On The Trail Of Lanzarote’s Dramatic Terrain With Converse

From basketball shoe to streetwear classic, Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars have been transcending the boundaries between sport, streetwear and global creative culture for over a century. Since the early ’80s – which marked the introduction of prints to the range of styles – the Chuck Taylor 70 has also provided a canvas for unbounded creativity. First came a camouflage print inspired by military uniform in ’83. A wilder turn was taken in ’88 with the introduction of animal prints that glowed in the dark. Each of the many prints that followed embodied the eternal cool of youth culture – authentically individual, yet true to the spirit of Converse.

Now, the distinctive vintage collection has been remastered to combine original designs with modern updates, from cotton canvas and high rubber sliding to an ultra cushioned footbed. To mark its relaunch in partnership with Sneakersnstuff, the cult global sneaker purveyor has released a limited-edition series of 100% cotton, USA-made blankets featuring oversize versions of the Archive Pack capsule collection designs. The first 50 customers who purchase a pair of the Archive Pack shoes online will receive a complimentary blanket with their order.

Inspired by the fearless nature of the new edition, we shot three styles in equally bold surroundings – on Lanzarote, the northernmost island in the Canary archipelago, situated in the Atlantic Ocean 100 km to the east of the Moroccan coastline. Having been transformed by monumental volcanic activity in the 18th century, the island possesses a subtropical-desert climate, characterised by sloping mountains and lava fields shot through with flashes of green clustered cacti, here and there dotted with a lonely palm tree.

Within this extraordinary environment, the Converse Chuck 70 Archive Pack capsule collection met its match. Inspired by both the similarities and the contrasts between the prints and the landscapes, we traveled around the island to showcase three pairs – camouflage, zebra and leopard – in surroundings that felt as natural as they did surreal. Hovering above scraggly skeletal bushes, balanced on the peaks of black basalt rocks, or amongst a prickly pear cactus plant, each pair appeared to be in its element: playful, eye-catching and nimble.

We took the Archive Pack collection and its accompanying blankets up into the hills surrounding the Caldera Riscada crater, effervescently illuminated by the stark morning sun. Then it was on to the volcanoes of Timanfaya National Park and its Montañas del Fuego (“Fire Mountains”), where the enlarged patterns on the blankets stood out against the craggy monochrome environment, rugged and wind-whipped. Later, as the sun idly descended behind the island’s silhouettes, the agricultural area of La Geria – with its unique pockmarked hollows coated in a layer of black volcanic ash – set the scene for shots of a softer tone, bathing everything in a golden light.

The Converse Chuck 70 Archive Pack capsule collection dropped on 1st March 2019 and is available on converse.com, via Sneakersnstuff’s online and retail stores, and at selected fashion retailers worldwide.

This editorial was created in collaboration with Converse.

Photographer: Franz Grünewald
Creative Director: Nik Schulte
Model & Stylist: Sissi Pohle
Text: Anna Dorothea Ker