The Anakin Skywalker of hip-hop, Lupe Fiasco has remained steadfast in his position as one of the most mature artists in the game. Rather than signing on the dotted line for every endorsement that comes along (excuse him for the Reebok campaign), Lupe is making sound choices when it comes to who he is teaming up with. Recently, he joined forces with Dr. Romanelli to design a pair of flashy patent leather Chuck Taylors as part of the Converse PRODUCT (RED) line. I have to give credit to Converse for promoting the cause and continuing to churning out stunners with industry heavyweights such as Lupe and Romanelli.

via Hypebeast

L.A. designer Dr. Romanelli hasn’t been to an “accredited medical university,” but Chuck Taylor has decided to let the good doctor operate on a pair of limited edition Converse. The sneaker giant has teamed up with Bono’s African AIDS charity (RED) to produce 1HUND(RED)–100 artists to create limited edition kicks to benefit the cause–and Romanelli happens to be #12. The result is a shoe covered with breathable bandages, ghastly skulls on the soles, and some vintage anatomical drawings on the interior. Be the envy of your ER. The hottest guy in the burn ward. The there’s-nothing-really-funny-about-people-in-pain shoe wearing dude. You can find the Dr. Romanelli Converse at Sold Out until they, of course, sell out.

Despite our past mixed feelings on the success of the (red) campaign, we've remained supportive of its effect on the proliferation awesome artistic collaborations and solo efforts as a means of raising money for a good cause. This time around we're positively psyched for their latest undertaking. The (red) campaign has called upon some of the art world's most preeminent persons to conjure up some of their best creations for a charity auction aptly named (Auction) Red. Luminaries like Damien Hirst, Banksy, and Jeff Koons are amongst the big names involved in this event that will donate proceeds to the United Nations Foundation to Support HIV/Aids Relief Programs in Africa. If you want to catch a sneak peak of these picturesque pieces before they wind up in the home of someone who can afford them, we recommend heading down to New York's Gagosian Galleryfrom February 4th through 13th. If you find that you fancy one of these fine whether or not you can afford on, the auction will be held at Sotheby's in New York, on the (red)dest day of all, Valentine's Day.

Brit rockers Kaiser Chiefs are next up in the series of All Star collabs for the (RED) campaign, and if you can hold out for two more weeks you should be able to get your feet into a set of these plaid (purple, lime, chocolate, mindlessly stitched) hi tops. I guess it’s no surprise that their shoe design packs the same frenzied hyper-ventilation as their lyrics, as it looks like each band member individually chose one element, then they smashed them all together. And you know what? It worked, like it always does for them. You can pre-order your pair for delivery in mid-July from a bunch of online retailers (here’s one for you instant gratification junkies), and as per usual, 10% of net wholesale will be paid to The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

It’s always refreshing to see artists using their talents for the greater good, and in Logan Real’s case, he’s leaving his subtle yet distinctive mark on his custom shoes in support of the global fight against HIV, Malaria and Tuberculosis. Taking cues from the Product(RED) business model, the Miami native – who’s crafted kicks for the likes of Omarion and P.Diddy – has promised to donate 10% of online sales from his Logan Real Red collection to The Global Fund to continue their work in countries devastated by disease. Personally, I’m in total lust with his Lacoste Marcy Patent Sandal… so much so that I’d have some custom-matched for my next pedicure. Written By Heather Ann Snodgrass

I know I haven’t been the nicest person to the (RED) campaign lately, but when you boil it all down, I do appreciate the gesture behind (RED), and lets face it– it has paved the way for some pretty great product collabos. These exclusive photos from Freshness Mag reveal the newest Converse + The Ramones + (RED) collaboration (we’ve already seen a great Converse (RED) shoe this spring). What can I say? I’m in love with these shoes– take a timeless shoe like the Chuck (I wanted em when I was 6 like I want em now), add some “beat up punk rock” Ramones flair, and ice the cake with a little charity, and you have me sold. These puppies will hit the shelves late summer.

A week or so ago, I wrote about the (LESS) campaign– a ‘buy less crap’ response to the well-intentioned but mostly ineffective (RED) campaign to which the likes of Bono, Oprah, the Gap and Apple have subscribed. I want to thank you all for the comments you sent in in response to my post. I also wanted to share this clip from CNN that speaks to the tension between the (RED) campaign and responses from non-profits like (LESS). The gist of the story is that despite the widespread public perception that (RED) is effective — most likely due to the media blitz that accompanied (RED) — the campaign has been far more expensive to implement and market ($100M) than the donations that have resulted ($18M). As before, I encourage you all to leave comments with your opinions about this topic. What’s the most effective way to conduct important fundraising campaigns? Are these (RED) companies serious about making significant contributions, or are they more concerned with the PR exposure? I’m excited to hear your thoughts.

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate how big corporations like Gap are turing sales into helpful donations to great causes through the (RED) campaign; I think (RED) has been successful from a wide-spread outreach standpoint. But I also really appreciate the response to the (RED) campaign by the (LESS) campaign. (LESS) is a collaboration between Romantic Static and Words Pictures Ideas that allows you to donate to great charities with out buying stuff from a major corporation. Launched only yesterday, (LESS) is already starting to get some great donations flowing through their system. If you don’t view shopping as a solution to human suffering, (LESS) may be more for your donation efforts.

Our pals at Freeline Skates are up to good this holiday season, recently joining the Product(Red) campaign. (If you’re unfamiliar with these skates check out our last post). They’re dedicating $15 per package of “Our Red” version Freeline Skates towards helping orphans in Africa. The Freeline team creates change in the action sports industry everyday– literally reinventing the whole ‘inline’ skate movement with this product– but now their change will extend further then just the industry. High five guys, good looking stuff and a great cause!