Limited-Edition José Parlá for Converse (PRODUCT)RED Chuck Taylor All Star

It’s a long name for a sneaker, but it’s for a good cause. Internationally renowned, Brooklyn-based painter Jose Parlá has collaborated with Converse (PRODUCT)RED to design a limited edition shoe to help provide awareness for the fight against AIDS in Africa and encourage consumers to become agents of change, turning art into power. Using an extremely high-tech laser printing technique, the “Ephemeral Pitches, and Notes, Rhythm and Phonetics” print is carefully color matched for an immaculate, vivid representation of Parlá’s original piece in natural tones of tan, yellow, and grey. Parlá’s signature can be found on the shoe’s footbed as well as a repeat calligraphy pattern along the shoe’s lining. The shoe’s outsole also receives a unique painted treatment, giving nod to the artist at work in his studio. A percentage of the net wholesale price of the shoe will go to The Global Fund to help eliminate AIDS in Africa. Only 500 pairs will be available through Converse First String stores.