feeling grounded in your stride. They are available only in black although Nike has hinted that more colourways of this shoe will roll out eventually.
Converse DRKSTAR
Highsnobiety.com are calling these Rick Owens’ most wearable Chuck Taylors yet. By now you are quite familiar with the way in which Rick Owens a.k.a Lord of the darkness’ loves to take the normal and turn it in to the abnormal. However this pair seems to be the normal looking of the bunch, with a few extra quirks of course. The DRKSTAR may seem minimalist at best however the iconic extra tall tongue, hefty rubber soles definitely remind you that this is a DRKSHDW release. This pair features a rounded toe cap rather than the distorted square toe cap previously seen on the Turbodrk. They are also available as high tops or low tops, depending on your preference.
What is to come?
For someone who was not such a fan of sneakers, his version of the classic Chucks is definitely eye-catching and speak to the artistic prowess of the designer. Also, it makes us wonder as to what as the Lord of the darkness has in store for us with future Converse collaborations. We are living under unimaginable times, so maybe it is time we adopt some unimaginable styles. This can be done by copping a pair or three, of these releases.
Stay tuned for more…
