Perhaps not everyone knows that already in 2014 the RAMONES DRKSHDW were directly inspired by the Converse Chuck Taylor. It was never hidden by the designer, that All Stars were a source of great inspiration:
"After being inspired by Converse on several occasions, it's an honor to have been asked to collaborate with this brand." R. Owens
The iconic Chuck Taylor All-Stars are then revisited, in two models ( Hi and Ox ) but not only, the representation and metaphor that Owens wants to show the world is shaped.
A deep, creative experimentation, just like the symbol that the Converse model had become for Punk in the 70s and for the Grunge subculture of the 90s. Breaking out of the box to rework the use of an object born for sport and making it a new shape, a distinctive object, for the most extreme, for the most creative, for those who want to stand out in every sense.
"When I think of Converse, I think of black and white Chuck Taylors and the punk rock generation. These have always been iconic pillars of my aesthetic." R. Owens
The further touch, in addition to the shape, is in the frame that Owens builds for the presentation of the new capsule collection : Dark (like DRKSHDW ), irreverent, because it is outside of any common canon of beauty and clarity and also because, in addition, he has chosen two models that embody the dark alternative to the glossy standards that are all so drastically and profoundly the same.
Who are the models appearing in the Converse Rick Owens 2021 shoot?
The figures appearing in the shootings are also the founders of a multidisciplinary brand that expresses ideas without censorship: Fecal Matter . Founded in 2016 by Montreal duo Steven Raj Bhaskaran and Hannah Rose Dalton , Fecal Matter presents an alternative to restrictive beauty standards by offering products that connect fashion, cinema, politics, music and everything that is forbidden in order to promote critical thinking. Making use of further collaboration, not appearing to be the only protagonist, but on the contrary, giving space to those who contribute to creativity and freedom tout court, means fully understanding the meaning of the new Era of the Human Spirit: synergy and collaboration will take us to a new level, to a new stage of elevation and coexistence.
It is not just an economic issue, but a deep and philosophical art form in which Owens continues to show us the way, breaking down prejudices, selfishness and the standardized single thought, now old and falling. "Let's collaborate" and "let's create together "something unique" is the mantra of renewal that is transmitted to us. This is his message that embodies hope and renewal: what appears dark and sacrilegious is actually a new aesthetic form that only needs to be understood and comprehended. Each of us can make the difference, have the intuition, the idea, but to make it fantastic and incredible, synergy and collaboration are absolutely necessary.
These Converse go beyond the mere custom All Stars. Rick Owens' Chuck Taylors are a style, a philosophy that goes beyond fashion, the moment, the state of things: they are a lifestyle to understand, embrace and marry. Our dark side is not always dark and scary, but a place to illuminate and understand, a place where you can finally let go and like yourself.