Converse (Paint the Town) RED Collection

Converse recently kicked off its (Paint the Town) RED campaign with a special sneaker design from renowned artist Parra. Moving forward, the project will see upcoming drops from the likes of Giovanni Estevez (September 25), Aaron Martin (October 16), and Cody Hudson (December 1). Each artist created their own interpretation of the almighty Chuck Taylor Hi, developing a nice contrast of artwork and colors for the collection. All three upcoming designs will see a release via Converse First String accounts as well as Converse.com. Offered below is a quick Q&A with Giovanni Estevez.

Photography: HYPEBEAST

Can you tell us about your design? What were you looking to achieve?

I wanted to design a shoe I can wear all the time, even if it’s raining. Keeping the color basic helps in that as well.

What’s your experience with creating a design for footwear? How does it differ from your usual medium?

I really don’t have any experience in designing footwear. This is my first project with shoes. There’s a first time for everything. My usual medium is drawing, so I approached it as if I was drawing right on the shoe.

Do you think more big companies should take the initiative in helping out on the philanthropy-based side of things much like the Converse (PRODUCT) RED project?

There are so many people that have so much in this world and there are so many people that have nothing, I think it’s a good thing to help others in any way possible.

What was the most enjoyable part about working with Converse?

Working with Ian Ginoza and Matthew Sleep from Converse was super smooth and I was honored to be part of the project. I feel it’s a great finished product and again happy it was possible.