The Isabel Marant x Converse collab is proof of an indie sleaze revival

“Remember when all you needed were wedged sneakers, skinny jeans and a dream?”

The iconic Chuck 70 has been elevated (quite literally) to luxury status. After years of umming and ahhing over the viability of a real indie sleaze revival, 2024 has given us concrete proof that the messy, smudged eyeliner aesthetic is back – with the wedge sneakers to match.

Synonymous with Tumblr, fishnet tights and the Artic Monkeys, the canvas sneakers that formed the foundation of our 2010s uniform has had a high fashion revamp. Launching today, the Isabel Marant x Converse collaboration reimagines the iconic Chuck 70 with a dose of nostalgia, namely in the form of a 2.5-inch hidden wedge heel. 

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Blending Marant’s Parisian cool aesthetic with the enduring street cred of Converse, the collaboration includes three versions of the Chuck 70 – high top, low top and wedge sneaker – finished in a frayed cotton and coloured pinstripe upper and emblazoned with the Isabel Marant logo. Tied together with multi-coloured laces, these elevated sneakers take you back to a time when Instagram was a ‘cool new app’ and all you needed in life was skinny jeans and a dream. 

There’s no one better to bring the trend back to the fashion fore than Isabel Marant, pioneer of the original wedge sneaker. Dedicated fans the first time around included Miranda Kerr, Kate Bosworth, Rihanna and Beyoncé, who famously sported Marant’s Bekett trainer in her ‘Love on Top’ video. The girlies that get it, get it.

Some may say the 2010s revival is too soon, but the hedonism and grunge spirit of the era is having an unstoppable resurgence. Thanks to Charli XCX’s Brat, the clean girl aesthetic is finally taking a back seat while we indulge in nostalgia-fuelled escapism. Now we’ve got the perfect shoes to tread through this aesthetic revival.

This collaboration serves to kick off a new chapter of Converse’s inline heel offerings with the forthcoming Chuck Taylor All Star Wedge, in the classic Chuck design in black and white, available on October 1. 

To check them out for yourself, head here.