Converse Is Closing Out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Signature Line With One Last Shoe
Months after Shai left for Nike, Converse is closing out his SHAI 001 line with one final release.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander left Converse for Nike back in June, ending a six-year run that included his back-to-back MVP seasons and his first-ever signature shoe. The Converse SHAI 001 Lace Up, dropping this month, is the final piece of that chapter, the second and last construction on the SHAI 001 platform before the brand’s biggest recent star moves fully over to the Swoosh.
Gilgeous-Alexander says he’s excited about what’s next at Nike, but wanted to finish what he started at Converse first. In sneaker culture, most athlete-brand splits don’t come with a proper send-off release like this.
The Lace Up trades the original SHAI 001’s zippered shroud for a traditional laced construction, while keeping the shoe’s sculptural shape intact. It launches in three colourways: Cheetah, with a padded, cheetah-print tongue and two-tone colour-blocking, plus Lime and Berry, both brighter, more expressive takes. Underneath, nothing about the performance build has changed. There’s a puffed, moulded upper, a Nike Zoom Air unit at the forefoot, and radial traction built for quick cuts and change of direction. It’s also the first SHAI 001 to come in kids’ sizing, giving younger players the same silhouette adults have been wearing.
The illustrations across the release come from Jacob Rochester, a multidisciplinary artist working across painting, drawing, graphic design and music.
The Converse SHAI 001 Lace Up launches globally 14 August in Lime and Berry, followed by Cheetah on 3 September, at Converse.com and select retailers, £100 for adults, £80 for kids.
Credits:
Images courtesy of Converse
Words: Roisin Teeling @roisinteeling
Converse.com
