June is finally upon us, and with it comes longer days, sweeter nights, and the official kickoff of Pride month. Getting in on the annual rainbow onslaught is none other than streetwear staple Converse. For the 6th year in a row, Converse is releasing a Pride collection and headlining this years offerings with a retro-inspired skater favorite. The all-new Converse x Alexis Sablone sneakers pull inspiration from every corner of LGBTQ history and a silhouette inspired by the X Games athlete. So hit the jump for all the details on this and every new piece of this pop punk Pride puzzle.
Converse Pride Collection pulls extreme sports inspo
The history of LGBTQ fashion is as boundless as it is beautiful, and like many counter-culture movements of the late 20th century, found plenty of overlap in the skate and punk communities as well. These new Converse lows might seem a little plain at first glance, but a keen eye can a few standout features that are worth celebrating.
Sporting a minimalist crème colorway, the headliners take a vastly different approach than the rest of the collection. From stratospheric Chuck Taylors to some rainbow hiking boots that could’ve been pulled straight off a Sailor Moon character, these plain white lows stick out like a sore thumb. On the heel tab, you’ll find a lone rainbow concession – the “More Color, More Pride” flag stitched between the seams. The embossed exterior is countered by some internal color on the tongue and sockliner, though.
Converse Pride Collection: more than meets the eye
The unique patterning etched into the plush white fabric features a Greek Lambda symbol, common is advanced math and architecture, and an oft forgotten icon of LGBTQ history. It was uncommon, used most frequently by the Lambda society of Denmark in the early 90s. That, paired along with historic transgender emblem resting in a field of gold on the tongue, is a subtle homage not just to our boisterous present, but the struggles of the past that persist today.
Staying both iconic and affordable, this piece like much of this collection levels out at around $80. Everything but these headliner kicks are available now on the Converse website. The shoes start at $30 for some “Pride Slides”, or even as low at $20 for a branded tank, and reaching as much as $115 for the hikers. These unique sneakers, however, will become available on June 4 at the same.
9to5Toys’ take:
I’ve been rocking the same pair, (okay, not literally the same pair, my cobbling skills aren’t that strong,) of high-top Chuck Taylors since high school. They go with everything – dresses, streetwear, and I’ve even wore mine in the ocean. These new offerings are stylish, almost poetic in its design, and capture that same impervious aesthetic Converse is known for. My only complaint is that in the sea of companies changing their twitter headers and pushing out rainbow merch, Converse isn’t on the forefront in terms of what it’s doing for LGBTQ people, rather than what it’s selling to us. Unlike Kate Spade, putting its money where its merch is with a $150,000 donation towards the Trevor Project with its new Pride collection.
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