Editors’ Pick: Converse/Missoni’s Chuck Taylor All Star ’70 Oxfords, and Deck Star Slip-on Sneakers

Just when you think you have had enough of all the fashion collaborations, two unlikely brands come together in a unique and fashion forward way. From Pharrell Williams’s collaboration with G-Star Raw to Lily Pulitzer for Target to Balmain cozying up to H&M, if you want to get some good press and a lot social media to your brand cultivate a collaboration with a recognizable celebrity or fashion house and watch the consumers buy out your product.

When you thing of recent fashion collaborations two of the most unlikely bedfellows is Converse Chuck Taylors and Missoni. Known for their schizophrenic zigzag patterns, Missoni has collaborated with Converse in the past. However, this collaboration is perhaps equally the most fashion forward and retail friendly.

Inspired by the confluence of Southern European style and subtle Maghrebian influences, these summer sneaks are a journey into both worlds. The summer 2015 Converse Chuck Taylor collection first debuted on the Milan runway, and shares its inspiration with the Missoni men’s spring/summer 2015 collection—drawing references from the urban surfer as he travels along the Southern European and North African coastlines in search of the next great surf break, and a slice of bohemian hedonism.

The summer-ready silhouettes reintroduce the toweling effect to loom knits that were once a dominant feature in Missoni’s often-bold menswear.  This technique has been applied to a multi-stitch jacquard that forms the uppers of both the Chuck Taylor All Star ’70 oxford, and Deck Star slip-on sneakers; a space-dyed mix of cotton, rayon and flax creating a vivid, rich textural surface with yellow, earthy accents. Solid egret white midsoles, toecaps and heel tabs compliment the look, and the collection is grounded with Missoni’s signature terracotta canvas on the sockliners.

Converse First String is a limited-edition collection that celebrates craftsmanship, authenticity and collaboration at the highest level. The Converse Chuck Taylor All Star ‘70 and Deck Star Missoni sneakers is now available for purchase at Converse flagship stores in New York and San Francisco, as well as with select premium retailers worldwide including 290sqm in Amsterdam. These sneakers retail for $200.

—William S. Gooch