One pair of Converse All Stars – that’s 100 million pairs per year!
I’m pretty sure that every one of us has either owned or known someone who’s owned a pair of Converse. But what is it about this remarkably simplistic trainer that’s made it so damn successful?
With 110 years under its belt, Converse is one of the most versatile and iconic items of footwear. It’s majorly influenced popular culture, especially in the US where a whopping to own, or have owned, a pair. The 24th June marks the birthday anniversary of Chuck Taylor, the man responsible for the rise of All Stars as a basketball shoe. So what better time to dig into the history of this iconic shoe?
Sit back, relax and enjoy the tale of how a simple, rubber-soled shoe took the world by storm.
Rewind to 1908 – Winter footwear to sports shoe
The Converse Rubber Shoe Company was opened in 1908 by founder Marquis Mills Converse, in Massachusetts. Originally, Converse were a specialist type of winter footwear, boasting shoes and boots with sturdy rubber soles.
It wasn’t for another few years that the company actually began to diversify its product and venture into sports footwear. Starting with sports like tennis and football, their first ever basketball shoe wasn’t released until 1917.
When Converse met Chuck
You may be familiar with Chuck Taylor, or at least the world-renowned shoe design he’s associated with. Chuck played an incremental part in the success of the Converse All Star, or ‘Chucks’ as they’re also known today.
The Converse All Star remained relatively low-key until the early 1920s. Former basketball player Chuck Taylor happened to walk into a Converse store one day, complaining that his feet were sore. He was so impressed with the design potential of the shoe that by 1921 he had secured a position as an ambassador for the product!
In 1932, Chuck’s signature was added to the All Star logo, signalling the birth of the ‘Chuck Taylor All Star’.
From basketball to the armed forces
Chuck Taylor first designed the white high top version of the All Star during the 1930s. As the USA took to the basketball court , it served as a powerful publicity tool for the shoe. Its popularity continued to grow throughout the 1930s, culminating in 1939 when, along with Chuck, the shoes went off to war. GI’s wore them as they trained, and Chuck coached regional basketball teams to boost morale.
By the 1940s, the majority of the NBA were fashioning a pair of Chucks – talk about dominating the marketplace!
Converse – the fashion item
It’s popularity surged throughout the US and it became clear that it wasn’t just sports players who were interested. In 1957, ‘The Oxford’ design was introduced to market. This low-key version of the basketball shoe stepped away from the well-known black and white designs, and introduced an array of colours. This more casual alternative transitioned the shoe from sporting necessity to fashion choice, paving a new pathway for the product.
The acquisition and the renewal
From the 1960s onward, basketball teams began switching to other brands of basketball shoe. Despite introducing a new range of designs in different colours, it wasn’t enough for the company to fend off the competition.
It seems to be a little-known fact but in 1990, Converse actually became bankrupt. It wasn’t until 2003 when the company was acquired by Nike that the brand actually started to make a comeback. When you think about all the people you see on a daily basis wearing some kind of Converse, it’s pretty hard to believe, right?
To kick things off, the shoe needed to be re-marketed to reach a whole new audience. Cue new colours for starters and throw custom designs and patterns into the mix.
As with any product redesign, Nike have had to step cautiously as they introduced the new design of what remains the . After more than 100 years, this was a bold, but albeit necessary move on Nike’s part.
The rebirth of a legend
Fast forward a few years and enter the ‘Chuck Taylor All Star II’…
In 2015, Nike debuted the redesign of the iconic Chuck Taylor All Star, carefully promoting it as a necessary update to . Pop-up stalls began opening, offering customisation options like graffiti or hand-drawn artwork to really personalise your pair. And celebrity influences further increased the popularity and reach of this age-old shoe. Influencers range from Wiz Khalifa’s collection of 12 styles launched in 2013 to Miley Cyrus’s introduced in 2018.
With celebrity influencers on board, it’s no surprise that 110 years later, Converse retains its influence on pop culture.