Twenty twenty was the year that fashion brands really turned up the heat on the collaborative front. Every label worth its hype points was at it, from Stüssy and Gucci, who teamed up with Our Legacy and The North Face respectively, to Levi’s, who collaborated with just about everyone, from Lego and Super Mario to New Balance and Tyler, The Creator.

None, however, went as big as Converse. The Nike-owned brand not only put out some stellar shoes on its own (check out the platform-soled Run Star Hike) but also teamed up with the likes of Telfar, JW Anderson, Brain Dead, Comme des Garçons, Feng Chen Wang, Fear Of God, Ambush, Golf Le Fleur, A-Cold-Wall*, Lay Zhang, Carhartt, Paria Farzaneh, Moncler and Hiroshi Fujiwara. Phew.

Earlier this year the 112-year-old brand has announced that 2021 will be shaped by further partnerships with Telfar Clemens, Comme des Garçons Play, Off-White, and Tyler, The Creator. A collaboration with Boston-based store Concepts, which partnered with Lacoste in 2020, kickstarted Converse’s collaboration calendar back in February and a hook-up with ultra-hyped Chinatown Market is in the works.

For the first time too, Converse has partnered with Kim Jones, the artistic director of menswear at Dior. Jones is no stranger to a sneaker collaboration, having partnered with Nike’s Jordan Brand on last year’s sell-out high-top kicks and Shawn Stüssy on everyday lace-ups.

What’s more, we’ve already seen Jones put out logo-heavy, high-top, canvas sneakers under the Dior umbrella, so it’s not a total surprise that he has designed similar with a Chuck Taylor back tag and a Converse One Star embellishment. 

Unveiled today the collaborative project sees Jones leave his mark on the Chuck 70. "The design approach for the shoe was very straightforward, taking a very classic shoe and then almost encasing it in something to protect it," says Jones.

The designer has elongated and curved the rubber midsole to create an illusionary effect of elevation on the tonal sneaks, which come in cream and black. As well as this he has added a transparent TPU cage with speed lace eyelets to the canvas upper, giving them a more durable construction.

Completing Jones' collection are four garments: a water-resistant parka jacket, a brushed terry cotton crewneck sweatshirt, functional mesh and cotton cargo pants, and a dual-branded T-Shirt.

"There's an easy look to each of the pieces," says Jones. "I wanted each to be a modern version of the 'Take Ivy' vibe."

The collection launches on 8 April at converse.com