









Converse gets personal this Spring/Summer 2015 with its "Made by You" campaign, calling on near-legendary creatives in the worlds of art, music and fashion to show off their very own worn-in Chuck Taylor All Stars. Patti Smith, Andy Warhol, Glenn O'Brien and Futura are among the ones whose shoes are featured, which are painted, studded, dyed and beat up. "Fans of Chuck Taylor are the ones who have made Chuck Taylor an iconic badge of creative self-expression and [chose] to express themselves in Chuck for years," says Ian Stewart, Vice President of Global Marketing at Converse.
Futura in particular holds this project dear to his heart. "I grew up on Chucks, and back in the day, they were the most affordable sneakers. On my Flickr account, you can see over 100 Converse-tagged images taken from around the world, from Casablanca to Tokyo to Dubai," Futura tells us. His Chuck Taylor All Star is the classic black and white high-top with splatters of colorful paint readily seen in his graffiti works. Futura goes on to say, "The 'Made by you' portraits remind me of my own sneaker photos. Each image tells a story about that specific moment in time: what part of the country I was in; what I was doing; who was with me. 'Made By You' not only celebrates the people who have made the Chuck Taylor more than a sneaker; it also seeks to unleash their continued creative expression around the globe."
To showcase Futura and others' All Stars, Converse will hold interactive galleries around the world starting with New York this week, with plans to travel to London, Beijing and Mexico City. If you are in New York, you can see these sneaker portraits up close at Flatiron Plaza starting March 2. There will also be virtual reality experience installations by other artists who are part of the campaign like Ron English and King Tuff.
Learn more about "Made by You" and shop Converse's Spring/Summer 2015 Chuck Taylor All Stars here.