Converse opens sustainability-minded retail space in Melbourne

Footwear and accessories label Converse, in collaboration with brand experience agency Amplify, has launched Renew Labs Fitzroy, an experimental retail location in Melbourne that showcases creativity and co-creation.

Centred around the Converse Renew product range and a business model which aims to extend the life of Converse products, Renew Labs focuses on the brand’s circular design principle: "Each shoe leads the next in reducing its impact on the planet".

The centre will host creative workshops to help consumers customise their products with patches, embroidery and eco-friendly dyes, as well as offer cleaning, repair and renewal services. The brand said the store uses locally sourced materials that have been upcycled, recycled, or repurposed. Renew Labs will also act as a designated collection point for any used sports shoes that cannot be renewed, and the brand said they will be recycled into products like gym flooring through a nonprofit called TreadLightly. 

Artists including Tamara Leacock, Joshua Space, Callum Preston, Precious Plastics and TreadLightly were involved in the design of the store's interior.