Converse is currently scouting the next generation of Australian creative talent

02:04 Converse is currently scouting the next generation of Australian creative talent

Your foot in the door of the creative industry.

Converse All Stars – the creative network, not the iconic shoe – has been going strong for five years now. The global community launched right here in Australia back in 2017, with the goal of bringing together creatives from a wide range of disciplines and fields. Vibrant All Star communities now exist all around the world.

Despite where your brain might jump, it’s not an ‘influencer club’. To be an All Star doesn’t require thousands of followers. You don’t need to know everyone who’s anyone in your field or have public accolades attesting to your creative brilliance.

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So what do All Stars have in common? A creative spark, passion and the potential to bring on real cultural change. Over the last five years, Converse has been scouting the globe for people with these qualities, building their own Oceans 11-style crew of over 2500+ artists, musicians, athletes, writers, mould-breakers, game-changers, taste-makers and other creatives.

The best part is that for the first time, the brand is taking a new approach to finding its next crop of All Stars. Converse is holding an open call so everybody has a chance to throw their hat in the ring. There’s no doubt that joining the Converse All Stars leads to amazing opportunities. From industry mentorship and community-building events to once-in-a-lifetime trips around the world, the All Stars have done some truly enviable things.

Local All Stars include FJ contributor and content creator Maggie Zhou (who helped launch the sustainability-focused Trash Island project), graphic designer and wearable artist Paulina Zamorano (who was commissioned to create custom work for Converse’s Renew Labs concept store), Sydney-based musician Boy Soda (who opened for Dominic Fike at a Converse party in LA and was later signed to Warner Music), and multidisciplinary artist Aysha Nanai-Leifi (who recently became the first queer Samoan Maori woman to sit on a panel at Tribeca Film Festival).

The open call comes off the back of one of the most mind-blowing All Stars initiatives yet. Converse invited 30 All Stars from 12 countries to a three-day workshop led by industry leaders, where they were tasked with creating five original songs, each with an accompanying visual expression.

Collaboration was the name of the game, encouraging the All Stars to meld, reinvent and reinvigorate their own sounds and disciplines in order to create something that had never been heard before. The five resulting tracks cover everything from emo and R&B to EDM and Brazilian funk.

At the end of the workshop, the songs were presented to none other than Tyler, the Creator, who offered the gathered creatives some priceless advice and industry insight.

In attendance was Melbourne local Lydia Tesema, who’s still reeling from the opportunity to speak to and create music for such a well-respected music icon. Like many All Stars, Lydia is a true multidisciplinary creative. She’s a radio host, presenter, writer and a social justice ambassador – just to name a few.

Lydia and five other creatives worked on the song ‘Together’, a bilingual Brazilian funk-trap track that draws on themes of resourcefulness, unity and purpose.

“It was that big of an experience that I just had to sit back and take it all in,” Lydia says, reflecting on the workshop. “It was just so amazing on so many levels, and it was wonderful connecting with other creatives from around the world. I love people, I love meeting creators and I love connecting. Converse gave me the opportunity of a lifetime.”

Lydia joined the All Stars at the start of 2020, invited by Converse to attend a clothing swap event in Brunswick. She explains that the brand was attracted by her Instagram, which showcased a lot of her passion, skills and desire to express herself.

“One thing I’ll say is that Converse really sees the potential and just goes for it and tries to nurture it. Because I wasn’t doing anything special,” she explains. “I hadn’t set any real intentions about what I wanted to do in the creative space at that point. I was just someone who really wanted to pursue that space and was still figuring it out.”

She describes her first year as an All Star as heavily focused on community building and connecting with other creatives. This sense of community was particularly important when Covid took over, painstakingly maintained despite lockdowns and the inability to collaborate in person. One thing Lydia highlights is the initial cautiousness she approached these opportunities with.

“As a black woman, I’m used to seeing tokenism from companies. When I first came across Converse and All Stars, it’s not that I was sceptical, I just didn’t expect what they’ve ended up doing for us. Over time, I started to see how much they really want to hear my voice.”

In July of 2020, Lydia published a think piece on her platform Below The Surface about Black Lives Matter, which was then featured on the Converse website.“I was just like, ‘Wow!’ They’re really aligning our true voices and perspectives to their brand, and saying that this is an extension of how the community feels.”

If this sense of community, collaboration, support and opportunity fills you with a healthy dose of envy, now is your chance to shoot your shot.

Converse is holding an open call for potential All Stars, accepting applications from anyone who thinks they’re a good fit for the creative network. Whatever your creative field or level of exposure, as long as you have a spark and a collaborative spirit, the brand wants to hear from you. Applications are available online and open until September 28. Godspeed, good luck and happy creating.

Check out what went down at the All Stars Series Sydney and get your application in

@темы: fashion