Converse’s One-of-a-Kind Sneaker Chandelier

Converse’s Boston Headquarters Gets a Bold Visual Statement

Design: Retail, October 6, 2016

Taking a product from concept to completion requires collaboration. And when the idea involves an iconic product, like Converse Chuck Taylor sneakers, it is a process that gets everyone excited. The Converse design team presented their vision to New York-based Lukas Lighting (a division of FLOS USA), a company known for its custom lighting solutions. The in-house Converse team even had a sample sneaker made with a clear sole. They envisioned sneakers hanging from wires, but wanted this display to illuminate the lobby space of its Boston headquarters.

“Converse downloaded their vision to us, and how they wanted the lighting to perform, then we went into the characteristics of the space itself, looking at the ‘environmentals’ and logistics in order to go about fitting the lighting into this particular space,” says Craig Corona, vice president of operations for Lukas Lighting. “We considered what angles it would be viewed from, at what times of day, what type of lighting performance they needed and more.” With more than 200 dangling sneakers, the size, massing and volume of the chandelier had to be carefully considered.

Working with the clear sole, an evenly diffused LED was slipped into every shoe to create a balanced dispersal of light and clean aesthetic for views from above and below. Lukas Lighting opted to use Cooledge LEDs due to their performance.

A simple canopy support system was developed for the dangling sneakers. The electrical work floats from the slab and then is covered with a white acrylic-coated aluminum plate. The fixture wires extend down from the plate to the varying lengths needed to create the appearance of randomly hanging sneakers. The wires are covered in a white cording material to create the appearance of “laces” that disappear into the plate.

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