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Converse has launched a new Run Star Motion for Pride Month

In partnership with Converse

Words by Sienna Barton

Chasing rainbows.

As part of its annual celebration of Pride Month, Converse has released a rainbow iteration of its famously comfortable Run Star Motions and it’s backed it up by shining a rainbow on people from the LGBTQIA+ community.

Yes, the shoes are supportive – they feature a CX Foam insole for all-day comfort – but the brand behind them is, too. During Pride Month, Converse has partnered with Fashion Journal and local not-for-profit Minus18 on different projects to elevate queer voices within Australia’s LGBTQIA+ community.


For more fashion news, shoots and features, head to our Fashion section.


As part of this unique collaboration, we’ve been lucky enough to work with writer, board member, activist, and creative (the ultimate slashie) Rimu Bhooi as Fashion Journal’s Pride Guest Editor. This particularly fun iteration of the Run Star Motion has clear references to the past while propelling the Converse community into the future.

The original All Star silhouette dates back to 1917 when it was still a humble basketball shoe and had a massive resurgence in the ’80s and ’90s, when it was adopted by creatives and rebels alike. Grunge kids wore them, skater kids wore them and sporty kids wore them. Converse are for everyone, like they always were.

It’s really heartening to see that Converse still carries this attitude of inclusivity, with a view to uplifting those in queer spaces. This is seen more broadly in the Australian photoshoots for the Pride collection, with everyone in front of and behind the lens belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community, but it’s also abundantly evident in the smaller details of this collection. 

Every detail on the Run Star Motion Pride echoes a message of unity and belonging; from the woven Pride Unity flag adorning each shoe’s tongue and its sculptural rainbow lugs, to sock liners inscribed with the words ‘family’ and ‘unity’. 

Even the iconic Converse star patch has been filled with a rainbow gradient instead of its usual black. They’re all such tiny details, but together they create a product that tells its wearer that they belong, and I don’t think there’s anything more powerful than that. 

The new Run Star Motion is a shoe you might imagine the kids from The Breakfast Club wearing, as well as the kids from Sex Education (Eric or Ola, hello!). Clearly, Converse is maintaining its status as a shoe for everyone. You can find the Run Star Motion and the rest of Converse’s Pride collection online.

FJ readers can explore dozens of stories from the Converse queer community online at the Converse.Gallery and shop the brand’s Pride capsule collection here

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