Converse Makes Chucks With Second-Hand Hawaiian Shirts, And No 2 Pairs Are Alike

By Mikelle Leow, 30 Apr 2021

Images via Converse

With warmer days on the horizon and travel restrictions still in place, Converse is putting dusty Hawaiian shirts to use by designing Chuck 70 sneakers out of them.

The uppers of its new Tropical Shirt Chuck 70 sneakers, created alongside vintage fashion brand Beyond Retro, are made from different second-hand Hawaiian shirts collected across the US.

There’s a method to this whimsicality. The vivid sneakers feature duo panels from two contrasting shirts to allow “tropical colors and floral patterns [to] collide,” ensuring that every pair is one-of-a-kind.

The gesture for sustainability covers the entire shoe—the outsole is constructed from 13% recycled manufacturing waste, and its tongue and heel stay are made out of 36% recycled polyester and 13% recycled cotton. To tie it altogether, it uses 100% upcycled shoelaces.

The Tropical Shirt Chuck 70s are unisex, and are available in low-top (US$90) and high-top (US$95) forms.

“With Converse upcycling, we pioneered a new footwear process by which nearly any pre-worn textile can be cleaned, cut and crafted into a new canvas for our Chuck,” a spokesperson for Converse shared with DesignTAXI in an email. “We started with denim but didn’t stop there as the options for sensible expression are endless. This season, we’re leaping into the world of bold, bright fabrics and saying “Aloha” with upcycled Tropical Shirts sourced by UK–based fashion and vintage retailer, Beyond Retro.

“A quintessential vintage piece with so much potential for upcycling, approximately 7,000 Tropical Shirts were diverted from landfill and transformed into a vibrant array of one-of-a-kind Converse Chuck 70s. Because Tropical Shirts are as unique as they are fun, no two pairs in this limited-edition collection are exactly alike.”

In similar fashion, New Balance has also recently unveiled all-different sustainable sneakers built with surplus shoe parts.