“When you think of wedge-heeled sneakers, you think Isabel Marant.”
So says Brandis Russell, general manager of Converse North America, explaining why the brand tapped the French designer for her first collaboration in the sneaker space.
“We knew she had a love for the Chuck (Taylor) and we were pleased that she was open to a conversation,” Russell said. “No one embodies effortless Parisian fashion like Isabel.”
The collaboration kicks off with a new take on the Chuck 70 Wedge incorporating a 2.5-inch heel, and variations on the Chuck 70 merged with various Marant codes and branding.
The shoes drop Sept. 11 on Isabelmarant.com and in Isabel Marant boutiques, including a pop-up within her location at 111 Rue de Turenne in Paris. Converse sales channels will be layered on starting Sept. 12.
The project dovetails with Gen Z’s heightened interest in Y2K fashions, and Converse’s efforts to connect with female consumers in new ways.
“We see natural cycles of shoes going low profile to high profile, but what is most unique about the young generations of today is how nostalgia is consumed and desired,” according to Russell. “Beyond nostalgia, wedge-heeled sneakers offer a confidence and comfort through a different stance and height.”
In an interview, Marant said she approached the Converse collaboration with great esteem and affection for Chuck Taylors, which still figure in her own shoe wardrobe.
“It’s grungy, rock ‘n’ roll, punk – it can be anything,” she said. “It’s really a super iconic shoe that that lasts for years and years, and that you never get fed up with.”
To wit: She approached her designs with reverence. “I didn’t want to go too far from the original,” she said. “We made it a little bit trashed and bohemian. I always loved how people customized the Chuck, and I always loved it when it’s a bit worn out and not so clean.”
The designer employed a frayed cotton and polyester jacquard and a raw-edged canvas, adding further spunk with multi-colored laces and a translucent outsole.
Marant’s penchant for sneakers with built-in heels stretch back to her childhood, when she would carve cork and insert slabs in her Stan Smiths.
“I wanted to look taller,” she said. “I always thought that a little lift was always looking better and giving you much nicer legs.”
Amid a wave of interest in hip-hop, and her forever love of high heels, Marant introduced a wedge sneaker in 2011 that catapulted her notoriety, and sold up a storm. Around 260,000 pairs of the Bekett have sold since then, picking up pace in the past six months amid heated discussion on TikTok.
Her second version, dubbed the Balskee, was launched in 2021 and roughly 50,000 pairs have sold to date, she said.
“New generations don’t know these sneakers, and they are really discovering it,” she said.
Marant has done relatively few collaborations outside her one-off collection for H&M back in 2013. When it came to the new partnership, the built-in heel, a feature of Converse’s recently introduced De Luxe Wedge and its Platform Plus model from 2014, offered a meeting point.
“It felt like the most natural way to collaborate for both brands: offering her trademark aesthetic on our icon, while also revisiting the wedge heel that she popularized in the broader fashion world,” Russell said.
Heeled sneakers have been a recent focus for Converse, along with other silhouettes including Mary Janes and sandals.
“Women have diverse needs, communities and style preferences,” Russell said. “Over the past few years, we’ve expanded our product range to ensure we are meeting those needs and providing value in her daily life.”