Jack Purcell x Hudson’s Bay Company, Converse x Maison Martin Margiela

Walked past Selfridges at London's Oxford Street today and I literally had to turn back to take this picture. An entire window near their main entrance is dedicated to the Jack Purcell x Hudson's Bay Company sneakers collaboration.

Now before I go any further: are all Jack Purcells Converse sneakers, but not all Converse sneakers are Jack Purcells? In the words of Zack Johnson (Big Bang Theory's Penny's hunky ex-boyfriend): "are all thumbs fingers, but not all fingers are thumbs?". I LOVE The Big Bang Theory, but let's not wander too far here. I really should Wikipedia stuff before I blog. Jack Purcell was a Canadian world champion badminton player, who designed the popular sneakers that we are all wearing today. Converse purchased the trademark in the 70s, so it is not wrong to address them as Converse Jack Purcell.

What about Chuck Taylor you ask. Chuck was a basketball player who worked for Converse in the 1920s and was credited for improving the design of the sneakers we all still love today. And those classics do not go out of style. Jack Purcell sneakers have a 'smiley' face at the front. Confusing yet?

So Canadian retailer Hudson's Bay Company collaborated with Converse Jack Purcell, originally a Canadian. And I saw the shoes in the window of Selfridges, also owned by Canadians. Nice link? The shoes are gorgeous, my picture probably doesn't do it justice. These are not the regular white sneakers painted with coloured stripes. The body was made with the iconic Hudson's Bay wool blanket which you can see from official pics below:

Converse Jack Purcell x Hudson's Bay Company sneakers / Nikeinc

Ironically, I could not find the shoes online at Selfridges. You can however purchase them online at The Bay.

Also launching this September, are the Converse x Maison Martin Margiela sneakers. In signature Margiela style, the Jack Purcell and Chuck Taylor sneakers (you still following??) are all hand painted in Margiela's iconic white paint. Available in red, black, navy, and Margiela-exclusive vintage yellow, the white paint will peel off over time to reveal the base colour and achieve an artisanal effect.

Converse x Maison Martin Margiela / Nikeinc

Do you have a favourite yet? I love Converse, I love Margiela, I love Converse collabs, my favourite being the Missoni ones. But I cannot deal with the white paint peeling off on my wooden flooring. Personally, I love the low cut Jack Purcell x Hudson's Bay sneakers. What about you?

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