Joe was planning to debut the collection at a pop-up nightclub in Chicago Summer 2020, but we all know how 2020 went. So a film was the next best thing.

In addition to overseeing casting, Joe handpicked the talent behind the camera and the production, ensuring that the film would have the same spontaneous energy as if he'd gotten his favorite people together in real life.

The brief was to build buzz for the collection, and for that buzz to come from Joe--like all of his projects, his audience wants to hear it from him first, not the brand.

In the words of Joe Freshgoods, "When the opportunity came to actually be able to do a REAL collaboration with Converse I wanted to use this chance to go as wild as I can with my story. I COULD HAVE EASILY MADE A SIMPLE ASS CHUCK WITH A CUTE COLOR. SORRY IF YALL WANTED THAT LOL."

The creative idea is 1976 Chicago as expressed through the energy of today's Chicago creatives: original, thoughtful, beautiful, spontaneous Black joy.

Joe's work is all about the art, the details and the concept behind them. With those creative elements, he can slowly tease them out, one at a time, to get people talking and anticipating the full project.

So the strategy was giving Joe the space to be Joe. He posted a photo of just the Converse box, with his own handwriting letting people know that this time it was "Not a bootleg this time - JFG." He posted a photo of Chucks hanging from a disco ball, on the set of the film. And he posted the full film to lead into the Chicago-only release, to celebrate his hometown before the world had a chance to buy the collection online.

"A Shirt to Sleep In' was conceived, planned, produced and premiered in one month. Joe picked the talent in front of and behind the camera. The film premiered on Joe's socials and then led the global release of the collection on Converse.com and Converse socials.

Joe got the word out to his fans first on Twitter and Instagram, who shared teaser images organically on social, while all the major sneaker and fashion blogs picked up the images for their own stories. Once it got to Converse.com, the buzz was already going crazy, and it sold out right away.

"Shout out to brands who hang over the bag, trust the vision, and just get the f*ck out the way. More of this."

-@DeePhunk

"This is hard, man. Got the homies in the video, got the homies on the song. It's great to see Joe's progress over the last couple years."

-@CoryTownes

"Kudos to all involved in this. It’s refreshing - and to those who are in the know (which is important), it’s immediately recognizable... From the shooting location to the appearances. It’s Chicago. It’s Joe."

-@BeeNick

"Pure black excellence. This is amazing"

-@Skighwalker