Kicking up with Converse
A group of sneaker enthusiasts brings footwear firm's limited editions to Bangkok
Enter Converse Carnival and the first thing you notice is the blue wall painted with cute cartoons depicting an amusement park. The next thing you see are the shelves, most of them stacked with limited editions and rare Converse sneakers from around the world.
Converse Carnival belongs to 30 year-old entrepreneur Anupong Kuttikul and his friends, all them collectors of smart Converse canvas shoes. Deciding this was a passion that really should be shared with others, they opened a flagship store and started to put together rare Converse sneakers from all over the world.
“Our sneakers mostly come from Japan and America. These days, Converse sneakers are made in China, Vietnam and Indonesia,” Anupong says. “Today’s trend for vintage fashion has made Converse popular again with Thai youngsters.”
Besides the basic designs from a distributor in Thailand, the store presents more than 50 limited editions including the sneakers on which Converse collaborated with designer John Varvotos, with popular fashion brand Comme Des Garcons and with such textile companies as Marimekko from Finland and Missoni from Italy.
Diverse in materials and designs, you can find luxurious boat shoes made from quality suede, smart leather boots and funky sneakers made from woven textiles.
“Our store has a series of Converse shoes in different patterns that are hard to find in shopping malls,” Anupong says. “Most customers follow us on Facebook. Our page got more than 30,000 ‘Likes’ in a year.”
The sneakers range in price from Bt2,000 to Bt13,000 depending on the design. The most popular are sneakers from the music series like “All Star “Pink Floyd” and “All Star The Clash Black”, along with a rare selection inspired by popular American comics like “All Star X DC Comic: Superman” and “All Star DC Comic “Batman/Joker”.
Collectors shouldn’t miss the rare sneakers Converse X Jackass and Converse X Fragment Hiroshi Fujiwara. Anupong says the series currently scoring highest with the young crowd is John Varvatos Star Player and Multi Eyelets.
“We plan to open a new store in Siam Square soon, where we’ll present fashionable sneakers from Onitsuka, Converse and Vans,” he says.
AT A RUN
Converse Carnival is located on the first floor of Siamkij Building in Siam Square. It’s open daily from 10am to 9pm. Call (02) 664 4598, (084) 875 3333 or visit Facebook.com/ conversecarnival, www.ConverseFreak.com.
