Shrimps, one of the capital’s most exciting young fashion brands, has teamed up with Converse to customise the classic Chuck Taylor All Star for their S/S’17 presentation at London Fashion Week.
Known for her bold use of faux fur and hand-drawn face prints, designer Hannah Weiland has brought the signature Shrimps aesthetic to four pairs of Chucks. ‘I have always worn Converse, so it was really exciting when they asked me to collaborate. I’ve always worn the classic Chuck Taylors as a high top in the cream canvas, and when I was younger I had a rainbow selection of colours,’ Hannah tells Grazia.
Using fabrics ranging from a modern, deconstructed peach gingham to a bottle green fur, the shoes playfully experiment with pattern and texture. ‘The inspiration came from the themes of my S/S'17 collection, looking at texture, colour and a signature Shrimps faux-sheepskin stripe,’ she explains. ‘I would style the hi-tops with a calf-length dress, like my Gerald dress. The low-tops I’d wear with culottes and a Shrimps silkies shirt.’
‘I definitely have maximalist tendencies, but this season my collection has a more tonal, creamy colour palette, which is reflected in the Converse. To me, they’re timeless,’ she adds. ‘The Shrimps touch is very much in the innovative fabric used and the stripe of faux sheepskin down the back of the trainers. It’s subtle but also very fun.’
According to the designer, whose pieces have been worn by the likes of Alexa Chung, Pixie Geldof and Laura Bailey, this season’s Shrimps girl is ‘slightly innocent but with a dark, haunted edge. There is also a contemporary regal feeling in the collection – she is mixing incredible gold and pearl jewellery with Converse trainers.’ Of her reliably Instagrammable presentations – always a talking point at fashion week – she explains, ‘The set and atmosphere is really important to me. I’ve worked with an amazing set designer since I started, called Suzanne Beirne. Each season, I want to do something completely different to the last, and that’s very much the case this time. Expect more minimalism.’
This year has also marked Shrimps’ first big screen appearance: one of Hannah’s fuzzy shearling coats has a starring role in the new Bridget Jones film. If you haven’t already watched the trailer (multiple times over), it’s worn by Renée Zellweger, as the titular character makes her way to the hospital (about to give birth to the titular baby). ‘It was so exciting. I loved the film and loved feeling a part of it,’ Hannah says. ‘It felt pretty surreal seeing Bridget about to give birth in her Shrimps and being carried by Patrick Dempsey and Colin Firth while wearing it.’
And after the madness of Fashion Week, how does the designer kick back? ‘With a large glass of wine with my boyfriend Arthur and my dog, Lionel.’ Ideal.
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