Don’t get caught slipping without Converse’s Pride slides this summer

Converse Pride All-Star Slide
The Converse Pride All-Star Slide Photo: Converse

Converse has revealed their 2021 Pride collection, “inspired by stories from five LGBTQIA+ All Stars,” the Nike-owned brand said.

This year, the collection will benefit the It Gets Better Project, who Converse is partnering with to bring the young Converse fans (or “All-Stars”) to the video social network TikTok and streaming network Twitch.

Related: Out teen sensation JoJo Siwa has a “Strawberry Bop” cereal coming out during Pride

The collection includes the brand’s signature Chuck Taylor All-Star, Chuck 70, and Run Star Hike sneakers — all available in Hi-rise, Lo-rise, and platform shoe forms.

For the first time, the company is also making Pride edition of their slides available as well.

Detail of the Converse Pride Chuck Taylor All-Star low rise sneakers
Converse Pride Chuck Taylor All-Star low rise Converse
Converse Pride Run Star Hike sneakers
Converse Pride Run Star Hike sneakers Converse
Converse Pride All-Star Slide shoes
Detail of the Converse Pride All-Star Slide Converse
The Pride edition of the Chuck Taylor All-Star with the Philly Pride flag colors
The Pride edition of the Chuck Taylor All-Star with the Philly Pride flag colors Converse

Additionally, you can order Converse shoes and products to your customization with Converse By You, the company’s online tool for customers to get exactly the shoe they want.

Customizable options include the “All Star” patch, license plate, and laces, according to the brand.

All products are available now at Converse.com/C/Pride.

In addition to It Gets Better, Converse is pledging grants to the Ali Forney Center, BAGLY and OUT MetroWest — LGBTQ centers and organizations based in New York City, Boston, and Framingham, Massachusetts, respectively.

The five people that inspired this year’s collection — Caleb of Cape Town, South Africa; Rocio of Santiago, Chile; Tereza of Prague, Czech Republic; Ty of Los Angeles; and Xandro, of Manila, Philippines — all have their own unique shoe designs, and their struggles and triumphs as LGBTQ people around the world are detailed on the Converse website.

Xandro, for example (seen in the tweet below), transitioned from a “shy, girly little boy” to a “proud gay man.”

Ty also had to “shed years of conversion therapy and self-doubt” before coming out. “It feels amazing comparing where I am now to where I was,” he’s quoted alongside his design.

Caleb (seen in the Instagram post below) “used glitter to represent each individual and their sparkle” in his design.

Converse also introduced a collection using the late, legendary out artist Keith Haring’s signature artwork, in collaboration with the Keith Haring Foundation.

“Since releasing its first Pride collection in 2015, Converse is proud to have donated more than $1.3 million in support of local and global LGBTQIA+ organizations, with contributions supporting safe spaces for LGBTQIA+ youth, education on issues directly impacting the community, and essential resources needed during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the company said in a statement.

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