Converse is at it again, infusing its classic silhouettes with enough utility to brave the winter months in the second iteration of its seasonal cold-weather collection of outdoor footwear, the Converse Mountain Club.
The idea behind Mountain Club is to see how far technical materials and design can take these classic footwear styles. For example, most styles in the collection, including the Chuck Taylor MC18, are inspired by the Extreme Cold Weather Boot, a rubber military boot Converse manufactured in the 1950s.
Converse originally started out as the Converse Rubber Shoe Company, working with rubber products like tires, duck hunting boots and even hockey pucks. However, during World War II, the company shifted its production toward the war effort, producing boots and protective, weatherized gear for the troops. One of those products was its Extreme Cold Weather Boot, now a testament to the brand’s varied past.
Today, Converse is well known as a lifestyle footwear brand. However, that doesn’t mean the Mountain Club collection doesn’t boast technical chops.
The Mountain Club’s version of the Chuck Taylor All Star Lugged Winter women’s shoe boasts a lugged outsole with an inner bootie made of Gore-Tex lined with soft fleece. Additionally, a new silhouette joined the Mountain Club this year: the Bosey MC, a toe-guarded silhouette Converse describes as “rugged” that was reinterpreted from similar styles worn in the 1940s.
The Chuck Taylor MC18 and the Bosey MC will be available on Nov. 7 from the brand’s website while the Chuck 70 Bosey and Chuck Taylor All Star Lugged Winter styles are available now.
In September, Converse released an upcycled denim collection that is part of the brand’s efforts to celebrate the use of renewed materials in its designs.