HYPE WORLD VIEWS

The Los Angeles One Star Experience Presented By Converse X

Words By Roo

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Now in 2018 and just before the year concludes, Converse has, once again, collaborated with Tyler, the Creator to continue his ‘Flower Boy’ motif. And drawing inspiration from such unique collaborations, birthed the Converse X community, which is a global group of influential individuals, that have been chosen to create, participate and engage with and for Converse based on their style, ambitions and personality. The Converse X community is all about inspiring others to pave their own paths in the world. These X members take the road less traveled and make it their own, instead of conforming to following similar paths. Succeeding in life by doing everything on “your own terms” is the spirit of a Converse X member.

Their private Instagram account (@Converse_X_) currently hosts over 500 members from different cities all over the world. And it’s the ‘Converse One Star’ that seems to be the focal point of attraction for them. The soul of the One Star was inspired by the classic sneakers and the spirit of independence, which has encouraged Converse to build unique relationships and create representatives through connective experiences. Now to further celebrate the introduction of the latest Converse/Tyler, the Creator collaboration, about 2 weeks ago Converse selected some of their top Converse X ambassadors from around the globe and flew them down to Los Angeles for one unforgettable #RatedOneStar experience! HYPE Magazine was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the media partners (repping South Africa) that got the opportunity to tag along for the ride to also get the full & real LA experience. From the moment I landed, I could tell that this would be one of those life changing experiences which would end in tears of joy at some point. From the cab rides, interactions, bus and rooftop parties at Hollywood’s iconic, The Roosevelt Hotel, to exclusive shopping opportunities at Tyler the Creator’s GOLF store and finally attending his sold out 2-day Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival show.

The whole #RatedOneStar trip really kick started when I landed in LAX on November 8^th (Thursday) after my, what felt like a 24hr long, journey. Soon as I landed, I quickly found myself a cab and then finally arrived at the famous Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel which is literally in the core of Hollywood. The accommodation had already convinced me that this would be no regular experience and although all that my body wanted to do was shut down, I immediately met my Converse plug, (Suevia,Communications & Entertainment Marketing Manager For Converse) who encouraged me to rest up a little before all the crazy things began. By the time I arrived in my hotel room, I had already found out that the Converse X kids were shooting some campaign stills somewhere in the hotel spaces (I think it was the pool area). After I took a minute to adjust to the time difference, we (media partners) had a media dinner (7pm) at the world-famous Thai restaurant called Night + Market, where even John Mayer himself was dining. We were placed at the restaurant’s private courtyard. The dinner was really an opportunity for us to get to know each other before we met the X kids who were at a launch somewhere within the city. The media dinner was quite an intimate setting that had us all enjoying each other’s company and really settling in. A few glasses of hot/cold drinks and spicy Thai dishes down our throats, we finally headed out to join the rest of crew.

By the time we arrived, the event had just ended which opened the door for all of us to host our own little party on the Hotel’s rooftop that had some stunning views of the beautiful Los Angeles skyline and Hollywood sign. We all used this moment to further get acquainted with each other the best way kids know how of course… During our little party, I got to finally meet some of the Converse X kids that all come from different parts of the world such as New Zealand, Australia, Poland, Thailand, Chile and South Africa (S/O Monica) to name but a few. These X kids were a mixture of artists, DJs, photographers and models that had all connected to be part of a story and something special. Each kid has their own sense of style which was quite interesting to see and also, them reinterpreting the One Star spirit in their own way was too much (this means amazing)…

From the GOLF store tour we all headed out for some lunch in a basketball court. The menu was fully Mexican with its Taco and Burrito offerings. That luncheon was pretty chilled and was another bonding moment that had us all having a good time while jamming out to some music off the #RatedOneStar Spotify playlist. Immediately after the lunch we headed out to Echo Park to attend a panel discussion that was led our plug, Suevia, Lee Spielman (who is a Trash Talk band member and Founder of Babylon) and Darryl Jackson (who is the Apparel Director at Converse Collections incubate). That discussion was pretty inspiring to be honest because, we all understood that this experience was not to be taken for granted and we really absorbed the words that were being uttered to us. I felt like I could take over the world after that session, in fact I still do now… “Succeed in your own way” is the message that I took from that and hopefully if you’re reading this, will also consider adopting.