Shaniqwa Jarvis inherited her creativity. The artist and photographer—known for intimately capturing folks like Dev Hynes draped in persimmon tulle and Cardi B in calm repose at NoLita’s Lovely Day Restaurant— fondly remembers discovering her love of photography from both of her parents. “My dad would shoot portraits of people, and my mom was more documentary, but they always had a camera with them,” says Jarvis.
Her penchant for jewel-tone dresses, billowy silhouettes and splashy accessories was inspired by her father. “My dad was just very different,” Jarvis shares. “To me, as a kid, I’d always be like, “Yo, how are you wearing crop tops? I remember one time, he showed up to my birthday wearing a deep brown corduroy suit with a sleeveless black fitted top underneath. He was just always killing it, but I was like, “What are you wearing?” I was just so confused and a silly 13-year-old, but looking back, I know that’s where I get my sense of style.”
Jarvis honored her father’s debonair style in her debut collaboration with Converse. The tightly-edited capsule features the classic Chuck Taylor All Star sneaker and a coordinating hoodie. The collection’s vibrant floral print—originally a photo that Jarvis captured while on vacation in Mexico—is an homage to Jarvis’s father who passed away right before she started high school. “My siblings and I collectively realized that we get our sense of our creativity from him, Jarvis shared. “I’m always giving props to my mom for all the things that she’s done. But for this collection I thought, let me just give the man his flowers.”
While Jarvis was inspired by her past for the collection, it’s an innovative moment for the ever-evolving Chuck Taylor. The latest iteration of this classic sneaker features a new stretch canvas upper and CX foam midsole that provides a new level of comfort. Jarvis, who frequently pairs her billowy looks with sneakers, is obviously already a fan. “I wore these shoes all day long on set and they’re super comfortable,” says Jarvis. I feel like I’ve always just been a high-top Converse human. I am fortunate enough that in each instance of creative collaboration, I get to touch upon my personal passions as well.”
