Never underestimate what a little collaborative input from the outside can do to shake things up. Such is the case of the Converse and A-COLD-WALL*’s Aeon Active CX, a collaboration manifesting in an experimental silhouette utilizing the sports brand’s established material technologies with the future-forward fashion explorations of London-based designer Samuel Ross.
Ross and his fashion imprint A-COLD-WALL* identify as the fashionable extension of “architecture and industrial design.” If so, these sneakers, with its tech-graphical uppers positioned above an amorphous – even rudimentary – textured midsole roughly lathered across a thin translucent outsole lands in the realm of wonderfully-weird. The “healing jade” midsole is especially aesthetically captivating, a sort of evocation of indoor rock climbing holds in shape, its raw composition perhaps embracing the midsole’s 12 percent recycled factory floor scraps origins.
Despite its unfamiliar silhouette – at least in comparison to the majority of Converse’s catalog – the Aeon Active CX shares a considerable amount of structural and material DNA with other Converse’s CX foam sneakers. Like its aesthetically distant canvas covered counterparts, the Aeon Active CX is structured over a single-density PU insole and lightweight phylon midsole. The upper’s laceless elastic stretch bootie and combo mesh upper is designed to slip easily over feet offering a secure fit, while an exaggerated heel kick and TPU heel wedge give somewhere to gain a foothold for hands-off removal. In sum the shoe isn’t identifiably Converse and more of an extension of Samuel Ross’s A-COLD-WALL* future-ready collection, but the Aeon Active CX’s off-the-beaten path design seems wholly appropriate for sneakers the designer himself hopes inspires customization.
The Converse x A-COLD-WALL* Aeon Active CX debuts in two colorways – Micro Chip/Healing Jade/Black, on April 6 exclusively through A-COLD-WALL* and via Converse.com on April 12, then a month later in Black/Black/Apple Green colorway on May 8 via A-COLD-WALL*, with a larger release on Converse.com on May 12.
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