Converse Chuck Taylor All Star – The roots of a culture

Now I give you 30 seconds, during which time you have to name the basketball shoes associated with a player – Air Jordan? It’s correct . Kobe X? That’s right. KD, D-Rose or CP3? Right, right and right. However, I guarantee that more than 90% of you will miss a shoe that we did not expect, which is the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star, or more briefly, the “Chuck”. Reading up here, probably quite a few of you have learned this truth and maybe some of you cannot believe that the shoes you use every day to go to school are basketball shoes, right?

Converse Rubber Corporation (also known as Converse today) was founded in 1908, at that time the company only produced high heels along with seasonal work shoes. However, the company decided to improve revenue in order to keep its workforce working year-round by starting to make sneakers. With the popularity of basketball at the time, Converse began to develop shoes that people could use while playing soccer. After months of research and development, the first version (also the ancestor of the later Chucks) was finally put into production in 1917.

The first version

The first version has a natural brown color, along with black details and a thick rubber sole. After about 2 years, versions with canvas upper or leather one by one came out. However, making shoes in 1921 at that time very difficult to achieve success in the first place. Thousands of beginning nan. After the first failed debut in 1921, after that, everything changed dramatically thanks to a man named Charles ‘Chuck’ H. Taylor. Seeing the potential in the shoes when he was playing for Akron Firestones (today’s Boston Celtics), he decided to join the sales force in the first year of the release. Later, he also became a player and coach for Converse All Stars – Converse’s basketball team was playing in league for teams in the industry. Two years later, Converse made him the face of the company, and the appearance of the ankle patch on our Converse All Stars shoes today began from then.

Charles H. Taylor

After this period, American football teams as well as teenagers started to face Chuck. In 1930, Chuck Taylor began to design a tall, white All Star version for the Olympics in 1936. With a white design along with white and blue borders representing the American flag, this version. Gradually stormed the market at that time, along with two different canvas and leather versions. Today, you can still find two versions: dyed white and white without dye – also known as natural white – everywhere. When the Olympics took place, the shoe was on most players’ feet all the way, marking a memorable milestone in Converse sporting history.

American team at the Olympics with Chuck Taylor All Star on foot

During World War II, Chuck Taylor became the captain of the Air Force squadron and was responsible for training regional teams to improve the morale of soldiers. Therefore, the Chuck Taylor All Star version was involved in the war, when the GI squad soldiers used the high-necked white version during practice. And so, Chuck Taylor All Star is honored to become the official shoe of The United States Armed Forces.

The shoes are used in the military

After the war, basketball became more popular, with the arrival of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1949. Converse went on to release a new version in black and white, and the success far surpassed. to expect when this shoe appears everywhere: from school, office, street or football field. Currently, this black and white Chuck Taylor High Top is still a top choice when you want to go out or go to school. In 1957, a version with a shorter collar appeared, and it was considered a replacement for the earlier version. During this time, Converse had an 80% stake in the sneakers market at that time.

The White-Black version is still popular until now

And as a reward for his tireless efforts to promote the sport, Taylor became a Basketball Ambassador. In 1968, his name was added to Basketball Hall Of Fame. However, he passed away only a year later. Years later, when the shoes began to bring on their advanced technologies, the charm of Chuck Taylor All Star gradually decreased. And as a result, 1980 was the year when the shoes were last seen in the NBA.

However, in the late 70s, Converse Chuck Taylor had grown widely in another discipline, skateboarding. Almost, there is no kid who can skateboard without having a chuck in a shoe locker. That proves, both sports have one thing in common thanks to Chuck Taylor that is so popular today. And certainly no other shoe can do such a great job

Skaters can not resist the attraction from Chuck Taylor All Star

The shoes are estimated to have sold about 800 MILLION pairs to date. As the decades have passed, this simple yet timeless shoe has passed into the hearts of every young generation, who adore the look and comfort of the shoe. . Final message: Although the shoe is no longer a basketball shoe but… it has always and forever been one of the most successful basketball shoes.

Carry it anytime, anywhere

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