Tyler, the Creator has always done things his own way. There’s something borderline Dylan-esque about the extent to which he endeavors to avoid being perceived as just one thing, as having his routine figured out. Whether it’s experimenting with new sonic experiments on his latest LP Don’t Tap the Glass (released less than a year after his acclaimed Chromakopia), or making his big-screen debut in an auteur project like Josh Safdie’s upcoming Marty Supreme, he’s always leaned into eclecticism rather than resting on his laurels or following a conventional path.
The same thing can be said for Tyler’s approach to his partnership with Converse. While the 34-year-old has been one of the brand’s signature public figures for a while now, this year the collaboration really blossomed with the archival 1908 Project. The endeavor eschews the brand’s most recognizable kicks in favor of deeper cuts, many of which haven’t been issued in decades. Tyler’s work under the banner has thrived, and this week it’s taking yet another dope zag forward.
Converse is so synonymous with the iconic Chuck Taylor canvas high-tops that most people forget—hell, most people don’t even know—that parallel to the company all but establishing the sneaker market in the 20th century, they also had a thriving business selling rubber-soled boots and outdoorswear. Their signature model was the No-Bite Hunting Boot, produced from the 1920s to the 1970s, a duck boot-esque number designed for long days in the woods. Over the years, Converse has occasionally harkened back to those roots, most notably in the 1990s with the Mud Chunk—a boot-sneaker hybrid that arrived just in time for an era of streetwear and style defined just as much by Air Jordans and Air Maxes as heavy-duty laceups from Columbia and Timberland.
Courtesy of Converse
Courtesy of Converse
Tyler’s latest Converse silhouette is the Bronco Boot, another callback to that outdoors heritage. While it’s not a direct revival of an archival silhouette, it draws heavily from the Mud Chunk and the brand’s history of rubber-soled bootmaking. Dropping in four colorways on Thursday (a white canvas, a green suede, and versions in black and brown leather), it reads like an update on the Red Wings and Bean Boots that every card-carrying menswear dude owned in 2010.
Courtesy of Converse
The mid-cut upper hits right around the ankle and features a rubber toe cap with a diamond pattern cut across its stripes. A rugged rubber lugsole finishes out the bottom of the boot. The tongue and collar are padded for comfort and, for a proper Tyler finish, it features Golf le Fleur branding and his signature dog logo on a patch adorning the inner ankle.
Tyler’s been rocking the Bronco Boot here and there on the Chromakopia Tour, but expect a more official debut at this weekend’s Cam Flog Gnaw Festival. The Tyler the Creator x Converse 1908 Bronco Boot will be available for $150 starting this Thursday, November 13, via Converse and Golf le Fleur’s webstores.
