Daily Paper Celebrates The Colours of Independence With Converse

When Amsterdam-based brand Daily Paper was established in 2012, three childhood friends sought to share their cultural commonalities through a shared love of fashion. At the heart of Daily Paper is an intersection of creativity and inclusivity. Tapping into their African roots, the brand’s signature streetwear has already cultivated a global cult following that puts community first. Now, it’s sharing this ethos with the world by reinventing one of the most popular trainers of all time; the Converse 70. 

With Pan-African colours and quilted patterns, each pair is imbued with Daily Paper's community-driven narrative. Embroidered details and a bold shield logo, a symbol of solidarity, the Daily Paper's Chuck 70 looks to weave cultures together through commonality. The collaborations other style, the De Luxe Squared, challenges convention with its angular take on a future classic. Together, they represent unity and freedom, brought to life through meticulous craftsmanship.

To capture the essence of the collection, Daily Paper and Converse went straight to the source of inspiration: Senegal. With a rich cultural history and undeniable energy, the nation becomes more than just a backdrop; it is a symbol of the enduring spirit of freedom and identity that the 'Colours of Independence' collection aims to uplift. The campaign imagery, set against this vibrant landscape, showcases the deep relationship between fashion, culture, and self-expression, weaving together past, present, and future.

As Daily Paper has shown time and again, their brand transcends fashion. It’s a movement. A call to action for young adults, creatives, and communities across the globe to honour their roots while championing inclusivity and diversity. The Colours of Independence collection is more than just clothes and shoes; it’s a canvas for cultural dialogue, sewn together by threads of freedom and unity.

We caught up with co-founder Hussein Suleiman to get all the details on the cross-cultural collaboration.

Joshua Graham: I want to start with how this Converse collection came about. What were your thoughts and feelings when they approached you with the idea?

Hussein Suleiman: The Chuck Taylor is one of the most iconic shoes. We wore it through different stages of our lives. We've always seen them around us. So, when we got invited to the Converse headquarters in Boston we really got to learn more about about the brand, dig into the archives, and hear the design philosophies but also the brand philosophies.

JG: Synergy is always very important for a creative collaboration. What made Converse right for Daily Paper?

HS: I think when we were there, we were really inspired by their old advertising and the messaging. And then we saw the star on the classic All-Stars, which is such an important symbol for me and my co-founders. I’m from Somalia, Jefferson [Osei] is from Ghana, and Abderrahmane [Trabsini] is from Morocco. Coincidence or not, we all have a star in our flags. I don't know, it just felt good.

JG: The stars literally aligned.

HS: Exactly. So that's one thing that, that, that we gravitated towards naturally. We said we have to do something with the star. And they were speaking a lot about independence and freedom. What does freedom mean? And in that we found a story that we presented to the team and they loved it. We continued working on this and that spirit of that story is what created the campaign that we just shot.

JG: What does this idea of freedom mean for you as a creative, but also for the brand for Daily Paper?

HS: I know nothing but to be free. I came as a refugee to the Netherlands and I've known freedom since I was a kid. My business partners also understand it because their countries became independent from colonists. Even though they weren’t born at the time, it is something that has always been at the forefront for all of us. Our history. Whenever we research, we always go back to that period of time.

We realised that a lot of African countries, they took on the colours of the Ethiopian flag as a symbol for independence and as a symbol of freedom. Red, gold and green are also associated with Rastafari colours, so they represent independence and freeform. We wanted to celebrate that in this collection without saying too much.

JG: Almost finding that universality through similarity rather than the difference.

HS: Exactly. But also, someone in Jamaica can connect with these colours as much as someone in West Africa. It all comes down to the root of the need for independence and the need to celebrate independence and that it cannot just be brushed off or forgotten. It's something that we need to constantly remind ourselves of.

JG: How do you think Daily Paper’s ethos has evolved from when you started?

HS: For us, it has started with a journey of learning more about ourselves. I don't know English history, Italian history and American history. And I don't know anything about what happened in Ghana. These are my best friends and we turn to each other to learn these histories to understand each others culture. Through sharing we find these similarities that link us.

That's why I like this collection, it’s like building a bridge from us to the Caribbean. We did a big investigation in London during Notting Hill Carnival, and we felt very welcome there. We learned so much about a culture that we are not necessarily a part of but feel so connected to.

JG: I think what you guys do so well is present an ongoing dialogue through fashion.

HS: When we presented the idea of the collection to Converse we wanted to tell the story through an African lens but connecting it to the Caribbean. We also looked at Senegal and the experience of independence and freedom there. We went to Senegal. It was actually my first time being in a French speaking African country. We went to an island called Gore which is a very special place where people used to keep slaves before they were actually sent on a horrible voyage. And that trip was super special. It was like something that I will never forget. The people were super kind, super nice. The energy felt super good and I feel like we really got to show that in the film.

The Daily Paper x Converse 'Colours of Independence' collection drops on 1 October online and across Daily Paper's flagship stores in Amsterdam, London and New York.