Converse | 100 Years

Converse is turning 100 and the Grande Dame of Sneakers is as far from the concept of perpetual change as most of the shoe’s fans are from playing sports. The rubber boot specialist Marquis Converse first opened the “Converse Rubber Shoe Company” in Massachusetts in 1908, and we only have the unpredictability of weather to thank for the fact that he began producing sneakers in 1917. Made from canvas and rubber soles with good traction, the “Chuck Taylor All Star”—named after the pro-baller—remained the official Olympic basketball shoe until 1968 and was world famous as such.

But instead of striving for contemporary improvements, “All Stars” have remained the same until this very day. Therein lies the secret of the shoe’s success: Authenticity. “Chucks” are about lifestyle. Outsiders, louts, rebels and artists can be found wearing them. Mick Jagger wore Converse sneakers to his wedding in 1977, Joey Ramone wore them at every concert and even the editor of French Vogue, Carine Roitfeld, wore them at the Milan fashion shows last year. Why is it that “Jack Purcell”, the badminton shoe with the trademark smile, and the “All Star” itself, which was sold more than 750 million times, never sold out entirely? This year’s Century Collection or the limited “1(HUND)RED” designed by icons like Hiroshi Fujiwara answer the question: There is no other shoe that, in staying the same, offers such versatility.

www.converse.de
Text > Julia Christian

Das könnte dich auch interessieren

1. Converse | 100 Jahre
2. Converse 1 HUND(RED)
3. Converse | British Invasion
4. Converse Leather Jacket
5. Kawasaki Footwear | Eco Comeback

1. Diesen Artikel auf Twitter posten!