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A punk'd-up pairing: Converse and komiks
It should come as no surprise that fans of local graphic novels "Trese" and "Demon Dungeon" are just as avid followers of the iconic sneaker brand Converse—as was proven during the live sneaker-painting (or should I say "punking") event held at the Converse flagship store in Glorietta 2 last Saturday.
The event brought renowned comic book artists and creators Kajo Baldisimo, Bow Guerrero and JB Tapia together in collaboration with the brand to bring fans of comics and Converse alike a few rare pairs of famously punk’d up Chucks. And for those who preferred to “roll their own,” a customizing station was set up for maximum D-I-Y happiness.
Comic book creators Kajo Baldisimo, Bow Guerrero and JB Tapia busy punking those Chucks.
'Alexandra Trese loves Converse'
For those who haven’t read "Trese" or "Dark Colony", here they are in a nutshell, as explained by Bow Guerrero: “If you know about 'Trese', you know that it is taking Filipino urban legends and mythology in a different light. Looking at it in a different light. For this... [Demon Dungeon] yung ginawa namin nina Budjette [Tan]... is to look at history in a different light."
Before the event, Baldisimo and Guerrero prepared their own Trese- and Demon Dungeon-inspired Chucks, showing a true harmony between the sneakers and their comics.
"We wanted to show the main essence... we used one of the main characters... the main good guy and the main bad guy. So you get the best of both worlds from our comic book," said Guerrero of his collaborative shoe design.
Likewise, Baldisimo explained that his shoes feature the iconic characters, "Kambal," from his books. A man of few words, he concluded simply by saying, “If you read the comic books then you will understand.”
A number of fans eagerly posed questions for the artists once the mic was opened. Among the questions were "When will the next one come out?" ("Demon Dungeon" sometime next year, "Trese" in November) and "Wll we ever see Trese on the big screen?”
To which Baldisimo replied, "I hope so. I hope soon," revealing that if he had to cast Alexandra Trese off the top of his head it would be "the Japanese girl" from "Pacific Rim".
Craving for customized
Apart from an exclusive on-the-spot panel style interview with Baldisimo, Guerrero and Tapia, the event also gave eight lucky Converse-clad attendees the opportunity to get their Chucks uniquely customized by the artists.
“Honestly I’m a fan of Converse. Just Converse,” said contest winner Lawrence who admitted that he is a follower of neither "Trese" nor "Demon Dungeon", in spite of having his shoes painted by Guerrero.
"I like collecting yung kakaibang Converse… wala akong normal na Converse. The first normal Converse I have, yung original Chucks, is being customized by Bow so it's not normal anymore. It's customized."
A customization area littered with all sorts of beads, sequins, paint, markers, and even shoelaces and studs provided event-goers with just enough materials to create their very own all-out punked up Chucks. It was very popular with the kids, who took to the shiny pink glue-on hearts immediately.
In an interview with Demon Dungeon co-writer Tapia, the Converse tagline "Shoes Buy Art, Sneakers Create It" was brought to light.
"It's easy to buy classic, if you have enough money. You can buy a great pair of shoes and go, 'I'm made.' It's actually harder to punk a pair of sneakers and say, 'I'm creative.' So in that sense... it's a little braver."
And his advice for the brave?
“Go with something bold. If you're gonna draw a face, draw a face with emotion. If you're gonna put your name on that, make it scream... Hey, if you're gonna punk it, go all the way."
All-stars always
About the shoe itself, many of the event-goers had great things to say. Bow Guerrero, upon admitting that it was not his first time to punk his Chucks, went on to tell the story of how he created wannabe "Cons" by painting a pair of differently branded sneakers.
“I wanted it to look like a Converse shoe so I drew it literally para magmukha siyang Converse," said Guerrero, chuckling as he demonstrated how to draw a star in the air.
Tapia recalled wearing Chucks every day in college. "Back in the day, I had my own All-Stars and I wore them all throughout my college life, so it's nice to come back to it. And the fact that it's the same shoe, I mean that's fantastic."
