Converse Taps Noah NY For a Heritage Take on Its Most Underrated Sneaker

The clothier’s first-ever take on the Jack Purcell applies a preppy, Ivy-core upper to the 91-year-old silhouette.

Close-up of green and white plaid fabric with a beige label reading "Jack Purcell NOAH.

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Despite having a wide oeuvre of footwear collabs under its belt, Noah NY has just started teaming up with Converse this year.

Putting its own spin on the classic Chuck 70 and skate-focused Louie Lopez Pro 2, the New York-based label has now turned to arguably the most underrated silhouette in Converse’s catalog.

Pair of low-top sneakers with green, navy, and white plaid canvas uppers and off-white rubber soles and toe caps. — Noah teams up with Converse for its first-ever take on the Jack Purcell.

Based on the 1935 heritage edition of the Jack Purcell, this new plaided-out variant gives the iconic badminton-turned-lifestyle sneaker an unrecognizable new aesthetic.

Pair of plaid canvas sneakers with white laces and thick off-white rubber soles, branded Jack Purcell + Noah. — The plaid-covered shoe is based on the new Jack Purcell 1935 silhouette that recreates heritage styling of the shoe.

The underrated classic

The Jack Purcell sneaker launched in 1935 by B.F. Goodrich, developed in collaboration with Canadian badminton world champion Jack Purcell, making it one of the earliest athlete signature shoes on record. Converse picked up the rights in 1972, when it merged with B.F. Goodrich’s footwear business, and over the years the sneakers have been worn by everyone from Steve McQueen to Kurt Cobain.

Pair of low-top sneakers with navy, green, and white plaid fabric uppers and white rubber soles labeled "Jack Purcell NOAH. — Branding is subtle, but you can see Noah’s name on the heel here.

But the Jack Purcell 1935 is not the standard Jack Purcell you’ve seen at every skate shop for the last 30 years. Converse’s revival of the model pulled from the original 1935 tooling. This includes an anatomical last shaped closer to the foot, a cleaner canvas upper and the original love-it-or-hate-it rubber toe guard.

Close-up of a sneaker with white rubber toe cap and sole, featuring green, navy, black, and white plaid fabric upper with white laces. — Fans are divided on the strip in front of the toe cap, but it’s part of the classic design.

This year even saw a premium leather version of the shoe for the brand’s First String collection. Although availability has been spotty in recent years, the Jack Purcell will always be a classic.

Pair of plaid sneakers with white rubber soles, one shoe with red laces and the other with white laces, on a wooden surface. — Both red and white laces are included.

Plaid it all together

Noah’s contribution to this new variant is a plaid upper, colored in blue, green and red. Our writers have already been drawing comparisons to everything from ’90s Ivy League to ’30s sofa.

Close-up of a plaid fabric with green, navy, black, white, and red lines, featuring a navy embroidered cross above a white textured sole. — Noah’s cross logo can also be found blending in on the rear upper.

Co-branding can be found subtly at the heel in the form of the Noah cross logo almost blending in on the upper, as well as on the rear midsole. Jack Purcell and Noah both have their names on the insole, too. A set of red spare laces rounds out the package.

Availability

The Converse x Noah NY Jack Purcell 1935 is expected to drop on August 21 from Noah’s website. Then on August 26, the shoe will become available from Converse’s site. It’s priced at ¥18,700 (~$117).

Low-top sneaker with green, navy, and white plaid fabric upper and off-white rubber sole and toe cap.

Converse x Noah NY Jack Purcell 1935

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About the Author: Ethan Brehm is an associate editor at Gear Patrol writing about footwear, watches, spirits, EDC and more. When he’s not shopping for his next G-Shock, he spends his time watching movies and planning a future road trip with his family. He firmly believes CDs sound better than vinyl.

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