Shai Gilgeous-Alexander On His First Converse Basketball Shoe
Sure, basketball was always on the cards (courts?) for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Oklahoma City Thunder guard who has become one of NBA’s most exciting talents. But it seems that his role as creative director of Converse Basketball was also foreseen, in some way, from an early age.
“I've been sketching my whole life. That was one of my hobbies as a kid,” he said in press conference earlier this week. “Once I knew I that was going to have that imprint on a basketball shoe, I did some research [on] shape and form. I put it together in a sketch and kept working on it until I got to a product that I liked and thought was presentable to show to the group. The process was fun. Kind of took me to back in the day.”
That brings us to today, where the public can now see Shai’s first design with Converse. Named SHAI 001 (duh), the silhouette has been designed to work just as well on the court as it does off.
“[Shai is] extremely dynamic, extremely agile on court. Traction was number one for us, for sure.” says Steven Keating, Converse’s design director. “The start-stop, all of that was part of our thought process as we started engineering this outsole. We spent a lot of time really working with films and slow motion [footage] of him playing.
“We met up with Shai a few times, he wore it on court during some training sessions to make sure that it worked for him. We engineered a traction pattern that's specifically designed for Shai’s style of play. We also tested it through our wear-test program as well, put it on a bunch of different athletes to make sure it performs on court.
“If you’re a normal basketball player, or if you're just looking for a beautiful, stylish shoe, this is still going to work for you.”
In terms of design, don’t expect the canvas lace-ups we’re used to seeing from the brand. Starting with the tongue, its emblazoned with a signature moniker which nods to Shai’s jersey number.
The zipper – which covers the laces – can be worn half-zipped, all the way zipped, or flipped down. The inner bootie and Ghillie lacing system work in tandem to provide containment and adjustability, while the webbing adds an extra layer of support.
There’s a puffed upper, which pairs nicely with the futuristic feel of its unibody mold design, while the outsole features a radial traction pattern for optimal cutting ability, allowing for quick change of direction and explosive movement on the court.
After four or five sample runs, Shai settled on a design. He then tested its street credibility by styling it with his wardrobe.
“I tried to wear it with as many outfits as possible,” he says. “Dressed it up, dressed it down, wore it with shorts, wore with sweatpants. I don't know if I'm a little bit biased, but I think the shoe looks amazing with it all.”
This weekend, the ‘butter’ colourway will debut for the public at the at Converse’s “SHAI 001 STUDIO” in San Francisco, aptly open during the NBA All-Star Championship. Will Shai be wearing them at his first game since they've been announced?
“You’ll have to stay tuned and watch closely,” he says. “You’ll get your answers soon enough.”
The SHAI 001 will be available to buy this autumn.
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