Indeed the shoe is quite the classic. Self-proclaimed Converse fan Lawrence describes his love affair with the shoe: "Maganda siya... kahit saang damit. You can wear them and hindi na mawawala sa uso. You look good, you have great shoes."
What’s more is they are literally a blank canvas for you to make your mark on.
"The shoe isn't complete until you give it your own look," said Tapia as he explained that while other brands are "very allergic" to "anything you do with your shoes… Converse just decided to embrace it and said okay. That’s what Converse is all about."
In conclusion: the world’s most iconic sneaker? Chuck Taylor All-Stars.
And the best way to wear them? Yours. — BM, GMA News
For those who haven’t read "Trese" or "Dark Colony", here they are in a nutshell, as explained by Bow Guerrero: “If you know about 'Trese', you know that it is taking Filipino urban legends and mythology in a different light. Looking at it in a different light. For this... [Demon Dungeon] yung ginawa namin nina Budjette [Tan]... is to look at history in a different light."
Before the event, Baldisimo and Guerrero prepared their own Trese- and Demon Dungeon-inspired Chucks, showing a true harmony between the sneakers and their comics.
"We wanted to show the main essence... we used one of the main characters... the main good guy and the main bad guy. So you get the best of both worlds from our comic book," said Guerrero of his collaborative shoe design.
Likewise, Baldisimo explained that his shoes feature the iconic characters, "Kambal," from his books. A man of few words, he concluded simply by saying, “If you read the comic books then you will understand.”
A number of fans eagerly posed questions for the artists once the mic was opened. Among the questions were "When will the next one come out?" ("Demon Dungeon" sometime next year, "Trese" in November) and "Wll we ever see Trese on the big screen?”
To which Baldisimo replied, "I hope so. I hope soon," revealing that if he had to cast Alexandra Trese off the top of his head it would be "the Japanese girl" from "Pacific Rim".
Craving for customized
For D-I-Y shoe customizers, the store provided markers, paints, beads, sequins and studs.
“Honestly I’m a fan of Converse. Just Converse,” said contest winner Lawrence who admitted that he is a follower of neither "Trese" nor "Demon Dungeon", in spite of having his shoes painted by Guerrero.
"I like collecting yung kakaibang Converse… wala akong normal na Converse. The first normal Converse I have, yung original Chucks, is being customized by Bow so it's not normal anymore. It's customized."
A customization area littered with all sorts of beads, sequins, paint, markers, and even shoelaces and studs provided event-goers with just enough materials to create their very own all-out punked up Chucks. It was very popular with the kids, who took to the shiny pink glue-on hearts immediately.
In an interview with Demon Dungeon co-writer Tapia, the Converse tagline "Shoes Buy Art, Sneakers Create It" was brought to light.
"It's easy to buy classic, if you have enough money. You can buy a great pair of shoes and go, 'I'm made.' It's actually harder to punk a pair of sneakers and say, 'I'm creative.' So in that sense... it's a little braver."
And his advice for the brave?
“Go with something bold. If you're gonna draw a face, draw a face with emotion. If you're gonna put your name on that, make it scream... Hey, if you're gonna punk it, go all the way."
All-stars always
A Demon Dungeonized shoe.
“I wanted it to look like a Converse shoe so I drew it literally para magmukha siyang Converse," said Guerrero, chuckling as he demonstrated how to draw a star in the air.
Tapia recalled wearing Chucks every day in college. "Back in the day, I had my own All-Stars and I wore them all throughout my college life, so it's nice to come back to it. And the fact that it's the same shoe, I mean that's fantastic."
Indeed the shoe is quite the classic. Self-proclaimed Converse fan Lawrence describes his love affair with the shoe: "Maganda siya... kahit saang damit. You can wear them and hindi na mawawala sa uso. You look good, you have great shoes."
What’s more is they are literally a blank canvas for you to make your mark on.
"The shoe isn't complete until you give it your own look," said Tapia as he explained that while other brands are "very allergic" to "anything you do with your shoes… Converse just decided to embrace it and said okay. That’s what Converse is all about."
In conclusion: the world’s most iconic sneaker? Chuck Taylor All-Stars.
And the best way to wear them? Yours. — BM, GMA News
