The Converse Chuck 70 a Creative First for tattoo artist, Dr. Woo
Converse, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nike, unveiled the Converse Chuck 70, a collaborative work between the brand and celebrity tattoo artist, Dr. Woo.
“I wanted something clean and not obvious or expected of me,” said Dr. Woo of his collaboration with Converse, which releases exclusively at Maxfield in Los Angeles.
Though the statement is directed to his articulation of the Converse Chuck 70, the idea could be applied to multiple facets of the born-and-raised Angeleno’s life.
Recently, he’s vocalised the desire to extend into other creative fields, with a particular interest in manipulating everyday objects that invite people into his finely curated, meticulous and beautiful world.
Dr. Woo’s Chuck 70 is the first output of how this use of creative energy comes to life.
An ode to the height of Chuck Taylor innovation as a basketball shoe in the 1970s, the Chuck 70 is a silhouette that Dr. Woo has worn throughout his life.
Describing them as “always relevant to me,” Dr. Woo says he used to “draw all over Chucks, tear ’em up. I tried to hold on to old pairs, but they always seemed to vanish like my youth…”
Today, the artist is telling stories in a way that can be playfully interpreted by the shoe’s wearer, creating a narrative that can be made one’s own through every little scuff, stain and natural patina.
The story of the spider and the fly transforms the Chuck 70’s canvas, delivering detailed, but minimalist aesthetics that allow for the exploration of literal and conceptual ideas.
Most evident is the story around the spider eating fly, but eyes within the artwork (and part of his Woo logo) act as a strong focal point on what communicating with each other and the creatures within our world mean today.
The key, Dr. Woo says, is to wear them “’til they are destroyed.” The story then gets personal as the spider embroidery gets rough, ripped and fuzzy. Then, it becomes a story of you and the shoe.
Nike was a four-time global winner of the World Branding Awards, in the Sports Retail category.
