Sustainable News: The Vintage Denim Sneaker Project

This month, Beyond Retro are excited to share the news of our involvement with Converse Renew. 

The Converse Renew initiative will see a line of Chuck 70 denim trainers released by Converse, created from recycled and/or upcycled denim provided by us at Beyond Retro. Our contribution to this programme has seen the potential of an innovative concept to change the way we think about, and use, discarded materials.  

The trainer will give a new meaning to the nostalgia that comes with vintage denim. As senior director of materials at Converse, Jessica L’abbe, told Fast Company: 'Every denim Chuck is different because each pair of jeans will be worn differently. Each will feel highly personal even at scale, we feel that's a special moment for this program".  

Converse Renew Denim in medium.

Rethinking Waste

This initiative marks a huge step forward in the potential that sustainable fashion can hold, marking a significant change in the preconceived notions we hold for used materials. We’re proud to be able to help brands create accessible and environmentally sound alternative to fast-fashion, providing this to the high street customer at such a large scale. 

Each year in the UK alone, we buy 70 million pairs of jeans, which has a largely negative environmental and human cost. At Beyond Retro, we source through over 1 million pairs of jeans a month. With Converse, we were able to provide the resources to source denim to the specifications - weaves, weights and colours - required to create the Converse Renew Denim trainer. 

Converse Renew Denim in dark. 

Renew Denim

Our support of Converse through the creation of the Converse Renew Denim Chuck 70, which is the first upcycled collection of its kind to achieve industrial scale, has unveiled both the innovation and the potential of new manufacturing processes. We hope to inspire more brands to create renewed products so that sustainable options become accessible for all. 

The Renew Denim will be available in three washes - light, medium and dark - which have been butterfly cut, so the iconic Converse shoe panels remain. 

The Converse Renew Denim in all three washes, light, medium and dark.