Día de los Muertos Sneakers With “Sole”

These high-top sneakers blend the beautiful imagery of El Día de los Muertos with classic “Chuck Taylor” style.

El Día de los Muertos is a Mexican celebration where families get together to remember and reunite spiritually with their relatives who have died. According to this tradition, every year between October 31 and November 2, the souls of the dead can rejoin their living relatives. To welcome them back, families create special altars that include photos of their deceased loved ones and ofrendas (offerings or gifts) of their favorite foods and drinks.

Although el Día de los Muertos is intended to honor the dead, it’s also supposed to be a joyful event full of colorful flowers and bright paper banners. And, as far as we know, there’s no rule against looking amazing and having a little fun while making an ofrenda. In this spirit (pun intended), we think it’s great that Converse has created a new collection of its classic high-top sneakers (nicknamed Chuck Taylors) that capture the beauty and imagery of el Día de los Muertos. Among the symbols included in the designs are:

• Calacas — A calaca is a colloquial (slang) Mexican term for skeleton. This word and the related term calavera (meaning skull) are typically used to describe the happy skeletons and sugar skulls associated with el Día de los Muertos celebrations. The calaveras are often shown wearing beautiful clothes and having fun as a tribute to the happy moments in the lives of the deceased ancestors they represent.

Image Credit: Converse

• Marigolds — The bright orange color and pungent smell of this flower is said to lead the dead back to their living relatives.