After last year’s futuristic take on the Chuck 70 and Pro Leather, AMBUSH® co-founder Yoon Ahn entered Converse’s deep archives and landed on an unanticipated path to her second collaboration with the Boston-based brand.
“In my head, I always think of the Chuck Taylor,” Ahn says. “But what was really interesting looking in the archive was finding the many different shoes Converse has made over the years.”
Her visit revealed an array of women’s footwear from the ’50s, mid-century military shoes and, most exciting, a nearly 110-year-old knee-high wading boot. “When I saw the freshwater fishing boots, all of a sudden, I thought ‘this is actually really fresh,’‘ says Ahn. “I didn’t know Converse had made them and I wanted to bring out that side of the brand again.”
The latest AMBUSH® articulation pulls Converse’s outdoor heritage through with a buoyant refresh of a classic Duck boot, complete with flooded colors (including neutral black and an energetic Blithe Blue) and sculptural lines. In full form, Converse x AMBUSH® CTAS Duck Boot grants a genderless urbanity to functionality.
Bridging outdoor inspiration and bright colors also informs the Converse x AMBUSH® Chuck 70 — but in a more fantastical fashion. Ahn adds a playful signature, a fuzzy upper made of Longwool, to the classic silhouette. “Why not do something that almost mimics a wild creature?” she asks. “I thought it could be such a fun pairing.”
The Converse x AMBUSH® CTAS Duck Boot and Chuck 70 Fuzzy release November 21 in Greater China. A global release follows November 24.
