As the sneaker industry grapples with overproduction and waste, Converse is continuing to innovate around what can be upcycled into shoes. On Tuesday, the brand launched the latest style in its rotating Upcycled capsule collection. Dubbed the Upcycled Flannel Chuck 70, its uppers are made from post-consumer flannel material.
Converse first launched an Upcycled capsule in 2015 as an in-house experiment. But in 2017, the company linked with textile sourcing partner and recycler Beyond Retro to scale the collection for consumers.
“The initial in-house experiment served as the foundation for an important question: What can’t you make the Chuck Taylor [style] out of? Our team found that the only limit is imagination,” said Brandon Avery, vp of global innovation at Converse. “We can make our footwear out of just about anything: automobile seats, coats and even waterproof envelopes.” Converse’s previous Upcycled capsules, launched from 2019 and 2022, incorporated old denim and velvet clothes.
“We visited [Beyond Retro’s] factory in India to work through the process and explore how we could connect our respective supply chains,” said Avery. “It may seem easy: You have a pair of denim jeans or a flannel shirt, and you’re cutting it into a sneaker upper. But when your supply chain typically leverages rolled [bales of cloth], a mindset and process shift are required across partners to maximize the approach from an efficiency, feasibility and profitability lens.”
With the Upcycled Flannel capsule collection, Converse defined flannel patterns it wanted to feature and Beyond Retro sourced apparel featuring those patterns. No new flannel was produced. On average, two pairs of Converse Upcycled Flannel Chuck 70s uppers were crafted per preloved flannel shirt.
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Current projections anticipate that the global athletic footwear market will be worth more than $95 billion by 2025, nearly double its value in 2016 of $55 billion. According to the World Footwear Yearbook, over 24 billion pairs of shoes are produced annually, with sneakers accounting for the largest share. Sneaker production accounts for 1.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, which is especially significant when compared to air travel, which is responsible for 2.5%.
In addition, Converse is working to make the rubber in its shoes more sustainable. Its goal is to ensure that, by 2025, 10% of the rubber in its shoes will be recycled. Included is a goal to use 22-40% reclaimed or reused rubber scraps for its outsoles.
“We know that consumers want brands to do the right thing, but one of the biggest challenges is aligning a tangible benefit with an emotional one,” said Avery. “We know that emotion — something that connects to their sense of individuality and identity — will be a greater purchase driver 9 times out of 10.”
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As such, Converse is prioritizing design, when it comes to the Upcycled collection, Avery said. “We spend some time thinking about solutions that exist to make better products, [decrease] our overall impact and enhance our customers’ self-expression,” said Avery. “And, along the way, of course, as a business, you explore and assess where there may be cost savings, waste savings or other efficiencies that contribute to future-proofing the enterprise over the long-term.”
Converse was acquired by Nike in 2003. Its 2022 fiscal year revenue, reported July 26, increased 3% year-over-year to nearly $2.43 billion, with footwear accounting for nearly 89% of the total.
According to the brand, Converse has seen a small uptick in the sales of its more youth-focused launches, including the Upcycled collections and its collaborations. This year, the latter have included styles made with A-Cold-Wall and Stussy.
