Converse Is Letting the Animals Out

Highsnobiety is a global fashion and media brand passionate about product and the stories that shape them.

Feb 11, 2025 - 15:20

…Metaphorically, at least. 2024 was universally proclaimed as the year that leopard print made its glorious comeback—hunger for mob wife aesthetics, late noughties nostalgia, and lo-fi digital trashiness saw fashion week street styles and internet landscapes alike transformed into veritable safari parks. And now, as the trend moves into 2025, Converse—arguably the original pioneer of the animal print shoe—is reasserting its dominance in the field.

New spins on the Chuck Taylor All Star and the Chuck 70 pay tribute to Converse’s leopard print designs of the late 1980s. These have long been objects of envy among vintage and archive lovers, but the updated version means you’re no longer forced to while away your days on Ebay or Vinted searching for some battered old kicks.

Converse has been about prints for decades. They've always championed bold and interesting patterns, and anyone whose seen an eye-catching fashion-forward pair of Chucks can attest.

But will fashion’s appetite for animal prints continue in 2025?

Well, if the longevity of animal print is anything to go off, then yes. As early as 1947, Christian Dior was sending controversial leopard print coats down the runway as part of his ‘New Look’ manifesto—a moment endlessly reinterpreted by all those from Yves Saint Laurent to Raf Simons—while in 1966 we find Bob Dylan drawling of the print’s seductive power:

I know what he really loves you for
It's your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat…

Fuelled by a hangover from the 19th century’s aristocratic furs, animal print was luxury, it was opulence, it was exclusive and unattainable. And, while today it’s associated more often with faux-luxe bling or TikTok-friendly maximalism, for 2025 it seems we’re seeing a return to its roots as haute couture.

Hailey Bieber welcomed the new year by flashing a feline coat on her Insta story. Elle Fanning stepped out at the Golden Globes wearing a Balmain gown adorned by leopard print and sequins. This is animal print’s new era, and it’s classy.

The leopard is of course the fan favorite here. But fashion is fickle, and TikTokers’ attention span is short. The big cat’s peak on the runway probably happened in early 2024 (somewhat surprisingly, Tagwalk reported that from SS24 to SS25 use of the pattern actually fell by 89%), and, as the trend has trickled slowly down to take its place once more in mainstream culture, those at the forefront of the conversation are seeking something a little different.

Converse x Rhi Dancey at Berlin Fashion Week

Converse thought of that too. The new Chuck 70 doesn’t come only in leopard: you can get a giraffe or a zebra print too. The latter even glows in the dark, and, as monochrome fits are slowly taking hold, we’re thinking this latest exotic animal could be the year’s next obsession. Glamour, for one, is backing it. Again, at its most extreme there’s a whiff of early 2010s Tumblr subculture here—but you can just as easily dress it up.

Converse aren’t braving this journey alone—the brand has also gained a following among younger fashion scenes. Last week, designer Rhi Dancey held an inclusive ‘Fashion Week Funfair’ for all of Berlin to attend, with Converse's animal prints as its protagonists. The event was designed to challenge the stereotypes which plague Berlin’s fashion scene, as well as providing a refreshing alternative to the exclusivity of traditional fashion week events.

Guests were given party bags which included a pair of Converse, and Dancey even designed a capsule collection inspired by the shoe. For a young, alternative audience for whom clothing is just as much about fun as it is that nebulous concept of ‘style’, Converse’s new shoes were the perfect vessel for experimentation.

“For me, print has always been an integral part of my aesthetic, design, and style. It serves as a vessel to translate a vibe and energy through dress,” Dancey tells us. “As a teenager in the 2010s, leopard print was always a statement staple for me. While many prints rise and fall in popularity, I feel the tones and versatility of leopard print consistently give it a timeless place in my wardrobe.”

In short, these new Converse designs might just have all the ingredients needed to become one of the year’s most enduring symbols. And, zoological discourse aside, we’re always glad to have another take on Converse's classics. Still as much of a cultural touchstone today as when Marty scooted along Back to the Future’s streets back in the 1980s, these shoes retain a permanent sense of cool. You probably own a pair, your parents probably own a pair, Timothée Chalamet owns a pair. Talk about all bases covered.

Could this be the moment that Chuck Taylors are returned to the height of their glory? It’s unlikely we’ll ever see Converse (or any brand, for that matter) dominate 80% of the U.S. sneaker industry, as it did in the 60s. But for those wishing to rebel against fashion’s dominant current narrative of sleek noughties or 2010s nostalgia, infusing a little vintage funk into the fit is the way to go. True to their nine lives, feline and other prints have meant many things over the years, but they’ve always made noise. Trend or not, wear them proudly.

Check out Converse's animal print pack here.