It Took Two Centuries to Bring These Ancient American Makers Together... in Japan
Brooks Brothers and Converse made a collaborative set of Chuck Taylor sneakers. Could anything be more American?
Actually, yes. Almost anything actually would be.
Brooks Brothers was founded in the early part of the 19th century in New York. Converse was founded about a hundred years later in Massachusetts, circa 1910. They remain icons of American fashion history.
Admittedly, they're now owned by giant conglomerates, but at least they're American conglomerates, right?
What's weird about Brooks Brothers and Converse's collaborative Chuck Taylors, though, is that they're not American at all. It's pure Japan.
This is a collaboration between Brooks Brothers Japan and Converse Japan. The former is a joint venture between the American Brooks Brothers and DAIDOH Limited, whereas the latter is an entity entirely unrelated its Nike-owned counterpart.
As such, this is perhaps the most American Japanese collaboration imaginable.
Despite their cross-cultural backstory, the resulting shoes are quite normal. They repurpose the Converse All Star LGCY, a Japan-only model that's basically Converse Japan's answer to Converse America's Chuck 70, with thicker canvas uppers, thicker rubber soles, and similarly premium touches.
(Trivia: the Chuck 70, which is not sold in Japan, is so tremendously popular in Japan that it's resold for upwards of $150, nearly double the price $85-$90 retail price in America. This is not because of its higher quality, though — the Chuck 70 pales in comparison to Japan's Vibram-soled Converse Addict — but because it's an American innovation and therefore connotes an air of Western exoticism)
Brooks Brothers' Converse All Star LGCY is wildly ordinary, wearing the navy and white tones inherent to the BB brand.
The sole is navy, which is a nice touch but, otherwise, these are some pretty standard Converse Chuck-likes.
Available on Brooks Brothers Japan's website for $100-110 apiece, depending on height, the collaborative Chuck All Star LGCY sneakers make you wonder why Brooks Brothers and Converse haven't partnered up in the past. Brooks Brothers America has only collaborated on Fila and Sperry sneakers, for reference, leaving the door wide open for something special.
Then again, Brooks Brothers America — and most of the Western originals, really — can't compare to its Japanese sibling in terms of pure heritage steeze.
Only BB Japan is dishing $1,200 Ring Jacket blazers and $2,000 coats based on archival garments. And only BB Japan is fulfilling its destiny with Converse (Japan).
