American fashion and streetwear designer Jerry Lorenzo – founder of the luxury streetwear label Fear of God – has teamed up with Converse for another bold collaboration.
The resulting Converse X Fear of God Essentials Skidgrip sneaker reimagines Converse Skidgrip sneaker, giving the classic (yet relatively under-the-radar) 80s shoe a bolder and more vibrant, attention-grabbing look and feel.
According to Converse owners, Nike, Lorenzo fell in love with the shoe after moving from California to South Florida in the late 80s. Nods to the character-rich decade are found in the bold pattern on the colourful high-top kicks.
“I found the Skidgrip in the mall and it became my favorite shoe from that summer,” says Lorenzo of the shoe. “In South Florida and California kids surf and skate; those cultures naturally blended. Even though I wasn’t a skater or a surfer, mixing in pieces from those cultures allowed me to move through different segments of friends.”
The freshly released shoe features a padded collar and OrthoLite sock liner. Co-branding is found on the tongue, and the shoe also features Fear of God Essentials and Chuck 70 vintage license plates.
The Skidgrip was actually first released in 1910(!) – a fact that proves how ageless most of the brand’s models are.
The reimagined shoes released on August 27 for a retail price of $120 USD.
