Converse Announces Expansion of All Stars Mentorship Program

At the center of the newly expanded Converse All Stars program, as CMO Jesse Stollak explains, is "an engine for youth opportunity."

The brand has been engaged in growing and building its grassroots global community for more than two years, bringing to life a united approach aimed at "creative progress" with the help of thousands of cultural game-changers. This fall, however, the community effort will hit a new level of importance by being opened up to the public for the first time.

The brand's team is inviting up to 250 creatives to join Converse All Stars through November 2020. As a new member, a creative is given the chance to engage with the All Star Series, previous sessions of which have featured a variety of top-tier talent including Issa Rae and Virgil Abloh.

Meanwhile, a million-dollar accelerator program—dubbed the All Star Captains—will selectively fast track 13 All Stars who are determined to represent the power of "creative action" across a variety of fields including inclusivity, sustainability, and more.

Starting in October, All Stars can submit individual proposals regarding their own potentially game-changing ideas. And starting in 2021, the inaugural class of Captains—including James Mathew and Ifeoma "Ify" White-Thorpe—will each get one year of funding to assist in bringing such ideas to life.

To celebrate this new chapter in the Converse All Stars program, a new film has been released featuring writing by Ify under the mentorship of Issa Rae, as well as original music from James and Phillip Mathew under the mentorship of Tyler, the Creator. Catch the Leo Aguirre-directed video above.