When In Direct Sunlight, These New Converse Shoes Will Start Changing Colors

Converse has shown off its latest footwear collection, this time featuring UV-activated sneakers. The Nike-owned company has collaborated with Chinatown Market to produce the novel, color-changing shoe, which they have named the “UV Chuck 70” collection.

Converse has collaborated with Chinatown Market to make these UV-activated sneakers

Image credits: thechinatownmarket

These cool sneakers have the classic Chuck Taylor All-Star design: star insignia, the All Star’s rubber sole, smooth rounded toe cap, and wrap-around strip.

When In Direct Sunlight, These New Converse Shoes Will Start Changing Colors

Image credits: thechinatownmarket

The canvas upper begins as white, but when exposed to direct sunlight, the UV paint morphs into a color-blocked design of blue, orange, fuschia and purple. It’s like having two sets of shoes in 1.

You can see the transformation in action in the video below

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🔦💡🕯🌞 @chinatownmarket for @converse #official 😃
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When In Direct Sunlight, These New Converse Shoes Will Start Changing Colors

Image credits: thechinatownmarket

Chinatown Market’s Mike Cherman, who co-created these cool shoes, told Sneaker News that for him, as a customization-crazy person, the Chuck Taylors offer a perfect ‘canvas’ (pun intended) to work from.

When In Direct Sunlight, These New Converse Shoes Will Start Changing Colors

Image credits: thechinatownmarket

“I love white sneakers like this because I can do whatever I want to them and have so much fun with them,” he said. “That truly is the core of why it’s so fun to work with Converse. We have this shoe that you can do anything with. It’s made of cotton canvas, one of the most malleable materials in the game, and it’s great to be able to play with that.”

When In Direct Sunlight, These New Converse Shoes Will Start Changing Colors

Image credits: thechinatownmarket

When In Direct Sunlight, These New Converse Shoes Will Start Changing Colors

Image credits: thechinatownmarket

The light reaction feature allows the shoe to interact with the user and the environment it’s in something that Mike thinks is the coolest part about the project.

“It makes the shoe more than just a shoe,” he explained. “It’s a conversation piece, something that’s unique to the wearer. These hues change in their own way, and some colors will last longer, while others will last for a shorter time period. It’s the beauty of the shoes: how unique they are.”

When In Direct Sunlight, These New Converse Shoes Will Start Changing Colors

Image credits: thechinatownmarket

When In Direct Sunlight, These New Converse Shoes Will Start Changing Colors

Image credits: thechinatownmarket

“I think the biggest thing in communicating this project is that a lot of the product images show UV light, and a lot of people might not immediately understand what UV-activated means. This modern technology is as simple as the sun. All you need is sunlight for these shoes to change colors.”

When In Direct Sunlight, These New Converse Shoes Will Start Changing Colors

Image credits: thechinatownmarket

“That’s what’s so beautiful about it. You don’t need any special tech, and you don’t have to be able to draw. It’s not like we just gave you a box of markers and said: ‘now you have to make your own cool shoe.’ It’s truly packaged with the punch of its special features. No gimmicks necessary. It changes with you.”

When In Direct Sunlight, These New Converse Shoes Will Start Changing Colors

Image credits: thechinatownmarket

When In Direct Sunlight, These New Converse Shoes Will Start Changing Colors

Image credits: thechinatownmarket

“You go to a music festival, the shoes are all bright and crazy in the sunlight, and the moment you step inside a tent, they go back to their pastel base and are different. That’s what’s so fun.”

Here’s what people had to say about the colorful sneakers

When In Direct Sunlight, These New Converse Shoes Will Start Changing Colors

I'm the Visual Editor at Bored Panda, responsible for ensuring that everything our audience sees is top-notch and well-researched. What I love most about my job? Discovering new things about the world and immersing myself in exceptional photography and art.

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James is a Bored Panda reporter who graduated with a BA in Peace And Conflict Studies and an MA in African Affairs. Before Bored Panda, he was an English teacher and also travelled a lot, doing odd jobs from beer-slinging to brickie's labourer and freelance journalism along the way. James loves covering stories about social and environmental issues and prefers to highlight the positive things that unite us, rather than petty internet squabbles about fictional characters. James is the grumpy, contradictory one who thinks that Bored Panda, due to its large audience, has a social responsibility to inspire and inform its readers with interesting issues and entertaining, well-researched stories. Let's do our bit to make our little corner of the internet a smarter, more truthful and less angry place!

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