The Godfather of creps...
The Converse All Star is one of the most classical creps of all time, its been in existence for over 100 years and is still a relevant shoe till this day, simply due to its simplistic design, price and durability.
In this edition of CrepTalk, we take a closer look at the Converse Chuck Taylor and how its maintained its spotlight for 100 years.
The converse rubber company was founded by Marquis Converse in Boston Massachusetts, the company spent its first years manufacturing rubber, such as tires and tennis shoes, the company only operated seasonally in the summer, until they decided to keep workers working all year round making athletic shoes.
It wasn't until 1920 when the converse All Star was to be manufactured first, as with the sport of Basketball being invented in 1891 and was met with increasing popularity, Converse saw the opportunity to dive deep in basketball shoes and athleisure.
The Early days..
The converse All star wasn't actually the first ever basketball sneaker, it wasn't even Converse's first athletic shoe, but it stood out from the rest as it was mass produced at numbers no other rival company at the time could keep up with.
As the converse primarily stood out from the rest due to its lightweight construction, thick rubber sole and its heel 'Converse All Star' patch which was placed on the inner heel, which was supposedly designed to -protect the ankle bones of players.
The traction of the converse is definitely a feature that was built different, as till this day its still seen on present models of converses, Its diamond tread pattern allowed people to push off in many different directions and stop quickly on a dime.
It's mad interesting that a simplistic shoe like the Converse All-Star was seen as an innovative basketball crep, it just shows how basketball shoes have come a long way. The Converse All Star barely had any cushion, and certified hoopers back then, like Dr J and Wilt Chamberlain were jumping out the gym. Those knees must've have suffered. To top it off hoopers back then were playing outdoor with the Converse All Stars , and all my hoopers know that playing basketball on an outdoor court ain't fun for your knees after a while.
The very first converse All Stars were released in a natural brown leather upper with a black trim, and in the 1920s the All Stars were made in all black canvas and leather upper. The sales were initially slow as besides its design features converse didn't really do too much to set itself apart from competitors.
Then comes Chuck H. Taylor into the picture.
Chuck Taylor was a basketball player for a small team called the Akron Firestones. During the end of his career he saw the Converse All Star and was hooked. He saw a lot of potential for the shoe, he later joined the Converse team promoting the shoe around the States and holding basketball camps for young hoopers.
By the 1930s the Converse growth had doubled and Chuck Taylor was the man leading the growth.
He didn't just play a key part in promoting the shoe, he made key changes to the design of the All Star.
By 1932 Converse gifted Chuck Taylor for his service, by adding his name onto the Converse All Star, making it the 'Converse All Star Chuck Taylor.
As the years went on the Converse Chuck Taylors rose to a dominant status in basketball and athletics, maintaining popularity and achieving heights such as becoming the official sneaker of the United States Armed Forces. As Basketball grew so did the Converse All Star. It became the shoe for elite NBA, college and high school players.
By this point the Converse had 80% of the entire sneaker industry.
This wouldn't last though, there's always tough times ahead, as in 1969 Chuck H. Taylor would pass away, along with his passing so did Converse's dominance. As the NBA reached new heights, so did basketball culture. New rival athletic companies jumped in it started to look tense for Converse. Newer rival sneakers became more innovative, including different grains of leather, and cushioning technology such as pumps and air bags.
Pressure was being applied and Converse started to crumble. Once a 6'6 guy named Michael Jordan came into the picture it was definitely looking long for Converse.
With the Converse ultimately being phased out from basketball in the early 1980s, it was adopted by counter culture of rock musician's and the younger generations wore them primarily due to the distinctive colours, comfort and price, they were now considered to be a leisure sneaker due to their fashionable versatility.
Even though the converse Chuck Taylor found a new home, it wasn't long before they experienced issues, namely bankruptcy. As in 2001 the converse brand filed for bankruptcy, but with a brand like Converse that was too well established to abandon, new ownership took over, as Converse was acquired by their rival Nike. Which saved the brand and would continue till this day.
Say what you want about the Chucks being too simple and outdated as a basketball shoe, it still stood the test of time in fashion as this is one of them creps you cant necessarily go wrong with, it can be worn by both female and male, can easily be customised.
Since 1949 the Converse Chuck Taylor has maintained its relevance in sneakers, that's tough, especially when there's soo many other creps out there, we've seen come and go.
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