Since its creation in 1917, the Converse All-Star has remained a timeless classic, maintaining its shape to this day. Originally a basketball shoe, it has become a street fashion icon loved by many artists, including musicians, and has established itself as a shoe that anyone can wear, regardless of age or gender. In fact, it's not uncommon for people with similar fashion tastes to be wearing the same All-Stars when they get together.



"White atelier BY CONVERSE" is Converse's flagship shoe store located in Harajuku and Kichijoji. In addition to carrying the entire lineup for each season, they offer a service that allows customers to print illustrations and text to their liking on store-exclusive all-white canvas All Stars. In addition to being able to apply limited-time artist prints and standard prints that can be freely combined, customers can also customize their shoes by changing the shoelaces to match the print or adding charms, creating a pair that is uniquely their own. This time, we had the staff at Isetan Shinjuku try it out and report on the experience. With this, you're sure to never have the same All Stars as anyone else again.

"White atelier BY CONVERSE" lets you customize your own All-Stars.

"White atelier BY CONVERSE" is a Converse flagship store located in Harajuku and Kichijoji. It stocks all the seasonal models, and also features special models exclusive to the flagship store, making it a must-visit for Converse fans and non-fans alike. The interior, based on white and natural wood, gives the impression of a stylish cafe, and what enhances that "cafe atmosphere" is the presence of a counter-style printing corner.

Here, they offer a service that allows you to customize canvas All-Stars with prints of your choice. It's popular not only with people who want a one-of-a-kind pair of All-Stars, but also with teams, partners, and families who want matching All-Stars. No appointment is necessary; you can have your chosen motif printed on the spot and take them home or wear them the same day.



This time, we had two colleagues who joined Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building at the same time create custom orders tailored to their individual preferences. The fact that friends can easily drop by and choose their favorite Converse is something that only the All-Star, which can be worn by anyone and suits everyone, can offer.

Choose between high-top and low-top versions of the pure white All Star, available only here.

The base model is the all-white canvas All Star. You can choose from two types: HI-cut and OX-cut (low-cut). It's a model that almost everyone has worn at least once, but a model that is completely white from the upper to the sole does not exist in the regular lineup. It is sold as a base for White Atelier's customization, but it is also sold without any customization for those who want to wear it as is.

While the exterior has remained largely unchanged since its inception, the insole has evolved significantly. Those accustomed to high-tech soles may say that "All Stars have a hard bottom," but recent All Stars feature Converse's original high-performance cup insole "REACT," making them a completely different experience from the old All Stars. They have evolved to a level of comfort that feels like walking on clouds. If you haven't experienced them yet, we highly recommend trying out the latest All Stars when you customize yours.


Both the HI-cut and OX-cut (low-cut) versions are 7,700 yen . Side prints (2,200 yen for both shoes) and tongue prints (2,200 yen for both shoes) can be added. The Kichijoji store also offers kids' (4,950 yen) and baby (4,730 yen) models. These can be printed on the strap (1,100 yen).

This time, Masuda chose a high cut, and Yamazaki chose an oxford cut.

Choose the motif to print. The combinations are endless.

Choose your favorite motif from the filed designs. The original illustrations and fonts in the standard category can be selected differently for the left and right sides, and you can even print initials or numbers, such as letters and characters. The artist works, which are featured for a limited time, are updated regularly, with different painters and illustrators from Japan and abroad participating. While the carefully selected works may be overwhelming, checking the website beforehand will make the selection process smoother. Apparently, some visitors spend around two hours deliberating here.


Masuda chose a piece by designer and illustrator Nobumasa Takahashi from the standard design category. It's a monochrome, pop design with handwritten letters like "CONVERSE" and "Converse" filling the entire canvas. "It's quite bold, but it's not too loud, it has impact but doesn't stand out, yet it definitely has a presence. From a distance it's hard to see that it says Converse, but it's interesting that you can see it clearly when you look at it up close."


Yamazaki chose a piece by Nishikubo Sayuri, a limited-time artist. Nishikubo Sayuri is a popular designer and illustrator with over 60,000 followers on Instagram and also runs her own brand, OTTE, which features her own artwork. Sayuri excels at monochrome line drawings, and her work features simple text and a modern, urban design with "RIGHT LEFT" on the shoe tongue. "I heard that this is a limited-edition piece available only until February, so if I missed this opportunity, I wouldn't be able to get it, and I just couldn't resist (laughs)," says Yamazaki, who has a weakness for limited-edition items.

You can also customize them by choosing shoelaces and charms.

In addition to printing, you can customize your shoes by adding cotton shoelaces and charms with various motifs. There are 10 shoelace colors to choose from. It's surprising how simply using cotton material enhances the classic feel when threaded through the shoes. The charms, with their silver and gold motifs, add a stylish touch when threaded through the shoelaces. These can be purchased not only for custom All-Stars but also for adding to regular Converse models.

Yamazaki chose two charms. "I usually wear gold accessories, so I matched the charms to the gold ones. I've never skateboarded before, but I thought the shape was cute. I felt that the casual image would somehow suit the All-Stars (laughs)."


Since both of them chose a monochrome design on a blank canvas, they decided to change the shoelaces as an additional design element. Masuda chose gray, and Yamazaki chose off-white. It's heartwarming to see how similar their tastes are, even down to their choice of lighter tones rather than flashy colors.

Although I didn't choose it this time, another customization option is the availability of colored pens for hand-drawing. Drawing illustrations or writing on canvas sneakers with regular markers tends to cause bleeding, but with these pens, you can customize them with original illustrations and hand-drawn lettering without any bleeding. If you want to create a truly one-of-a-kind pair, this is also highly recommended.

It takes about two hours to complete, and you can take it home the same day.

Once the design is decided, you fill out the order sheet and the printing process begins. The completion time varies depending on how busy it is, but it's said to be about 1-2 hours. You can wait in the store or go out and pick it up later.

Before feeding the shoes into the special printer, the meticulous work involved in heating the printing area with a press and masking the soles and other parts demonstrates the skills of a true craftsman. In particular, the metal eyelets require delicate work, such as cleaning each one by hand after printing. Finally, the printed surface is pressed again to fix the ink, resulting in a one-of-a-kind pair of All-Stars.



Masuda and Yamazaki immediately began threading the shoelaces, decorating them with charms, and trying them on in the store. "Wait, do you put the shoelaces in from the top or the bottom?" "Isn't this the top and this the bottom?" they said, chatting amicably, but it should be noted that they are two people who joined the company at the same time. Masuda's ears turned a little red as the surrounding staff members started teasing him.

"Yes, it's finished!"


So, we took photos of ourselves wearing the finished All-Stars. When I commented, "They look great with your casual outfit today," she replied, "All-Stars really do go with any style, don't they?" I was reminded once again that because they're shoes that suit anyone and any style, anyone can enjoy customizing them.


"It would be pretty obvious if we wore these home after the interview, wouldn't it? (laughs)" they said, laughing, and indeed, they left the store still wearing them. I wonder if they went for tea at a cafe near Inokashira Park?

Experience the same thing at ISETAN MEN'S pop-up store

Converse Canvas All Stars, which have evolved to have insoles that suit anyone regardless of age or gender and are comfortable to wear, can now be customized into a pair just for you through an order service available at ISETAN MEN'S . "White atelier BY CONVERSE" will be holding a pop-up shop from February 5th (Wed) to February 18th (Tue). As this period spans Valentine's Day, it will be two weeks you won't want to miss.

*During the pop-up period, only men's and women's sizes (22-30cm) will be available. Kids' sizes will not be available.