Converse Stud Bar

Are your sneakers looking a bit wussy? In need of some toughening up? Well, Melbourne’s only Converse specialty store has come to their rescue with their Stud Bar. Build on the premise of expressing one’s individuality through fashion, the Stud Bar provides customers free rein with studs and a multitude of coloured laces to create their very own custom sneakers.

In need of some new kicks, I took myself down to the Melbourne Central Converse hub to pick a pair that would become my own creative canvas. Boasting the largest assortment of Cons in the country, including Chuck Taylor All Star, Jack Purcell, Basketball, Skateboarding, Converse By John Varvatos, as well as other premium footwear collaborations, the store leaves you spoilt for choice and a little stumped when trying to decide what to pick.

The retail space itself brings together everything that is Converse; from its distinct sports heritage to its rock and roll roots. Subway tiling, sporting bleaches and a vintage basketball scoreboard bring a slice of New York to Melbourne and the Stud Bar gives the space a touch of extra edginess, with its raw-wood bench and cast-iron stools.

After much deliberation, I went with the Chuck Taylor All Star Hi Tops, which provided me with a clean working space and ample room for my studding imagination to run wild.

All customers who buy a pair of sneakers in-store are armed with a pack of 80 studs and the choice of colourful replacement laces to pimp their shoes, and are more than welcome to take up residence at the specially-designed Stud Bar to stud away for as long as they need.

While my design skills do leave a lot to be desired, I was pretty chuffed to now be the proud owner of my very first pair of studded Cons. Now where did I leave my skateboard?