Hiroshi Fujiwara Teases Fragment, VA Tokyo and Converse Weapon Collaboration

Converse confirmed a May 11 launch for the Converse x Fragment Weapon by Hiroshi Fujiwara, a project built around the mid-80s Converse Weapon and accompanied by a wool varsity jacket, a French terry hoody, and jersey tees in a similar royal blue and black look. Early images and a Fujiwara tease have already lit up the sneaker community, and the drop follows the pair’s history remixing the Chuck Taylor while marking the first time Fragment has worked on the Weapon.

Hiroshi Fujiwara framed the Weapon as a personal return to an old favorite. In a Sneakerfreaker interview he said, “For me, it started as a basketball shoe. The first basketball shoes I ever bought were Converse.” He recalled discovering the Weapon while skateboarding in the late-80s and early 90s and told the outlet, “Nothing particular – I thought I have not seen Weapon in a while, so I thought it was about time to bring it back.” On color, Fujiwara was specific: “Staying close to original colour blocks – changing them just a tiny bit. I thought of using the blue, which indeed is somewhat iconic to my shoe designs in the past, and I thought it would look good in this particular design.”

Converse is positioning the Weapon for off-court rotation. Company messaging around the project notes that the Weapon will serve as the brand’s flagship retro model off the court for its athletes and brand partners in the next year, and athlete exposure has already begun. “You saw Shai during his down time and even in warm-ups [at All-Star Weekend] rocking different variations of the Weapon,” Labossiere said. “All of our athletes have been into them, and we have the benefit of working with some of the League Fits-certified, most stylish guys in the league.” Boardroom flagged that the first public tease came from Shai during his ASW arrival in an all-white Weapon with neutral grey accents.

The Weapon’s reboot leans on pedigree. Launched just a year after the Air Jordan 1 in 1986, the Weapon was originally worn by Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas and, though initially available for just two seasons, “has remained as one of the enduring icons of the era.” It wasn’t until 2003 that Nike acquired Converse, fittingly the same year that Fujiwara launched his Fragment Design studio imprint.

Separate but running in parallel is a CONS CTS Fragment Design five-piece collection that will launch at select retailers in Asia on Sept. 10 with a worldwide release on Sept. 11 and a retail price of $80. That CONS CTS pack contrasts three classic colorways – black, parchment and navy – with white stitching and nickel hardware, plus two metallic striped versions in gold and silver, and adds skate-ready features like drop-in Lunarlon sockliners, memory foam and traction rubber outsoles alongside Fujiwara midsole branding.

Original reports also name VA Tokyo as a partner in a teased three-way collaboration with Fragment and Converse, and early images of that three-way effort have circulated online. Meanwhile Fujiwara’s slate of teases continues outside Converse: Hypebeast notes an all-black fragment x Nike Air Liquid Max with a reptile-like texture and Fragment’s lightning bolt on the tongue for Air Max Day 2026, and vintage Fragment x Converse Chuck Taylor pieces still trade on the secondary market — an eBay listing shows a Hiroshi Fujiwara x Converse Chuck Taylor size 12 from seller b4yk1d5, who has 100% positive feedback and 238 items sold.

This run of projects puts Fujiwara back at the center of crossover sneaker culture: designing a Weapon he calls “for myself,” relaunching an emblematic 1986 silhouette, and layering apparel and skate-technical CONS offerings across staggered May and September rollouts.