Five vibrant, joyful, colorful prints will adorn a new batch of classic Converse sneaker silhouettes thanks to the American footwear brand's ongoing partnership with Finnish textile giant Marimekko. The Converse x Marimekko Spring 2012 collection celebrates four iconic prints designed by the late Maija Isola as well as a geometric print masterminded by Annika Rimala, who worked as Marimekko's chief designer from 1960 to 1982.
First, there's the Unikko print, which Isola introduced in 1964, a whimsical design consisting of large, cartoonish poppy florals with exaggerated, rounded petals that has become synonymous with the Marimekko brand. Though the Unikko print has appeared on previous Converse editions (including a white Chuck Taylor Lo with purple and magenta florals from the Fall/Winter 2011 collection), this season it emerges in a brand new colorway, so that periwinkle, cornflower, and sky blue blossoms adorn the white canvas uppers of a Chuck Taylor Hi sneaker (as shown second from top).
The other standout is the Lokki print, a psychedelic design consisting of undulating lines recalling seismic wave diagrams. First introduced by Isola in 1961, the Lokki print appears in three different footwear styles, popping up in a tangerine and honeysuckle pink colorway on a Chuck Taylor Hi (pictured at top), in black and white scheme on a Chuck Taylor Low (shown after the jump), and in a cerulean blue and white colorway on a Jack Purcell Helen sneaker (pictured third from top).
Other Isola prints include: the Appelssoni, introduced in 1950, a tie-dye flavored pattern with a blood orange backdrop and pops of deep aubergine, which was inspired by the designer's love of citrus fruits (shown on a Jack Purcell Helen after the jump, last); and the Muija, an eyelet-like pattern dating back to 1968, with clusters of four white dots positioned in diamond formation all throughout the pale yellow canvas uppers of a Jack Purcell Helen sneaker style (pictured second after the jump).
Annika Rimala's Kameka pattern completes the collection. Originally designed in 1964, the design was inspired by the hand-tooled carvings Rimala saw in Mexico's Mayan temples. Featuring jagged, EKG-worthy lines, the pattern surfaces on the Chuck Taylor All Star PJs (shown third after the jump).
The Converse x Marimekko Spring 2012 collection hits premium retail outlets, selected Marimekko stores, Converse.com and Marimekko.com in February.
