The History of the Converse All Star "Chuck Taylor"

One of the original All Star basketball shoes.

What is the oldest, most popular, and all time best selling basketball shoe of all time? (As a matter of fact, 60% of all Americans own or have owned at least one pair of these sneakers!) Well it is not the expensive Air Jordans that the Nike Corporation produces! Nor is it made by Fila, Reebok, New Balance, or Adidas. It is the Converse All Star "Chuck Taylor"!
It was in 1908 that the Converse Rubber Corporation opened for business. At first the company only made galoshes and other work related rubber shoes on a seasonal basis. But eventually the company decided it was more efficient to keep their work force employed year round, and began making athletic shoes. With the popularity of basketball, the Converse Corporation saw the need to develop a shoe that people could wear while playing basketball. After lots of research and development, the very first version of the All Star basketball shoe was produced in 1917. The All Star shoe originally came in natural brown colors with black trim. In the 1920s, Converse All Stars were made in all black canvas or leather versions. The All Star was to be the first mass produced basketball shoe in North America. It consisted of a very thick rubber sole, and a ankle covering canvas (or sometimes leather) upper. At first sales were slow. They would rapidly increase a few years later, thanks to Charles "Chuck" H. Taylor.

The optical white model was introduced at the 1936 Olympics.

 Charles H. Taylor was a basketball player for the Akron Firestones. He liked what he saw in the All Star shoe and saw its potential for the sport of baskteball As a matter of fact, he believed in the shoe so much that in 1921 he joined the Converse sales force, and later became the player/coach for the Converse All-Stars, the company's industrial league basketball. team. Throughout his career with Converse, Taylor traveled all across the United States hosting basketball clinics and promoting the All Star shoe. His personal salemanship plus clever marketing devices like the Converse Basketball Yearbooks put his imprint on the sport at all team levels. But the Converse Corporation also bestowed something else on him. Because he was so successful in promoting the All Star sneaker, as well as making important changes in the original All Star shoe, in 1932, his name "Chuck Taylor" was added to the ankle patch. Hence the "Chuck Taylor" All Star basketball shoe was born!

T Black Monochrome Black Navy Blue Pink Red Optical White Natural White

Converse (shoe company)

Chuck Taylor All Star basketball shoe

The Chuck Taylor All Star shoe has developed a number of nicknames over the years, such as: "Cons", "Connies", "Convics", "Convos", "Verses", "Chuckers", "Chucks", "Converse", "Chuckalos", "Chuckies", "Chuckie Ts", or "Chucker Boots" or "Chuck Taylors" for the higher styles.^{[citation needed]} For decades the Chuck Taylor All Star basketball shoe only came in black, with a white variant released in 1947. Under pressure from basketball teams Converse decided in 1966 to manufacture other colors. Different materials also began to be used, starting in the 1970s, including leather, suede and vinyl, and evenhemp, rather than just canvas. Besides high-tops, low-cuts and later knee-high versions were produced. After Converse was bought by Nike, operations were moved from the United States to overseas. The fabric is no longer 2-ply cotton canvas but 1-ply "textile" and many wearers have noticed different patterns of wear

Chuck Taylor All-Stars

Chuck Taylor All-Stars, or Converse All-Stars, also referred to as "Chuck Taylors", "Converses", "All-Stars", "Chucks" or "Cons", are canvas and rubber shoes produced by Converse. They were first produced in 1917 as the "All-Star," Converse's attempt to capture the basketball shoe market. Chuck Taylor, a basketball player and shoe salesman for Converse, improved the shoe's design and became the product's spokesperson in the 1920s

ALL STAR CONVERSE

Converse is an American shoe company that has been making shoes since the early 20th century.

History

1908–1941: Early days

In his late 30s, Marquis Mills Converse, who was previously a respected manager at a footwear manufacturing firm, opened the Converse Rubber Shoe Company (completely unrelated to the Boston Rubber Shoe Company founded by fourth cousin Elisha Converse) in Malden, Massachusetts in February 1908. The company was a rubber shoe manufacturer, providing winterized rubber soled footwear for men, women, and children. By 1910, Converse was producing 4,000 shoes daily, but it was not until 1915 that the company began manufacturing athletic shoes for tennis. The company's main turning point came in 1917 when the Converse All-Star basketball shoe was introduced. Then in 1921, a basketball player named Charles H. "Chuck" Taylor walked into Converse complaining of sore feet. Converse gave him a job. He worked as a salesman and ambassador, promoting the shoes around the United States, and in 1923 his signature was added to the All Star patch. He tirelessly continued this work until shortly before his death in 1969. Converse also customized shoes for the New York Renaissance (the "Rens"), the first all-African American professional basketball team.