Aries’ ‘No Problemo’ slogan – emblazoned on the London-based label’s sweaters, T-shirts and caps – has become so ubiquitous in streetwear circles that in 2024 it became its own entity, remaining under the control of creative director Sofia Prantera but operating as its own independent sub-label. (Prantera founded Aries in 2012 alongside Fergus Purcell, the lauded graphic designer who also created the ‘No Problemo’ logo, alongside the Palace ‘Penrose’ triangle.)
The initial launch, in early 2024, was titled ‘Area 001’ – a nod to one of the brand’s inspirations, extraterrestrial life (namely, the more kitschy graphics you might find around the likes of Area 54 in the United States, with a cartoon alien head appearing in the brand’s logo and as a motif on its clothing). ‘Drawing on ideas of extraterrestrial life, hidden knowledge, and outsider perspectives, the brand uses these references as metaphors for belonging, curiosity, inclusivity and exploration,’ Prantera described at the time.
Now, these references inform its first collaboration with American footwear behemoth Converse, launching tomorrow (21 July 2026). Taking the Chuck 70 as its canvas – a contemporary version of the original Converse Chuck Taylor, which dates back to the 1930s – the collaboration comprises a low and a high-top style, the former in white, the latter in black. In a nod to the collection’s inspirations – ‘1970s science fiction, UFO folklore and coming-of-age cinema’ – the low top features a luminous green stripe around the classic rubber sole, while both pairs have ‘Believe’ alongside a psychedelic swirl on the shoe’s tread.
No Problemo cites the films Stand by Me, The Outsiders and Back to the Future for the collaborative sneakers, which also feature both Converse and No Problemo branding, including a version of the Converse All Star Patch with an alien’s head at its centre. The shape of the alien logo is replicated in the shape of custom metal eyelets, while laces are imprinted with ‘I Want to Believe’, a nod to the poster in Fox Mulder’s basement office in The X-Files.
An accompanying campaign is photographed at ‘Hackney Henge’, the name for a stone circle in the east London borough created by artist Paula Haughney in 1990 to replicate Stonehenge in Wiltshire (its actual name is ‘Nature’s Throne’, and was part of an urban renewal scheme of the Lee Valley during the 1990s). ‘A couple are abducted while wearing improvised tinfoil hats and gowns as a tongue-in-cheek reference to one of conspiracy culture's most recognisable symbols,’ reads the synopsis. ‘It’s a fitting metaphor for No Problemo's fascination with outsider narratives, hidden knowledge and alternative ways of seeing the world.’
No Problemo x Converse launches July 21, 2026.