Converse Takes Pride In Making A Stand

Posted by Karlo Samson on June 14, 2016 in Style | Leave a comment

In the wake of the recent mass shooting at a gay club in Orlando, Florida, which senselessly claimed the lives of 50 people, it’s time more than ever to show people that hate will not be tolerated, that peace, love and respect are more powerful than bigotry.

I’m glad that Converse as a brand visibly and vocally supports the efforts of the LGBTA community’s Global Pride movement, a worldwide initiative to promote universal tolerance, diversity and equality. Their 2016 Converse Pride Collection could not have been released at a more appropriate time, when the rainbow message of the Pride movement needs to be shared more passionately.

The Spring 2016 Pride Collection finds executions on both hi-top and ox Chuck Taylors. Rainbow spatters define the look on both the black and the white colorways, with rainbow aglets (the plastic things on the end of shoelaces), rainbow license plates, and rainbow markings on the outsole.

I’m not quite sure whether the Pride 2016 Woven editions will be available domestically or even the other models in the collection, but I do hope they find their way into local stores. Diversity, you know?

Still, these two colorways make for a fabulous fashion statement that also delivers a message of inclusion in diversity, something that’s badly needed in this fragmented world. The shoes retail for PhP3,990.

Just to make clear, the 2016 Pride collection was released before the Pulse shooting happened. It’s not some corporate stunt to take advantage of a bad situation. Converse has been doing this for several years now and has proven its genuine support for Pride. The timing of this story is entirely mine.