Converse

Converse are essentially all about a single remarkable training shoe, which actually turns out to be the oldest training shoe design in the World.

In 1908, Converse started life as the Converse Rubber Corporation, and didn’t actually release their acclaimed All Star trainer basketball show until 1917. It was only availalble in one colour at that time, which was black. It had a really thick sole made from rubber and the upper of the shoe, which was made from canvas extended over the ankle. It wasn’t an immediate hit, but started to really take off and it was endorsed by Charles “Chuck” H. Taylor who played for the Akron Firestones.

Chuck Taylor recognised that the Converse All Star training shoe had great potential and in 1921 he became the voice of Converse within the World of basketball by joining the Converse sales team. He travelled the length and breadth of the United States promoting the virtues of the All Star shoe and the Converse brand. As a recognition of his efforts to make Converse a success, Chuck Taylor’s name was added to the ankle patch in 1923 and from that point on, the shoe was better known as the “Chuck Taylor” All Star basketball shoe.

The shoe remained available only in black or white right up until 1967 when the company bowed to market pressure and started manufacturing it in other colours. Before this, basketball teams had added some colour to their shoes by replacing the laces with coloured ones and had also dyed the white version in their own team colours themselves.

Concerse and the Chuck Taylor All Star came to dominate the trainer market by the time Chuck Taylor died in 1969. This is no longer the case but Converse still have a very loyal following and are still endorsed by various stars all over the planet. They have sold more than 500 million pairs of All Stars over the last 90 years and in all that time the design has changed very little, other than the use of colour. If you want a retro trainer, there is simply no other brand. You have to get yourself a pair of Converse shoes to add to your trainer collection.

The various versions of the Chuck Taylor All Star shoe is no longer the only shoe in the range. See below for the current range of Converse training shoes.