So, you’re looking at a pair of Rick Owens Chuck Taylors and wondering if you can actually pull off a shoe that looks like it belongs in a brutalist architect's fever dream. It’s a fair question. Rick Owens—the "Lord of Darkness" himself—has spent years taking the most ubiquitous, friendly sneaker on the planet and essentially breaking its neck to see what happens.
Most people see the square toe or the tongue that reaches halfway to your knee and think it's just "fashion weirdness." But there is a very specific logic to these things. If you’ve ever worn a pair of standard Chuck 70s and felt they were a bit too "safe," Rick is basically the antidote.
The Design Logic: It’s Not Just a Longer Tongue
When Rick Owens first debuted the TURBODRK Chuck 70 during his Fall 2021 "Gethsemane" show in Venice, it was a genuine shock to the system. Think about it. Converse has been around for over a century. In all that time, they never once messed with the rounded toe cap. It’s the brand's DNA.
Then Rick comes along and squares it off.
He calls it "adolescent rage." Honestly, that tracks. It’s a distortion of something we all grew up with. The collaboration is technically part of his DRKSHDW line, which is his more "accessible" (if you can call $170 sneakers accessible) label. By squaring the toe and elongating the tongue, he creates a silhouette that isn't just a sneaker anymore; it's a structural element.
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You’ve basically got three main flavors of the Rick Owens Chuck Taylor:
- TURBODRK: The one with the aggressive square toe. It’s the "love it or hate it" model.
- DRKSTAR: This one keeps the rounded toe but keeps the massive, oversized tongue. It’s the "gateway drug" for people who want the Rick look without looking like they’re wearing bricks on their feet.
- DBL DRKSTAR: The platform version. It’s "bigger, louder, dumber," as Rick himself put it in an interview with Highsnobiety. It’s got a double-stacked sole that physically changes how you walk.
Sizing is Where Everyone Messes Up
If you buy your "normal" size in a Rick Owens Converse collab, you might be in for a bad time.
Converse Chuck 70s already run big. Rick’s versions often double down on that. For the TURBODRK and DRKSTAR models, most enthusiasts recommend going down at least a half size from your standard sneaker size (like what you’d wear in Nikes). If you have narrow feet, you might even need to go a full size down.
The weight is another thing. These aren't the flimsy canvas shoes you wore in gym class. They use a heavy-weight 18 oz cotton twill. It’s stiff. It’s durable. It feels like it could survive a small explosion. Because the material is so thick, the break-in period is real. Don’t expect them to feel like clouds on day one.
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Why the "Pony Hair" Matters
In late 2025, the collaboration took a weird, hairy turn. They released the One Star Pro pack featuring "pony hair" (which is actually cowhide) in colors like "Acid" and "Drkdst."
This is where Rick’s influence really shines. He takes a low-profile skate shoe and covers it in animal texture. It’s tactile. It’s weird. It’s also surprisingly hard to clean, so maybe don't wear the $185 pony hair versions to a muddy festival.
The inclusion of Big Freedia—the Queen of Bounce—as the face of recent campaigns adds a layer of cultural weight that most sneaker collabs lack. It’s not just about selling shoes; it’s about a specific kind of "gentle tolerance" and celebrating the "weirdo in all of us," which is a recurring theme for Owens.
How to Actually Wear Them
You can’t really treat these like normal sneakers. If you wear them with skinny jeans, you’re going to look like a kingdom hearts character. The proportions are too wide.
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Instead, lean into the volume. These shoes want wide-leg trousers, oversized hoodies, or even shorts with high socks to balance out that massive tongue. The whole point of a Rick Owens Chuck Taylor is to disrupt the line of your leg.
A Quick Cheat Sheet for the Models:
- The TURBODRK (Square Toe): Best for people who want to make a statement. It’s a conversation starter, mostly because people will ask if your shoes are broken.
- The DRKSTAR (Round Toe): Best for daily wear. It fits into a "normal" wardrobe much easier but still has that designer edge.
- The TURBOWPN: This is based on the 80s "Weapon" basketball shoe. It’s chunky, leather-heavy, and feels more like a boot than a sneaker.
Are They Worth the Hype?
Look, $170 to $200 for "fancy Converse" is a lot. You’re paying for the silhouette and the name. But compared to Rick’s mainline "Ramones" sneakers—which can easily clear $1,000—the Converse collab is a steal.
You get the CX foam insole, which is actually more comfortable than the standard Chuck 70. You get the reinforced stitching. And you get a shoe that will probably outlast three pairs of regular All Stars.
If you’re bored of the sneaker landscape and want something that feels a bit more "art school" and a bit less "mall walker," this is it. Just remember to size down. Seriously.
Next Steps for Your Wardrobe:
If you're ready to dive in, start by checking the current stock on the Converse SNKRS app or Rick Owens’ official site. Since many of these are "limited drops," they tend to disappear and then randomly restock months later. If you're looking at the secondary market (like GOAT or StockX), always double-check the "EU to US" size conversion, as Rick’s sizing can vary between the DRKSHDW and Mainline iterations.