Update, October 18: Both pairs are now up on Converse Japan's own ROYAL STAR page, marked for sale Tuesday, October 20 at ¥74,800 each in sizes 25.5 to 28 cm. Online it's one pair per person, and Converse says orders that look like resale runs get canceled, which is a polite way of saying bots need not apply. The page also names the man behind the label: Japanese shoe designer Toshinosuke Takegahara, who says he built the series mostly in real leather so each pair picks up its own history the more you wear it. Under the dress-shoe looks, both get PU cushioning in the sole and a two-density PU insole, so these aren't meant to live in the box. One timing note for the States: Japan's Tuesday starts at 11 AM ET on Monday, October 19, and Converse hasn't posted a launch hour, so Monday is the day to watch.
Converse Japan has a dress-shoe phase, and we're into it. Per Fullress, the second release from ROYAL STAR, the Converse label that reworks archive icons for a more grown-up shelf, lands Tuesday, October 20 in Japan. It's two shoes, both in all-black premium leather, both priced at ¥74,800. Yes, that's All Star money times about ten.
The ROYAL STAR AS (34095100) is the Chuck Taylor All Star rebuilt with leather-shoe manners: a smooth, full-grain-looking upper, a quiet tonal ankle patch, and loop hardware on the first and second eyelets as the one bit of jewelry. The ROYAL STAR WP LOW (34095110) takes the 1986 WEAPON, the shoe Converse put on Magic and Bird, and keeps its pattern work and that signature ankle Y-bar, with the bar resized to fit the cleaner shape. The WP Low also sits on a chunkier sole than you'd expect, so it reads more Derby than hardwood.
The details are the fun part. There's a serial number stamped on the underside of the tongue, and both pairs ship in an original-spec box. Converse's own campaign shoots them on raw stone with a script ROYAL STAR logo, and honestly, they look more like something from a Ginza menswear floor than a sneaker wall. That's the idea.
Release details: Tuesday, October 20 in Japan, ¥74,800 each, via Converse Japan online (one pair per person) and Japanese stockists; Fullress also points to Rakuten Fashion and BILLY'S ENT. No launch hour has been posted. That's Japanese retail; no US release has been announced, so expect this to stay a Japan-only pickup unless that changes.
Our take: An all-black leather Chuck is an old idea. A leather WEAPON with a serial number, built like a dress shoe, isn't one you see much. If you've wanted a Converse you can wear with a suit without anyone making a face, this is the pair. The AS is the safe pick and the WP Low is the one with some edge.
Shop Converse at ONENESS. The exact ROYAL STAR pairs are not stocked at ONENESS.
Photos: official Converse Japan imagery, via Fullress (report and images).
Sources: Fullress; Converse Japan (ROYAL STAR).
