CR Blog
1HUND(RED) Converse shoes on show
Graphic Design, Music Video / Film
Posted by Gavin Lucas, 14 October 2008, 13:50 Permalink Comments (9)

Further to our post about new book Art & Sole the other week, the latest project to marry art with sneakers can be explored at the Converse store on London's Carnaby Street – which is currently hosting an exhibition of sneakers designed by 100 different image makers for the Converse 1HUND(RED) Artists programme.
The exhibition showcases all of the 100 designs created for the 1HUND(RED) project, with each of the varied shoe designs containing a unique number located inside the shoe that identifies the artist who created the shoe. The numbers correspond to a page on converse.com that includes information about the artist, design inspirations and more details about the project.
Yes, OK, there have been an awful lot of these artist/shoe brand collaborations recently but this one is at least (in part) in a good cause – apparently 5 to 15% of the net proceeds (depending on the shoe) from every sale of the Converse (PRODUCT) RED range will go directly to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. (Is it just us or does 5 to 15% sound a little mean?)


Anyway, as well as the production versions of the shoes designed for the project, the exhibition also displays original hand-painted, customised shoes by a selection of Converse 1HUND(RED) contributors, including Ben Drury, David Rainbird and Precious McBane... Originals are framed on the wall with the production versions sitting below (as shown in the above image).
Here's a selection of sneakers on show at the exhibition...

Design #3: by Camilla Engman. Printed graphic on canvas upper

Design #58: by Steve Monti. Canvas upper with leather overlay

Design #30: by Jeremyville. Printed graphic on leather upper

Design #12: by Dr. Romanelli. Printed graphic on leather upper

Design #24: by Jeff Hamada. Printed graphic on canvas upper

Design #1: by Michael White

Design #37: by Grandpeople. Printed graphic on canvas upper

Design #56: by Agathe de Baillencourt. Handpainted original design submission. The production version of the shoe, which is also on show in the exhibition, looks pretty close to this too...
For more info about the designers and their designs, visit converse.com
The exhibition runs until Friday 31 October at the Converse store, upstairs at Size?, 33-34 Carnaby Street, London W1
PS: If you don't like any of the designs you see, you can always design your own on the Make Mine Red section of converse.com (although at the time of writing, they can only ship to the US)
9 Comments
Nice! :-)
2008-10-14 15:30:02
it's a nice concept!
2008-10-14 16:52:32
(Is it just us or does 5 to 15% sound a little mean?)
Meaner than a baked bean christmas dinner with Michael Winner.
If they will do a deal with the devil.
2008-10-14 21:16:00
“A piano manufacturer recently engaged artists to design modernist pianos. This was not done because there existed a widespread demand for modernist pianos. Indeed, the manufacturer probably expected to sell few. But in order to draw attention to pianos one must have something more than a piano. People at tea parties will not talk about pianos; but they may talk about the new modernist piano”
Bernays, E. (1928) Propaganda
Retrieved on 15th October 2008 from
http://www.historyisaweapon.org/defcon1/bernprop.html
2008-10-15 14:41:44
Converse 1HUND(RED) exhibition designed by Checkland Kindleysides. See http://www.checklandkindleysides.com
2008-10-16 19:35:53
nice keds!!!!
2008-11-24 23:12:32
Those certainly are some funky looking shoes!
2008-11-27 17:23:41
really nice looking shoes collection, is this Converse UK?
2009-10-28 10:35:23
man I've got a pair of converse at home I hand-painted wish I could show the converse company :(
2009-12-22 20:27:21
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