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This Is the Nicest Chuck Taylor Converse Has Made in Over 100 Years (And It’s Not Close)

Craft meets nostalgia in the First String Chuck, Converse’s finest take on its own legend.

Close-up of the back heel of a white Converse sneaker with a black vertical stripe and a black rectangular label featuring the Converse logo, a large star, and the text "ATHLETIC FOOTWEAR" on the white rubber sole.Convese

By Ben Bowers

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It’s easy to take the Chuck Taylor for granted. After all, it’s been a wardrobe constant for more than a hundred years, outlasting fleeting trends, emerging subcultures, and even most competitors’ ideas of “timeless.”

A person with shoulder-length brown hair is sitting on a blue carpeted floor against a light blue wall. They are wearing a white buttoned jacket over a black outfit and white sneakers with black soles. The person is looking down and slightly to the side.
What should the ultimate Chuck Taylor look—and feel—like in 2025? That’s what the new Converse First String Collection aims to answer.
Converse

But with the introduction of the First String collection, Converse has set out to answer a pointed question: What should the ultimate Chuck Taylor look—and feel—like in 2025?

The result isn’t just another nostalgic riff, but a genuine leap that honors the original and while pushing the sneaker iconic into an unprecedented new premium realm.

The Deluxe Chuck

A pile of high-top Converse sneakers in various designs, including white with brown accents, brown with black accents, white with black floral patterns, and leopard print. The shoes are stacked on a dark wooden surface.
The collection lineup: vintage-washed canvas, premium leather, and Japanese knit.
Converse

Let’s start with the surface stuff. The First String Chuck arrives in three distinctly luxe executions—vintage-washed heavyweight canvas, premium leather, and a Japanese tropical knit—each material carefully sourced and precisely cut for tactile satisfaction.

The construction here isn’t just talk: from the elevated foxing tapes, refined textiles, and full leather linings, it’s obvious this iteration was obsessively designed from top to bottom.

White Converse high-top sneaker viewed from the back, featuring a vertical brown leather strip with white stitching running down the heel. The shoe has white laces and a white rubber sole with the Converse logo embossed on the heel. The leather texture is visible on the upper part of the shoe.
A throwback “license plate” pays tribute to 1950s All Stars.
Converse

The toe cap is a little shorter, the last a bit wider for a more contemporary fit, and a subtle upgrade in pinstripes to a tonal, wheeled aesthetic gives the shoe polish that’s equal parts sophisticated and practical.

High-top Converse sneaker with a textured cream canvas upper featuring a navy blue palm leaf pattern. It has cream laces, metal eyelets, and a white rubber sole with a diamond-patterned toe cap. The Converse All Star circular patch is stitched on the ankle in matching cream.Converse

Even the packaging gets the premium treatment—think two-piece boxes, dust bags, and a sense of occasion when you open the lid. Little tweaks like a lace keeper to stabilize the tongue and an updated eyerow pattern for a secure fit reveal Converse’s commitment to improving on the “perfect” sneaker recipe. The nostalgia runs deep, but so does the sense of progress.

Classic Look, Cutting-Edge Feel

The new Vibram outsole gives the Chuck traction for city streets and beyond.

The First String Chuck looks classic, but it’s what’s beneath your feet that’s most revolutionary. Underfoot, Converse added a Vibram outsole—a first for brand’s classic lineup for traction and durability.

There’s also a modern sockliner made with both Converse CX and Nike Air technology, which hopefully pushes comfort to unimaginable levels for Chucks even a decade ago.

Black high-top Converse All Star sneakers with white laces and soles, worn with black pants, resting on a light-colored surface against a plain beige background.
Converse delivers historic style, but now with out-of-the-box comfort thanks to Nike Air technology.
Converse

The shoe’s improved weight, structure, and temperature regulation should mean you can wear it all day without the “flat-foot” complaints classic Chuck wearers used to grumble about.

For longtime fans, it’s a revelation; for new converts, it’s proof that retro style doesn’t mean old-school feel. If your assumption was that premium Chucks are just for looking, not for living, this version wants to change your mind.

The Price of Nice

A person wearing cream-colored high-top sneakers with dark blue floral patterns, paired with gray socks. The person is sitting on a metallic bench with a curved design, and the floor beneath is made of dark wooden planks. The person's legs are crossed, and they are adjusting one of the socks.
The initial versions of the Converse First String Chuck released globally on September 16 (with more colorways dropping November 1).
Converse

All this innovation, naturally, comes at a price.

The initial versions of the Converse First String Chuck were released globally on September 16 (with more colorways dropping on November 1). It’s positioned miles above the standard Chuck and even most Chuck 70s, reflecting both the step-change in build and the targeted, limited distribution.

A person wearing a cream-colored jacket and pants is holding a pair of high-top Converse sneakers with a leopard print design and white laces. The sneakers have the classic Converse All Star logo patch on the side. The background features a tiled wall with a geometric pattern.Converse

The canvas version starts at a shocking price of $225. And Leather and tropical knit iterations are even more expensive at $250.

For many, that price premium may be too much for a pair of Chucks, no matter how luxurious they may be. And I personally can’t fault anyone for taking that POV.

White high-top Converse sneakers made of textured leather with a brown vertical pull tab on the back. The shoes feature white rubber soles and white laces, with the Converse All Star logo embossed on the side near the heel.Converse

Still, these prices are definitely in line with other high-end sneaker collaborations and luxury takes on vintage designs, most of which don’t have the level of historic bona fides or the combination of modern comfort and old-school panache.

Finding them in person to scope out might prove challenging even for those willing to pony up for this premium build. Pairs will only be available via a short list of elite sneaker and fashion retailers in the U.S. and abroad. But at least Kith is also selling a few of the styles online.

About the Author: Ben Bowers is the Co-Founder and Chief Content Officer of Gear Patrol. Throughout his tenure in media, Ben has written and reported on everything from consumer tech to whiskey, watches, cars, camping, and personal style. These days, he gets to write less than he’d like to.

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