Where skater Shinpei Ueno is headed with Converse Skateboarding . | feature

Mr. Omichi walks the streets and presses the shutter at the moment that catches his attention.
Skaters will mark good spots and leave them on video as they flow through the city.
Maybe that's what makes them similar.

A few days ago, you collaborated with Daido Moriyama for "QUCON," and Shinpei was in charge of the interview for the video, wasn't he?

I was nervous after a long time. I wanted to interview Mr. Daido because I thought that the interior design and scenography of "QUCON×DAIDO" had to be preserved on film, and I really wanted him to appear in the show. I interviewed him purely on the subject of what he thinks, what he thinks about skaters, and whether Daido Moriyama and skaters have anything in common. He was a very interesting person. He said that photography itself is only a copy, a reproduction, so whether you take a picture of a model or a cup, the value is the same, and in the extreme, it is not art. He said, "It's amateurism. Photographers these days call what they take art, but I don't like that. I may be the one taking the pictures, but I want them to be enjoyed freely.

What did you find in common in terms of "street"?

Mr. Omichi walks the streets and presses the shutter at the moment that catches his attention. Skaters mark good spots and capture them on film as they walk through the city. I thought maybe that's what we have in common. When I finally told him that we had a lot in common, he said, 'That's why we were meant to meet.

I'm not surprised to hear you say that to a legend. You also used projection mapping in the video, didn't you?

They moved Omichi's photo from the top of QUCON Park and did projection mapping and skated on top of it. The mapping team did a great job. It was really great to be able to create that space. It was really difficult to skate on it, though (laughs).

I can't work like a young professional skater because of my style,
I believe there are many things that only I can do,
Converse has taken that into consideration and is supporting us.

I heard that you have been involved with "Converse Skateboarding," where Shinpei is a rider, from the very beginning.

You have been there from the beginning. I don't want to enter contests or do demonstrations, and they respected that, so I didn't even mention their name. Converse is not a sports brand. It is more like fashion than sports shoes. Nowadays, many sports brands offer skate shoes, and they are well established, but there was a time when skate shoe brands like ES, EMERICA, LAKAI, and ETNIES were the best. Converse Skateboarding is similar to the fashionable skateboarding brand. I'm not talking about what I said earlier, but it's because they aren't heavy-duty that they feel comfortable.

The REACT HD cup insole, an original Converse product, has a two-layer construction and provides a great walking feel as well as skating. The striped rubber coating on the toe portion also reduces foot slippage.

I don't think many people in the general public think of skateboarding when they hear the name "Converse. These skate shoes are not skateboarding shoes, but they are well guarded and the soles are of high quality.

It actually has a grip on the insole. It has rubber lines in it, so the socks don't slip. When you slip on new shoes, wetting the socks strengthens the grip and makes them less slippery, but with these, you don't have to bother wetting them because they have a grip. I would like to continue working with the development team to improve the quality of the product.

Shinpei, you used to be sponsored by an American skate shoe brand called "VOX," but it must have been difficult for you to give feedback to your home country. But at Converse Skateboarding, you are very close to the development team, so you can communicate closely with them, which is a good environment.

That's what I'm hoping for, too, and since we can communicate well, feedback should come in handy. I feel a sense of security because it is a domestic brand. My style doesn't allow me to work like a young professional skater, but I think there are many things that only I can do, and Converse understands that and supports me.