Checking In at the Converse One Star Hotel in London with @MrsTeriyaki

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words & photos by @MrsTeriyaki

After Converse announced their partnership with Tyler the Creator in 2017, the release of the Golf Le Fleur collection swung the door wide open to a new breed of consumers.

Now, after over a century later since the One Star first began, Converse launches some new collaborations of the silhouette in its very own five-story hotel in the hub of Londons Shoreditch district. With guest rooms curated by talent from the worlds of fashion and music such as A$AP Nast, Yung Lean and MadeMe, this floor to ceiling experience will be sure to leave guests with lasting memories. Room for one, please!

“The concierge called me fam?!”

I got to take an inside look at the One Star Hotel one day prior to public access. Things kicked off down in the Laundry Room with a panel discussion including Leo Mandela, A$AP Nast, Mimi Wade, Acyde and Grace Ladoja. What ensued was an insightful conversation around the journey of London’s infamous street culture and its relationship with music, fashion and design. To hear first-hand stories from the streets really brought context and substance to the bones of the entire event and the shoe that is the One Star.

Next, a guided tour. Truth be told, I kept losing track of my representative but there was plenty of time to enjoy the specially curated rooms. Once through reception, we headed upstairs and into the first Guest Room.

Cotton Candy Room

This first room is sure to surround guests with visuals, sounds and tastes from the One Star Cotton Candy Pack. The Cotton Candy room, a definite favourite for many, features wall to wall bubblegum pink and a plush rotating bed with a ceiling mirror included for those all-important social media moments. Grab some cotton candy in one hand and throw on a pair of One Stars and you’ll be photo ready!

Moving into the next guest room you’ll find another bed. Not quite so cozy.

CONS Grape Room

With a heavy skate influence, this room is put together for Converse’s newest CONS Pro Star ‘Grape’ colourway. With grey tones and industrial fittings, be sure not to jump on this bed as its breezeblock base and cement pillows might catch you out. Converse’s newest skate film saw its premiere on that very TV screen. Wall art was provided by UK skateboarder Jamie Platt.

I really enjoyed this room and its use of light and shadow alongside the subtle hues of colour.

MadeMe Room

Smile! You’re in a ’90s riot grrrl’s bedroom. Created by MadeMe designer Erin Magee, this unapologetically yellow Guest Room will be sure to take you back (if you were privileged enough to experience cassette tapes and round dial telephones). This room plays host to a ’90s workout inspired performance by Princess Nokia.

The MadeMe x Converse One Star released exclusively here in both a yellow and moss green colourway.

Year of the Dog Room

This next Guest Room is by Tizzy T, a hip-hop artist from Beijing who’s dedicated his space to the popular Chinese game of Mahjong. A room themed around the Year of the Dog, if you think you’re good enough and can be crowned champion of the two-day Mahjong tournament, you’ll win yourself a pair of the exclusive Year of the Dog x Converse One Star. But you gotta beat Tizzy first.

Somewhere in Mid-Century Room

Hailed as one of the best-dressed men in the game, A$AP Nast says he still wakes up living in a different time. And his curated room at the One Star Hotel gives us just that: the warm tones, wild wallpaper, record players and wooden decor take us back to another era. His corduroy rendition of the One Star that releases here fits right into this Mid-century theme.

*****

“Asked for crepes, room service sent me sneakers”

This two-day pop-up hotel featured plenty of immersive activities as well as exclusive access to purchase the Yung Lean, A$AP Nast, MadeMe and Patta x Deviation collabs. We also saw a return of colourways from the Golf Le Fleur collection – all available to purchase on the ground floor in the One Star Store.

During the second day, I attended the t-shirt workshop run by Paria Farzaneh down in the Laundry Room. We were given one hour and challenged to create a t-shirt using exclusive designs using the screen printing technique. The person with the best design won a free pair of sneaks.

*Ya girl didn’t win.

A big thank you to team Converse for inviting me on behalf of Nice Kicks to cover the One Star Hotel.

Not only is it a pleasure to come capture the event first hand, but to spend time with fellow creators and people in the industry is invaluable. By investing in that platform for us, brands are allowing us to grow the culture. I also really enjoyed being there on the first day the doors opened to the public – the time that’s most important, seeing fans and consumers interact with months of planning and creativity.

Reflecting on the event as a whole, I really believe Converse has succeeded in not only widening its influence but concentrating it, too. By giving a classic shoe a new look, with new characteristics inspired by influencers from the music and fashion scene, they have been able to grow their fan base and give people a memorable experience that will be talked about for some time.