Converse brings high craftsmanship to Milan Design Week With unique works created by Garance Vallée and Rich Aybar

Converse, on the occasion of Milano Design Week 2026, extends its exploration of high craftsmanship beyond the product object, shaping an installation inspired by the First String Woven Chuck Taylor All Star. The installation takes form as a convivial environment, emphasizing a sensory and ritual dimension, where each element translates the precision and intentionality of the original design. The shoe thus becomes a muse, activating a dialogue between fashion, architecture, and collectible design.

The intervention by Garance Vallée and Rich Aybar further amplifies the tension between matter and meaning, translating the sneaker code into autonomous yet interconnected spatial forms. Garance Vallée creates a modular table made from a metal weave that recalls the construction logic of the upper, unfolding into repeated units that organize space and relationships between bodies. The seating, also woven, creates a visual and functional choreography that reflects the idea of community. Rich Aybar, instead, shifts the focus back to rubber, transforming it into MENSA, a ritual object that structures the moment of dining through 6 carved cavities that define gestures, pauses, and exchanges, turning conviviality into a designed act. The whole becomes a symbolic landscape where design and ritual coincide in an experience that encompasses matter, time, and relation.