Home / Design / Style

Converse Launches “Sakura Sneakers” Made with Real Cherry Blossom Petals

By Emma Taggart on June 3, 2019

Nature and style merge in Converse‘s latest collection of fashionable kicks. Made in collaboration with Japanese textile maker Toyoshima, the company is soon to release sakura-inspired, pink high-tops that are actually made with real cherry blossom petals.

No sakura trees were damaged in the making of the shoes, since an abundance of pink petals fall naturally each year during cherry blossom season. In fact, buying a pair of these petal pink sneakers will help to increase the number of trees in Japan—a percentage of each sale will be donated to projects dedicated to planting cherry blossom trees in areas such as the northeastern Tohoku region where forests and vegetation sadly washed away during the devastating tsunami in 2011.

The colorful twist on the classic shoe is part of a trio of sneakers dyed with raw materials. In addition to the “Sakura” shoes dyed using cherry blossoms, there’s also a baby blue pair called “Blue Mallow”—named after the herbal tea that was used to dye the canvas—and brown “Drip Coffee” sneakers dyed using real coffee grounds.

All three options will be available to buy for 9,000 yen (US$83) on the Food Textile online store starting in August 2019.