Aw, the CDG Play x Converse Heart Is Shy
Model: Chuck Taylor All Star High and Low
Season: Fall/Winter 2021
Buy: Dover Street Market Ginza
Price: ¥16,500 (about $151) for the low-top and ¥17,050 (about $156) for the high-top
Release Date: September 23
Editor's Notes: Nothing divides a crowd quite like the inimitable CDG Play Converse. Sometimes dubbed "the shoes with the heart," the collaborative Chuck Taylors have built quite a following off the strength of Filip Pągowski's iconic red heart.
So when they get even a slight makeover, it's cause for attention.
For Fall/Winter 2021, the kicks are receiving a fairly slight revision. You still have high and low tops in neutral black and white tones, foxing-free midsoles, contrasting heel panel, and the typically elevated quality of Converse's Chuck '70, as the shoes' devotees have come to expect.
Now, though, there's an additional bit of white stitching at the midfoot, cutting that giant heart logo right through the middle. Will this bisected branding make the collab only half as popular? Eh, probably not, especially considering that the heart has been split for a while
The only real barrier to these shoes' success is the fact that they're a Japan-exclusive, at least for now. Maybe it's a matter of testing the waters, given that the design is a little more dramatic.
On one hand, it's a step towards removing that heart wholesale, which would truly be a big move for CDG Play, perhaps the most branding-conscious COMME des GARÇONS sub-label (maybe more so than CDG, even).
The split composition is kinda the kid-friendly version of COMME's groundbreaking mainline designs, which eschewing convention in favor of textural experiments and amorphous silhouettes distantly removed from the human form.
These sneakers are infinitely more palatable for the average consumer but by tinkering with that moneymaking print, they're at least partially honoring the Japanese company's deconstructionist ethos.
On the other, the CDG Play Converse practically sells itself, regardless of iteration. It doesn't hurt that the new design is kinda cute, with the heart logo's giant eyes peeking over the stitches as if it's feeling bashful.
Maybe it speaks to COMME feeling a bit self-conscious of that huge logo.
Given the scale of COMME's recent commercial pushes, though, it's more likely that these shoes speak to the CDG Play design team being, well, a bit playful.
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