Converse - Spark Progress
Repositioning an icon for a new generation
The Brief
By 2018, Converse’s heritage was unquestioned but its cultural edge in Europe and the UK had faded. Teen affinity in London had halved and sales were sliding. The task was to help a century-old brand speak to a generation creating its own version of progress, across music, fashion, activism, and skate.
The Work
Spark Progress became that bridge, a creative platform built around emerging female and non-binary voices shaping the city’s creative scene. We partnered with five talents: Lava La Rue, Paria Farzaneh, Raye, Feng Chen Wang, and Ama Quashie, to tell authentic stories of progress through film, design, and community projects.
The London launch defined the tone for Western Europe: raw, optimistic, and grounded in real creativity. I led localisation across key markets (Paris, Berlin, Milan), adapting the platform through local talent and production partners so each city expressed its own voice within a single idea.
The campaign combined film, OOH, and digital storytelling, showing that the best way for Converse to lead youth culture was to listen to it.
The Outcome
Spark Progress reignited Converse’s cultural credibility, generating millions of views and re-establishing the Chuck Taylor as a symbol of creative optimism.
The co-creation model we built in London became a blueprint for how the brand now engages young creators globally — proof that authenticity travels better than scale.