To mark the release of a limited-edition pair of designer sneakers created in collaboration with “iconoclast” designer Rick Owens, Converse caused quite a stir on the internet this week with a pair of demonic-looking models forming an inverted pentagram with their bodies.
The models, wearing the new pair of shoes which sport an inverted pentagram on the tongue, are done up like bad horror movie demons and are holding pentagrams in their mouth, as the figure they form rotates unnaturally in the clip posted to Instagram.
View this post on Instagram
Owens, who by his own admission enjoys shaking up classic brands with provocative designs, described his affinity for the pentagram and his interpretation of his symbolism for “an alternative system.”
“I’ve been using this pentagram for a long time because obviously, it has adolescent occult associations,” he explained, as quoted by the post.
“But I like geometric diagrams like that because, in a very primal way, they are a culture’s grasp for control. And a way to organize thoughts and systems. And a pentagram, in this day and age with all of its associations… I like the fact that it refers to an alternative system. And that suggests openness and empathy. It suggests the pursuit of pleasure, this pursuit of sensation. But one of the main things that I think it suggests is empathy and a consideration of systems of living that might not be standard. So that leads us to be more accepting and tolerant of other systems, which I think is a good thing.”
The shoes, dubbed TURBODRK, are a limited-edition part of his DRKSHDW collection, and have already sold out on Converse’s website.
“Being able to corrupt something pure like that is kind of delicious,” Owens, who unveiled the collection in January, told the New York Times in June. “And when I say corrupt, I’m saying that affectionately. I’m tweaking something they have that exists and re-proportioning things. It is not corrupting in a malicious way. It is teasing.”
The shoes are reminiscent of a limited-edition pair of Nikes rapper Lil’ Nas X released in collaboration with the art collective MSCHF. The 666 pairs of the shoes that were released by the artists, which contained a drop of real human blood, sold out in less than a minute.
If you appreciate the work we are doing for faith, family, and freedom, please consider a small donation to help us continue. Thank you so much!
